Chapter 40:

Rescue:

Something was wrong. Something that scratched on his tired mind and made his stomach roll in a nausea, the origin of which his brain couldn't locate, despite his knowledge that he somehow should know the reason. Only, his brain could not catch the thought and process of the muffled information.

The feeling of queasiness and the pushing urge to escape this reason became stronger and drove him further back towards consciousness. Before Severus finally managed to give in to this urge and to pry his leaden eye lids open, he recognized with a sickening feeling what was wrong. It stunk so miserably that his internal organs seemed to knit together, but his body no longer had enough strength to follow the choking reflex that dwelled in his throat.

He was on his back, on a bumpy, hard and partly damp ground, his body bent slightly backwards, as if he were lying on a heap. A heap full of hard, pointed edges that pressed into his skin.

He laboriously forced his eyelids open and blinked a few times, already feeling the suction in the rear part of his consciousness again, which let him slide away from reality. He fought it for the moment, even if he did not know why he did. Above him, he saw a plain stone ceiling like the one in his cell, upon which a solitary torch, which must be attached on the wall outside of his field of vision, threw its hypnotising, flickering light spots.

Severus turned his head to the side, away from the torches' play of light and shadows. He needed a moment, to be able to make sense of what he saw. Not that it was something he didn't recognize, but his brain seemed to be having more and more trouble processing everything clearly. Yet his instinct let his heart skip a beat and unconscious terror and despair overwhelmed him as he found himself looking at the half decayed head of a corpse.

Against his will, Harry's eyes once more wandered to the head table. Snape seemed to have vanished from the face of earth and the longer their search proved in vain the smaller their hope was to find him still alive. Dumbledore looked tired. The dark rings under his eyes proved that his concern was robbing away his sleep. Although he was a master of maintaining a joyful-lemon-drops-eating facade, the other teachers seemed to become aware of his growing concern. In any case, McGonagall frequently bent over to engage the headmaster in a discussion, and in between stole worried glances in his direction.

Harry had been relieved at first when he found out that with Snape's possible rescue he could quench his guilt. Until then, however, it had grown into concern for the headmaster's well being and this had become an ever bigger drive to find the potions master alive.

He began to ask himself whenever it had been such a good idea to tell the headmaster about the vision at all. Before, when Dumbledore had thought Snape to be dead, he had mourned but apparently he had accepted the potions master to be another unfortunate victim of war. On the other hand, now that he knew they could still do something but he still had to remain immobile, it ate away at the old wizard's patience. Although Snape didn't mean anything to Harry on a personal level and he only craved to correct his error, he could relate to the headmaster's feelings. Doing nothing, whilst knowing that they should, was very unnerving.

Yet, the last sparks of hope to still somehow settle this whole disaster was extinct when a large eagle owl with a roll of parchment flew through one of the upper windows and landed in front of Dumbledore.

It had been pure coincidence that Harry took this moment to look at the head table but when the headmaster removed the letter from the bird, which immediately flew off again, and began to read – while his eyes first widened in terror and then closed in immense grief, Harry instinctively knew that Snape had been found.

"Do you think that in the letter…." Hermione began, looking up to Dumbledore as well, after having become attentive from Harry's strained staring to the head table.

"Look how shaken Dumbledore looks," Harry whispered sadly and with a sting in his heart, while he observed how the headmaster's hands, that held the letter, trembled noticeably. "This can only mean that they found Snape dead."

The headmaster opened his eyes again and his gaze met Harry's for one second. Harry thought that he had seen tears in Dumbledore's eyes, but he could not be sure, because the old wizard turned away again and sought McGonagall's attention by putting a hand upon hers.

The strict professor turned to him and the headmaster pushed the parchment over to her. McGonagall briefly adjusted her eyeglasses and began to read the letter. Her expression too changed at once. She paled and her jaw fell open as she stared at the parchment in her hands.

Under normal circumstances, Harry would probably have been amused by the sight of his noble and strict house teacher wearing the expression of a dead fish, but now he had the feeling as if his heart had sank down to his stomach and he watched with a terrible expectation how Dumbledore whispered something to McGonagall, who seemed to have caught herself somewhat and brought her jaw back under control before she nodded abruptly.

Dumbledore patted her hand in a kind of helpless gesture, rolled the parchment up again and rose from his chair. He moved to Remus and whispered something to the werewolf, who acknowledged that with a restrained nod, rising likewise from his chair.

Both stepped around the table and began to walk between the four long tables towards the main exit, ignoring the questioning glances of students and teachers that followed them.

Harry would have gladly known about the content of the letter, and as if he would have heard his thoughts, Dumbledore suddenly hesitated and looked his way. He said nothing, but searched his glance and nodded barely noticeably.

Harry accepted the mute invitation immediately and stood up.

"You coming too?" he asked his two friends, who too, didn't hesitated a second longer.

