71
The Power Within
Hogwarts school
Potion Master's quarters:
Severus checked upon Arthur before he went to teach his last class of the day. The boy was still sleeping soundly, Severus gently inspected the child's back, bottom, and thighs where the barbs had been stuck and saw that they were mending and by tomorrow afternoon would be healed. Relief spread through him then, for Arthur might have had a serious allergic reaction to the poison on the barbs and have needed to be hospitalized. He gently patted his sleeping ward on the head, then called a house elf to keep watch over him and departed.
When he returned after his class, he found Arthur awake and lying on his side, chatting with Honey, the house elf.
"Master Professor Snape sir!" exclaimed Honey reverentially, bowing almost to the floor. "You has returned! Would Master Snape like to have some refreshment? Honey will fetch a cold drink or a sandwich."
"Thank you, Honey. I would like a glass of ice water with lemon, please." Severus said.
Honey popped out of sight, then popped back in carrying tray with a tall glass of water on it and some small watercress sandwiches as well. "Honey is pleased to serve Master Professor Snape sir!"
Severus took the tray and as soon as he did so, the elf vanished. The professor set the tray down on his nightstand and then drank the water. Once his throat was no longer hoarse from lecturing contrary students all day long, Severus asked Arthur how he was feeling.
"Better, Sev." Arthur replied, peering up at him from his shock of brown hair.
"Good. Are you hungry? Would you like to eat supper?"
"Yes, please." He eyed the watercress sandwiches.
Severus handed him two and then summoned Honey back to send up a tray for supper for the both of them.
Once they had eaten, Severus said, with a hint of sternness in his tone, "Arthur, we need to discuss your behavior earlier this afternoon."
The boy dropped his gaze to the carpet. "I'm sorry I said I hated you, Severus. . ."
"No, that's not what I meant. I was speaking about the brawl you got into with Pemberly, Torrence, and Wyverly. I seem to recall telling you a few weeks ago that raising a wand is never the answer if a fellow student threatens you."
"I know, but Sev, I had to do something! Wyverly hexed Misty with a Cleaning Charm and she was choking on pink soap bubbles. I just lost it, I guess."
"Understandable, but once you had freed Fielding, why did you not walk away and get help, as she did?"
"Because . . . I was too mad and I wanted to get them back for being stupid arseholes."
"Mr. Stephens, mind your mouth."
"Sorry. I know what I should have done, Sev, but those bullies just made me so mad I couldn't think straight, and even though they were bigger and knew more magic than me, I still wanted to fight them."
"I'm not questioning your courage, little brother, only your good sense. You do know that those three might have seriously crippled you if Professor McGonagall hadn't shown up? They weren't minded to show you mercy, Arthur." Severus sighed. "Art, there's a time to fight and a time when discretion is the better part of valor. Do you understand what I'm saying?"
Art's brow crinkled. "I think so. You're saying I should have run the hell away."
"Yes. Sometimes the best fight is one where you live to fight another day. Try and remember that, or the next foe you face might kill you because you won't bend."
"But Severus . . . I'm supposed to be brave . . ."
"Bravery is overrated, little brother. Being brave doesn't mean you stand there facing a greater opponent and risk getting yourself hexed into the pavement. Being brave means you consider all your options and choose the one that lets you get out alive. This isn't the Middle Ages and you're not a knight proving his chivalric honor. The name of the game is survival, Stephens, not sacrifice yourself. There's a time and a place for that, boy, and today was not that day."
"Yes, sir. Am I in trouble?"
"I suppose you deserve to have some points taken away, and perhaps write an essay to me about using other options rather than dueling, however . . . I think you've been punished enough having those barbs removed and despite what some of you believe, I am not a sadist. I trust you have learned your lesson."
"I have, Sev! Believe me I have!" Arthur said fervently.
"I am glad to hear it, for like you, I never want to repeat that procedure again," Severus admitted. "You should be all healed by tomorrow afternoon."
Arthur grinned. "Thank Merlin! Now can I have dessert?"
"Certainly," Severus answered, then he waved his wand and a dish of chocolate ice cream appeared on the tray, crowned with whipped topping, nuts, and a cherry.
"My favorite!" Arthur exclaimed. "You remembered." He grabbed the spoon beside the ice cream and dug in. Then he halted and looked at his guardian. "Want some?"
Severus hesitated. "Sweets aren't good for my waistline."
"You're not fat, Sev. Not even close. Live a little, huh?"
Severus met the boy's pleading eyes and after a moment or two of inner debate, gave in. He Summoned another bowl of ice cream and the two ate their dessert happily.
