REPOSTED


Severus Snape, Headmaster

Chapter 2:

Truth

Severus Snape sat quietly staring at the sword of Godric Gryffindor as if it would speak and give him the answers he was looking for. But as special as the sword was, speech was not one of its more incredible gifts. He had to give it to Harry somehow. Just handing it to him was out of the question. Harry needed to get the sword by doing something brave. To what lengths Harry would go in order to get the sword wasn't the problem. Harry was always doing foolish, albeit brave, acts. The real question was how Severus would find Harry. He could be anywhere by now.

An earsplitting scream broke the tranquil silence of the castle.

"The Carrow's," Severus said to himself. He leaped up and ran down the steps of the spiral staircase two at a time emerging into the darkened hallway in the castle. Severus turned and walked down the corridor towards the Dark Arts room where someone was in detention. Another scream echoed off the walls. It was the most horrible sound that Severus had ever heard. And he had seen many people tortured in his time.

Severus's brisk footsteps echoed hollowly off the empty halls. Just a year ago he would have heard several people scurry behind statues, suits of armor, into classrooms – whatever hiding place was available at the time. That was long gone now though. Students ventured no farther than their Common Rooms these days. If they did leave and where caught they would have to face detention, and Minerva wasn't always the one serving it.

Suddenly detention was a very real concern of the students at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.

He should have had more of a plan, and Severus knew this. But it was as Dumbledore had said. For better or for worse, Severus had begun to think like a headmaster. The safety of his students was his first priority. Having the Carrow's become suspicious of Severus's behavior and report to Voldemort was a very close second, though.

Pausing at the door a moment, Severus listened. There was heavy breathing from inside the classroom. A man chuckled softly to himself. "Do you realize your mistakes now? Will you stop trying to defy the Dark Lord or shall I continue?" Carrow lowered his wand. A cocky smile spread across his lips, reminding Severus of both Lucius and Draco.

"No, go ahead. Continue. We were having such fun anyways," Ginny Weasley spat. Her eyes were narrowed either from hatred or pain. Severus wasn't sure which. Carrow chuckled and raised his wand once more.

"Cru-"

"That's enough!" Both Carrow and Ginny turned and saw Snape standing in the doorway, his cool demeanor resumed. Neither had noticed Severus open the door. Both had been too preoccupied with their battle of wills. "Carrow, I believe Miss Weasley has learned her lesson."

Carrow looked disappointed, but nodded and left the room all the same. Severus watched him go. Once he was a safe distance away, Severus spoke. "Come, Miss Weasley. We have to get you back to Gryffindor Tower."

Severus watched as Ginny pushed herself off the floor with great effort. She slipped to one knee as she tried to stand. It was a sight that he had seen before. People were tourtured constantly by Voldemort. Yet it all seemed much more sinister now.

This was Hogwarts.

This was his school.

And Severus couldn't stand by any longer and watch as his students were tortured and disappeared one by one. Some of them wouldn't be coming back when everything was finished. Severus pushed that thought out of his mind. Mourning was later. Right now he had to concentrate on the situation at hand. In particular, one Ginny Weasley.

Severus walked over to Ginny and put an arm around her shoulders, bringing her to her feet. "Can you stand?" He asked Ginny.

Ginny simply looked at him, for once at a loss for words. "Why are you doing this for me?" Ginny asked her Professor.

"I…" Severus paused. It was such a simple question. But he didn't know quite how to answer. "I don't want to see my student's hurt. I finally realized what it means to be Headmaster. Come."

Severus watched as Ginny matched her steps with his. Despite that he was offering his arm for support, Ginny was trying to walk on her own, an intense look of concentration on her face. "Miss Weasley, Carrow isn't here anymore and as much as you think otherwise, I'm on your side. Lean on me."

Ginny hesitated a moment before shifting some of her weight onto Severus's arm. They walked back to the Gryffindor Common Room in silence. As they neared the portrait of the fat lady Minerva McGonagall walked out of the Gryffindor Common Room and turned to walk down to the floor below, not seeing Severus and Ginny coming from above.

"Minerva," Severus called out. Minerva stopped and looked back, walking back up the staircase. She froze as she saw Ginny and Severus.

"Ginny!" Minerva made to go and take Ginny under her other arm, but Ginny waved her away.

"I can walk by myself now," she said. Ginny was grateful for all the help being offered to her, but annoyed at the attention all the same.