Together they followed the headmaster, who led them and Lupin wordless toward his office.

Once there, he called loudly Sirius' name before he sat behind his desk, waiting, until one minute later the Animagus stepped through the hidden door.

"What's the matter? Shouldn't you be in the Great Hall eating?" he asked perplexedly, walking up to his godson's side.

Harry and the others regarded the headmaster seriously. Instead of saying something, the old wizard unrolled the parchment and laid it upon his desk in a way that the other persons on the other side of the table could read it. Harry and the others curiously stepped closer and began to read the smooth written words in dark ink.

Well, my dear Dumbledore,

You probably thought that you could so easily out-smart me. To let Snape spy on me was really not a very intelligent idea. At least if you only remotely cared about his well being. Our good Severus, unfortunately, has now had to pay the price for his betrayal. Since I know about your ridiculous sentimentality, I assume that you want to have him back. In my utmost benevolence I will return your potions master to you, even if I doubt that he will still be of much use to you. I would hurry in any case, if I were you. He is in the old biar-kobold's diamond quarry. The door is marked, so that you will easily find it.

Oh. I almost forgot. Before you use any magic on him, I would recommend that you read my message, which I left with him.

This round clearly goes to me. Until next time, then.

Lord Voldemort

For a moment it was dead quiet in the room, while everybody tried to digest what they had just read. Even Sirius seemed too stunned to be able to say something.

"Do you think that he's still alive?" Lupin broke the heavy silence at last.

Dumbledore slowly shook his head. "I do not know. Voldemort could very well give us false hope only to let us find a dead body. In any case, someone must depart immediately to make sure. Even if it is only a small chance, then we cannot let it go unused. That much we owe to Severus."

Remus nodded. "Do you know where that quarry is, Albus?"

"Yes. Before I became headmaster, every class went to take a look at the old, abandoned quarry. The students were to learn about the unique architecture of these kobolds. However, thirty years ago, part of the mine collapsed and these excursions were taken off the curriculum. Voldemort must have used the caves for himself. It is a magical building and no Muggle will ever trespass up there."

"Then you will be leaving right now?" asked Hermione.

Dumbledores eyes grew hard and he squared his shoulder, almost as if he would prepare for a difficult fight. "The Aurors called in a meeting, which should take place in an half hour. They want, as usual, the whole staff to attend."

"Why do those parasites still linger around anyway? Have they so little work or are they too thick to understand that the school is no longer endangered? They bother us for weeks, already," Sirius growled.

Remus smiled benevolently. "It's all about politics, my friend. Fudge is in his position through selections and must stay in good grace with the people. The student's parents want protection and the good will and influence of these parents are not unimportant for his re-election."

"So what are we doing then? Thirty minutes will hardly be enough to retrieve Snape and nobody can leave the school without any notice of departure," Sirius said.

"I could get him," Harry blurted out, before he could stop himself. The glare, which he received from Sirius at that, however, was a clear certification of what he held of this idea.

"That is out of question," Sirius protested.

"It's much too dangerous, Harry," Dumbledore agreed. "There could still be Death Eaters there. Let us adults take care of it."

Frustration and a good portion rage welled up in Harry. "I have brought Snape into this mess and it'll be only the right thing to get him out again," he persisted stubbornly.

"No!" Sirius stated fiercely.

"And who will go then? The teachers can't and if you wait until after the meeting, it is possibly already too late. I am the only possibility."

"This, Harry, is not completely correct," Dumbledore said in a stretched voice, while he slowly moved his gaze over to Sirius.

The Animagus paled when he understood the suggestion. "You can't be serious, Albus?"

"You are officially dead, Sirius. Nobody will notice your absence. You can leave the school unhindered, get Severus from the quarry and bring him to the Order's headquarters."

"Isn't there another way, Albus?" he groaned. "I will probably personally strangle him before I have finished rescuing him. I can already see it. To be getting a 'thank you' I can equally forget. He's rather like to yell at me for taking so long to get him as soon as I unlock the door. Don't expect me to control myself then."

Dumbledore rose and smiled at Sirius. "I trust that you can hold back long enough."

Despite his friendly words, there lay a finality in his voice, which let Sirius groan loudly, submitting to his fate. "Maybe I am lucky and he's dead already," he murmured so quietly that only Harry could hear him.

Dumbledore turned back to his desk and took a quill into his hand. He pointed his wand at it and murmured a long incantation. Then he handed the quill to Sirius.

"The portkey will bring you to the quarry. Contact me, when you have Severus."

Sirius nodded, a sour expression on his face and took the quill at its keel.

"Three...two…." Dumbledore counted down and on an impulse Harry shot forward and grabbed the other end of the quill at the same moment as Dumbledore arrived at "One," and the portkey was activated.

T.B.C.

Betaed by Slytherin's silver snake and Sadistra.