Page~*~*~*~*~Break
7PM, Slytherin common room
Same evening:
"I have called this House meeting to address certain concerns I have had regarding the behavior and growing unrest present in some of you. I stated in the beginning of the year that I wished to restore Slytherin House to its former glory as a House to be proud of, one that has a reputation of being the best, not just magically, but physically as well. I have high standards, but I am confident that you all can rise to meet them. I know that many of you suffer under the unjust label of a dark House, and I wish to prove those who cry out against us wrong . . . that Slytherins do not need to cheat or otherwise shame themselves in order to win the House Cup."
Severus crossed his arms over his chest and walked back and forth in front of the fireplace. His Slytherins were sitting and standing on the couches and chairs, gazing at him with rapt faces.
"Slytherins will win because we have the most ambition, the most determination, and the most drive to excel, more than any Gryffindor, Ravenclaw, or Hufflepuff. To be a Slytherin is to be skilled and to succeed, not by using dark magic, but by using the brains you were born with and your ambition to be the best. All of you have the seeds of greatness within you. You simply need to recall that and use it to your best advantage."
Several Slytherins clapped and cheered. Severus held up a hand for silence.
"I know that many of you are uneasy about the war that is going on, concerned for your safety and the safety of your families and friends. You are right to be so, but do not let fear and worry make you act foolishly. As Mr. Wyverly did this afternoon, staring a quarrel with some other students, one of them Mr. Stephens, and then trying to lie his way out of it, forcing me to dock points and give detention. The loss of forty points is considerable and would have never been necessary had Mr. Wyverly chosen to mind his own business and leave other students alone."
There were several angry mutterings then and a few of the more boisterous members threatened to teach Wyverly a lesson.
Severus' eyes flashed. "Enough!" his voice cut like a whip through the growling angry teenagers. "I have punished Mr. Wyverly, and there's an end to it. I will not have my snakes meting out vigilante-style justice to another Slytherin. Anyone caught doing so will be in twice the trouble as the one who broke rules in the first place, am I clear?"
"Yes, Professor Snape!"
"Good. Now, as I am sure you are all aware, you will need to work extra hard to win back the points Wyverly lost and accrue more. I am certain you can do this, by nature we Slytherins love a challenge. I believe that for the first time in five years, Slytherin can win the House Cup, as long as we stand together, and work alongside each other. We do not need forbidden hexes and dark magic to win, either. We can do it on our own merit, using the ambition, cunning, and brains inherited from our ancestors. That is Slytherin's true strength. Let us show the rest of Hogwarts what true Slytherins are made of, shall we?"
The roar of agreement was deafening.
Severus waited until most of the cheering had died down before continuing. "If any of you have concerns regarding threats to yourself or your family, please come to me and tell me of them. I shall be extending my office hours to nine o'clock in order to accommodate those of you who need to discuss certain things with me. Do not hesitate to speak with me. That will be all."
He turned on his heel and exited the portrait hole, amid myriad cheers, hoots, whistles, and groans. He just hoped that most of them would take his words to heart and concentrate upon winning the House Cup and not on making trouble. He wanted Slytherin to succeed, so he could prove to the other Heads that there was more to the House of Serpents than a dark reputation.
Severus went to his office to grade some recent tests, determined to have most of this pile of homework and tests done before nine.
He had just dipped his quill in the red ink when there came a faint knock upon the door. "Enter."
The door opened to admit a small third-year that Severus rarely saw except at mealtimes when the whole House ate together. Rhys Morgan was a shy and quiet individual who preferred shadowy corners and the library to crowds. He had dark hair a bit longer than normal, a pleasant-looking face, honey-colored skin, and an uncertain air about him. But perhaps his most distinguishing feature were his eyes—they were silvery gray, a most unusual color.
Those eyes were focused upon his Potions professor, and in them Severus saw fear, trepidation, and a kind of desperate courage.
"Professor, I need to talk to you," murmured the boy.
"Come in and shut the door," Severus ordered. "Unless you wish all of Slytherin to know your business before nightfall."
"No, sir." Alarm crossed the boy's face, and he smoothed his palms down his robes nervously. He closed the door hurriedly.
"Sit down, Mr. Morgan," Severus indicated a chair in front of his desk. The boy sank gratefully into it. "What seems to be the problem?"
Rhys hesitated a long moment, his fingers twisting about themselves in a convoluted dance. Finally he stilled and looked up at his Head. "Sir, I don't know if you know this yet, but . . . I'm a Seer. My mother had the gift, and so does my aunt, or so she claims. She's the Divination teacher here. Mama has her doubts, says Aunt Sibyll's always been a dramatist, but still . . . I've inherited the gift, I'm the first boy to do so in over two hundred years."