Minerva and Severus followed down the rest of the flight of stairs. "Dumbledore's Army," Ginny said. The fat lady swung outward eyeing Severus and Minerva. Severus was sure that she would leave the painting to spy on them as soon as they had gotten into the Common Room.

"Ginny, are you alright?" Neville stood up from a chair at the fireplace and made to go help Ginny, but froze upon seeing Severus. Neville looked at him coldly. "What are you doing here?"

Severus sighed. Apparently Neville's days of being afraid of him were long gone. That fear had turned to outrage and anger. Severus almost wished that Neville was still afraid of him. It was much harder to sway someone to see your side of an issue with words than it was to use their fear against them for the same purpose. But Severus wasn't going to go back to his old ways. He had promised Dumbledore so. Words it would have to be.

"It's alright, Neville. I think he's actually on our side after all." Ginny tilted her head and looked up at Severus. Severus had never noticed it before, but Ginny was so like Lily. The same hair, same build, same unassuming demeanor and unwavering loyalty to her friends. "Thanks," she said walking away, still a bit wobbly, and sitting down next to Neville.

"You're welcome," Severus said a bit gruffly. He wasn't used to asking or accepting thanks. It was a new sensation for him. "If any of you need anything, come to my office and I'll see what I can do for you. Tell the rest of Dumbledore's Army. And be more careful. The Carrow's almost caught you last night when they were patrolling the corridors."

"Sir, how do we know we can trust you?" Neville asked Severus. Severus looked from Neville, to Ginny, to Minerva who had her lips pursed and was waiting for Severus to answer. He took a deep breath and sighed. He would have to tell them if he wanted them to trust him. As much as he didn't want anyone to know the true details of Albus Dumbledore's death, he wanted to help his students. He wanted to help Harry defeat the Dark Lord. And the first way to do that was by helping his students – Harry Potter's friends.

"Do you remember that Professor Dumbledore's hand was blackened?" Minerva nodded, a confused look on her face. "That happened when he was doing something while try to help Potetr defeat You-Know-Who. It was a curse that would have killed him in an hour if he hadn't gotten to me soon enough. I managed to contain it to just his one hand. But the effects were permanent. Albus Dumbledore would have died in a year, despite my efforts." Minerva's eyes softened a bit, but her lips remained stubbornly pursed.

"Dumbledore knew that Draco was under orders from the Dark Lord to kill him, and that Narcissa had me make an Unbreakable Vow that I would help Draco, and if he should fail, that I would do the deed myself. Dumbledore wanted me to obey the Vow. He wanted me to kill him when the time was right. He didn't want to just waist away." Severus closed his eyes remembering their conversation and the ensuing argument.

"A man like Professor Dumbledore would not have wanted to die frail and sickly. It wasn't his way." Ginny said. However astute Ginny's words may be, Severus still didn't find comfort in them. He still felt guilt in following Dumbledore's orders. And, Severus realized, he probably would for the rest of his life.

"Why didn't you tell us this sooner, Severus?" he opened his eyes and saw that Minerva had lost all of her harshness.

"How could I, Minerva? Would you have believed me anyway?" Severus gave the three one last look before turning and walking through the portrait hole and back to his study. He didn't know if they would believe him. He didn't know if they could believe him. Sometimes Severus didn't even believe himself.

The walk back to the study seemed longer than usual. All of the portraits were asleep. All of the students were in their beds. Even Filch and that damned cat weren't lurking about. When he got back into his study he looked around the walls and saw that all of the portraits of the old headmasters were snoring.

"So that's done. Now, to the sword." Severus walked back over to Gryffindor's sword and scratched his chin, deep in thought.

Up above his head, Albus Dumbledore opened one eye half way and smiled softly to himself. Despite all his mistakes and all his misgivings, perhaps this would turn out alright in the end. Perhaps Harry would discover how to defeat Voldemort himself. Albus didn't want Severus to have to explain that he, Harry, was the last Horcrux. He would accept it more if he were to find out himself.

And Severus.

Perhaps they sorted students too young. Perhaps the hat wasn't always right. Perhaps Albus's first impression of the young Slytherin wasn't correct after all. Severus was smarter than most, kinder than he let on, and braver than he knew.

There was a knock on Severus' door. "Enter," he said automatically, his mind still on the sword that lay across the desk in front of him.

"Professor?" Severus looked up to see Luna Lovegood approaching his desk. "That's the sword of Godric Gryffindor."

It was more of a statement than a question. Luna looked down at it with a kind of reverence that surprised Severus, with Luna being a Ravenclaw. It surprised him how easily Luna recognized the sword. She had never seen it before, at least to his knowledge, but then again she was top of her class and did come out with surprising remarks in class ever couple of seconds.