"That is most impressive, Morgan. Have you had a vision lately?"
"I . . . yes . . . and they were all . . . terrible . . . I keep seeing You-Know-Who waving his wand and then casting Avada Kedavra. People who stand in front of him must either get out of the way or die." Rhys stated, shivering.
Severus removed a blanket from a desk drawer and handed it to the boy. "Wrap that around you, you look like you're freezing."
The boy complied, then went on to describe how Voldemort sent out his followers to cause mayhem and destruction. The boy described attacks on Muggles and Muggleborns. "He wants to . . . eliminate anybody not like him. I'm scared, Professor Snape. He's like a great black beast, devouring anything in his path."
"Yes, I know. But there are those working to fight against him. Why didn't you speak of this before?"
"Because the visions just started last week. And they were of things that had already happened. I could tell." Rhys said miserably.
Severus reached out and laid a comforting hand on his shoulder. "Have you had any more since?"
"No. My aunt says the Sight comes when it wants."
Severus bit back a sharp reply, for as far as he knew Trelawney had never predicted anything correctly. But he didn't want to antagonize the boy, who was upset enough already. "Thank you, Mr. Morgan, for coming forward. I know it must have been difficult. Are you having nightmares? If so, I could dose you with Dreamless Sleep. Or we could borrow a Pensieve and put those memories inside it?"
"Yes, that would be okay, sir. Either one."
"Let us try the potion first," Severus decided. He rose and unlocked a cabinet behind his desk, removing a vial and then told the boy to drink it just before he went to sleep that night.
"I will, sir. Thanks!"
"Mr. Morgan, if you should have another vision, please inform me immediately."
"What if it's in the middle of the night?"
"Send a house elf to wake me and come to my office," Severus ordered. The boy's gift could prove invaluable.
"Will do, sir. Good night." Rhys waved shyly as he left the office, the vial of Dreamless Sleep tucked in his pocket.
Severus returned to his grading, hoping that his little speech had an effect upon most of the Slytherins. Some, he knew, would not listen, lured away by the dark, but perhaps he had managed to reach those who teetered on the brink. It was something, anyway.
His thoughts returned to Rhys, and he wondered if it might not be a good idea for the boy to talk to Lily. Perhaps Lily could give him some tips on how to control his Sight. He would speak to her about it tomorrow.
Page~*~*~*~*~Break
The cave:
Lily soon lost count of how many Inferi she killed. They rose and attacked the boat in an unending tide, and she was kept busy preventing them from dragging her out of the boat, using her tripled magical strength and the spells from the Witches' Defense Society to keep the Inferi at bay.
Regulus also cast hex after hex, trying to drown, smother, or banish the undead guardians. The air grew thick with the stench of bloated corpses, making it hard to draw breath. Regulus summoned a wind to clear the air, and was grateful for the enchantment on the boat, since it continued onward without needing to row.
Foot by foot, they approached the island in the middle, battling Inferi every step of the way. Lily was amazed at Regulus' skill and resilience, she knew then that she never would have made it without him. The enchanted suit she wore was also a Godsend, otherwise she would have been burnt to a crisp by now. Finally, the prow of the boat scraped the shore and Regulus sprang out, assisted Lily, then together they cast a Barrier Charm to keep the Inferi from the island.
Many of the undead had retreated as soon as the boat reached the island, but there were still some clumps of a half-dozen or more that kept trying to claw their way up the rock, hungering for blood.
Shivering, Regulus turned away, walking over to the stone basin. "In here are two objects the Dark Lord values above all else. They are a ring bearing his family crest and a locket. I believe that he has altered them using ancient spells of dark magic. That they are now . . .repositories for his soul."
Lily paled, ignoring the clamoring groans and hisses from the Inferi on the other side of the barrier. "Reg, what are you saying? That he's managed to create . . . a Horcrux?"
"I think so. Else why go through all the trouble to hide it here?" he indicated the basin. "I was here when he placed them inside and used a spell to fill the basin with poison. Have you ever heard of Mimir's Draught?"
"No." Lily leaned over and saw, sparkling in the depths, golden objects.
"Mimir was the guardian of the well of wisdom and knowledge in Norse mythology. This poison causes the drinker to die a slow agonizing death unless he drinks every drop, and it's almost impossible to do it without help. Most fail and die."
"Then how do we get past it?"
"Luckily, I know the countercharm to neutralize the poison," Regulus replied. "He told me it in case he ever needed to move the objects from here."
Lily frowned. "He entrusted you with that?"
"Yes. Don't even ask me why." Regulus pointed his wand and chanted one phrase over and over.