"Yes," Snape said. "You wanted to see me about something?"

"Oh, yes." Luna looked away from the sword and up at Severus. "We wanted to know if you had any old potions lying around that we could use. You know, healing salves, or herbs."

Severus swept across the room and opened a cabinet, looking at the labels of all the vials that he had stored in there just in case of an emergency.

"What have the Carrow's done this time?" Severus asked, trying not to show too much emotion in his voice.

"Surprisingly little in the past few days since Ginny was tortured, but Madam Pomfrey is being overrun with students constantly. She just can't keep up any more. We figured that if we had our own stash, then it would lighten her load."

"I don't know how long these will last." Severus turned around and looked at Luna, who was smiling serenely up at him. He handed her twelve vials of potion and five different salves, all neatly labeled. Luna placed them in her school bag and then charmed them so they would not break. "You know what they all do?"

"Yes, I remember. You taught us healing potions second year." Severus looked at her suspiciously. He didn't think that there was one person in all of Hogwarts, himself included, that could remember everything they were taught in potions second year. But it was Loony Lovegood and Severus decided not to question the matter.

"What are you doing with the sword?" Luna asked curiously, going back to stare at it some more.

"I need to get it to Harry," Severus said before he could stop himself. Why he was telling so much to a sixth year he didn't know and didn't particularly like? Perhaps it was just because he needed someone to talk to and hadn't left the study all day.

"The sword of Gryffindor must be gotten in an act of courage to work properly." Luna said, turning to face her professor once more.

"Yes, it does."

"Perhaps you should just go see where Harry is at the moment. It's no use to make plans of hiding it up a tree if he's living in a Crumple Horned Snorkack's den," Luna said innocently. Severus simply stared at her and blinked a few times, partly stunned that he had not thought of that himself, and partly scared at how seriously Luna took Crumpled Horned Snorkack's, which he didn't bother to tell her were not at all real.

"Good day, Professor," Luna said as she turned to head back down the spiral staircase.

"Miss Lovegood?"

"Yes, Professor?" Luna stopped and looked back at Severus.

"How did you know what the password was?"

"It was easy. I guessed." Luna smiled at her professor one last time before leaving Severus' office.

Severus stared after the girl and wondered, not for the first time, if she was a genius or simply insane. The password that evening was Lily Evans. He had not wanted anyone to bother him and so made the password something that no one would ever guess. At least he thought no one would have guessed it.

Was it that obvious? Was it that easy to see that he was still in love with his childhood sweetheart?

Obviously not, otherwise Remus Lupin and Sirius Black would have berated him for it long ago. They didn't know then, and certainly didn't know now. If Sirius did know then he took the secret with him to his grave.

Severus looked back at the sword. Luna was right. Maybe if he found Harry, an idea would come to him.

Yeah, and maybe if you looked hard enough you would find one of those Crumple Horned Snorkack's.

"Severus," the voice of Minerva McGonagall called out from behind him.

"Yes, what is it Minerva," Severus said, not looking up from the letter he was going over from the School Governors. Nearly all of them were Death Eaters now, and the ones that weren't were certainly in support of Voldemort and his plans.

"What was it Harry and Albus went to go and do the night that Albus died?" Severus froze for a second and then put the letter down and resumed his distant demeanor once again.

"I'm sure I don't know, Minerva. That was between them."

"But you knew what he was doing the night he hurt his hand." Severus realized his mistake too late. "So you must have known where he was that night as well." Minerva pursed her lips waiting for his answer like he was a student out of bed and night and he had been caught red handed.

"I swore that I would tell no one. Not even you, Minerva." There was a faint trace of hurt in Minerva's eyes as he said this. Severus looked away uncomfortably. "I knew that you two were close friends. I'm sorry I can't tell you more."

"I understand, Severus." Minerva glanced up at the empty portrait of Albus Dumbledore and didn't move for a long minute.

"He's doing his rounds, Minerva. Albus always checks on his students after dinner."

Minerva nodded and left. Severus stared after her and wondered if there was something more than friendship between Albus and Minerva. They had always been so close, such good friends. They had always worried over each other if one of them got hurt. Like when Albus went to St. Mungo's after the stunning spell incident with Umbridge two years ago. He had risked his life to make sure that Minerva was alright. But perhaps he just didn't understand friendship that well. Maybe he thought that way because the only real friendship that he ever had left him in love and broken hearted. Maybe it was all in his head.