The level of liquid in the basin receded until it vanished, and all that was left were the two objects. When Regulus would have reached in to grab them, Lily cried, "Wait! If they're cursed, don't touch them."
She chanted a simple levitate spell and the ring and the locket floated upwards. They looked ordinary, but she could feel the pulse of evil surrounding them, and suddenly her Sight showed her how the Dark One had murdered to split his soul into two pieces and create a receptacle to hold them. Horror filled her and she wanted to retch.
"Reg . . . we have to destroy these . . . things," she hissed in revulsion.
"I know, but I don't know how. I was hoping that maybe you or Sev would know of a way." Regulus admitted.
"Not right now I don't. Let's put them somewhere safe and then we can figure out how to destroy them," Lily said. The aura of evil was making her nauseous. "But we have to put a decoy in here, Reg. Otherwise he'll know you took them."
"You're right. I should have thought of that before."
"I can work a Replicate Charm," Lily said. "But then we need to make sure it feels evil enough."
"I know how to cast false auras," Regulus told her calmly.
Lily performed the Replicate Charm, putting all of her skill into copying the objects before her. Moments later, she held in her hand exact duplicates of the Horcruxes.
"Perfect," Reg grinned. Then he pointed his wand and chanted two words and suddenly, Lily felt the gut-wrenching aura of darkness return.
Grimacing with revulsion, she tossed the fake locket and ring into the basin.
Regulus cast the spell to fill the basin with Mimir's Draught again, then he looked at Lily. "All right, now what about these?"
"I have a small enchanted bag we can put them in for now," Lily said, drawing a small green bag with strings from a pocket. She carefully floated the Horcruxs inside and tied it closed. After slipping the bag back in her pocket, she said, "Let's leave this place. It's getting on my nerves."
"That's the best news I've heard all day." Regulus chuckled. He mopped his brow with his sleeve. He was sweltering, the heat in the cave was like a furnace. He helped Lily into the boat and then prepared to shove off, after first remembering to take down the barrier. Everything had to be as it was before, or else Voldemort would suspect someone else was here.
Then he put his shoulder to the boat and pushed.
It glided out without even a ripple and Regulus jumped across the two foot gap and landed in the boat.
Almost immediately, the Inferi rose from the depths and came for them.
Page~*~*~*~*~Break
Hogwarts school:
Severus had just returned to his quarters, it was a quarter past ten, and was about to have a soothing cup of tea before going to bed, when there came three sharp knocks on his door. "Professor Snape?"
It was Robert deWarenne, Slytherin prefect.
Severus waved a hand at his door and it opened. "Yes, deWarenne? What new disaster has occurred?"
The lanky sixteen year old looked sleepy and rumpled, his robe was in disarray, as if he had hastily shoved it on before coming down to Snape's quarters. "It's Rhys Morgan, sir. You know, the kid with the silver Seer eyes?He's having some kind of fit, like a trance, and keeps screaming something about fire and we can't get him to calm down."
Severus swore and rose. "Was he sleeping before this happened?"
"No, he had just went back to the dorm and then we heard him," deWarenne informed his teacher.
"Then he wouldn't have had time to take the Dreamless Sleep," Severus murmured, half to himself.
They arrived in the Slytherin third year dorm to find several students clustered about Rhys, who was curled up in the middle of his bed, rocking to and fro and sobbing.
"Calm down, mate. It was just a dream."
"Yeah, quit freaking out."
"Everyone, return to whatever you were doing," Severus ordered, and the knot of students dispersed. He then came to sit on the edge of the bed and called softly, "Rhys, it's Professor Snape. Can you tell me what's wrong? What did you See?"
It was several moments before Rhys composed himself enough to speak. He kept his face hidden behind his knees and murmured, "Hogsmeade's burning. I Saw black-cloaked men masked in silver start burning it. You have to warn them, Professor Snape! Hogsmeade's on fire!"
Severus felt as if a giant had just sucker punched him. "When? Can you See when this occurs?"
"I . . . soon! Unless it's already started." Rhys lifted his head and stared directly at Severus. His eyes were glinting with the power of his visions. "Hogsmeade's burning! Hurry, professor! Before it burns to the ground! They're all asleep!"
Panic shot through him then. Lily was at Hogsmeade. He had to warn her and bring her to safety. And the other people in the village as well. He was on his feet in a flash. "Honey!" he called and the house elf popped into view.
"Go and wake the Headmaster and the other Heads and put a call into the Ministry, let them know that Hogsmeade is under attack. I'll meet them there!" He turned to look at Rhys. "Forgive me, Morgan, but I must go. Take the Dreamless Sleep. I have to get my wife out of there."
Then he turned and bolted for the portrait hole.