~ Chapter Nine ~
Ciaran knew that as soon as he opened the door he would be in so much trouble. It seemed silly but this one door was all that stood between him and whatever fury his relatives were sure to unleash upon him. However he had broken one of the many rules his grandfather set up for his safety at Hogwarts.
One of the many rules Marvolo had conceived so he could remain at Hogwarts was that he must check in with his father every evening after class but before dinner. This rule was particularly lame as he really couldn't be bothered doing this when his father saw him practically every day anyway but it wasn't his rule he just followed them. After all who would go against the Dark Lord even if you were considered family?
His father had warned him what would happen if he were ever late when arriving to see him in the afternoon. If he were ever late, his father would have no choice but to inform his grandfather who would travel to Hogwarts and drag him back home regardless of who was around him. It wouldn't be a pretty sight that was for sure. Honestly it was more of a check in than anything to see whether or not he was alright but he wouldn't tell his father or grandfather that. It would be like suicide. Ciaran, sighed, he was only putting off the inevitable. Bracing himself, he opened the door.
"Ciaran Marvolo Snape, where have you been?" Severus growled as his son swept into the room, the door banging shut behind him.
Severus was fuming. His son was instructed to arrive at his rooms directly after class so he could discuss what had occurred that day, such as why the Dark Lord had believed it prudent to send that furry menace to him, what was going to occur during classes and all meetings with Dumbledore. When he hadn't shown up after half an hour he had called for Draco knowing that the boy wouldn't dare to lie to him when concerning his son. He had noticed the way his godson was eyeing his son. He wasn't entirely sure he approved but Draco was better than some of the other fools already lusting after his son.
Of course when he had been told the truth he was sent away not believing a word that came out of the young blonde's mouth. Ciaran would never have willingly gone with the headmaster anywhere!
He never stopped to question that maybe he had gone willingly because the headmaster had cornered him near the Great Hall where most of the students were walking by. The area had been crowded at the time. So of course Ciaran never truly had any say in what he wanted to do. There was only one option and that was go with the Headmaster much to his and the Slytherins frustration.
"Sorry father I was having 'tea' with-"
"Dumbledore." Another male snarled.
Ciaran cringed and turned to see his grandfather standing by the fireplace with his arms folded with a murderous glint in his eyes. He was an imposing figure to behold and Ciaran instantly knew that he wasn't getting out of an explanation that easy. This was going to take a while and then he would have to go and talk with Draco who had probably worried the entire time he was gone. Somehow his life had gotten more difficult now that he actually had a family.
He wasn't sure whether that was a good thing or not but when he figured it out it would make things ten times easier on him. Finally he would know where he stood in life and with whom.
"What?" His father growled as he heard the answer.
Before Severus could do anything, Marvolo was stalking towards him. When he was close enough to Ciaran, he grabbed his arm and began pulling him towards the fireplace not noticing that Ciaran stumbled to keep up with his long strides. He was short, he admitted, so why did people have to continuously reveal this through unwanted means!
"What are you doing?" Ciaran's enraged voice echoed around the silent room.
Marvolo who had a tight grip on Ciaran's arm just drew him closer and continued to drag him towards the fireplace. Ciaran knew that Marvolo would be displeased with the meeting but he hadn't thought that he would go so far as to literally drag him from Hogwarts after only one meeting and one day. He could only hope that someone stopped him, after all it would look suspicious if he left Hogwarts at this time. The headmaster would instantly link him to Voldemort and then his father would also be in deep water.
"My Lord, please think this through. Ciaran can't simply disappear after a single meeting between him and the headmaster. Everyone would wonder what occurred. There would be all kinds of publicity and Ciaran would be at the centre." Severus hurriedly spoke.
That at least stalled Marvolo. Surely his grandfather could see the sense in that statement before making any rash Gryffindor moves to keep his family safe. Finally he dragged Ciaran away from the fireplace towards the sofa where he was pulled down beside his grandfather, Severus sitting opposite them. With the way his grandfather was acting, Ciaran knew he wouldn't be released for a while yet. The Dark Lord wouldn't let him go until he felt it was safe.
"Fine, we shall discuss this as proper Slytherins and then I shall create new rules and you both will obey them without fail. Do you understand?"
Ciaran agreed knowing that he would never get out of it any other way. Severus simply agreed since he was a follower and did what he was told. The Dark Lord was bound to win either which way.
"Very well I want to know everything that was mentioned during the meeting and what your responses were, in detail."
Sighing, Ciaran allowed himself to relax into the chair as Citren jumped from his shoulders and sat by his feet, preening himself after the disaster he had caused in the headmaster's office. He was obviously very proud of himself considering the headmaster was likely to find it soon. Ciaran too was proud of him though he would never say that in his father's presence. Severus absolutely despised Citren and it wasn't likely to change after the menace entered his private potions lab earlier that month. They were still attempting to clean it using any means necessary.
However, now he was about to retell the entire evening spent with Dumbledore. This would be the hardest thing to do when recounting it before these two. Every little thing would be analysed to check if Dumbledore had figured anything out or if he had let something out.
"Before he even began to speak I was able to catch his thoughts. He was focused on discovering answers from me. He didn't think about which questions so I'm guessing that he already had all of them figured out before the meeting so he could try to catch me off guard like he use to do when he knew me as Harry. As soon as I heard that I focused all of abilities on him alone to make sure that I didn't say anything that he wanted to hear."
Severus nodded his head in acceptance. It was after all the logical thing to do though he did have to wonder why the headmaster hadn't offered Ciaran any potion filled lemon drops. Everyone who was asked to the headmaster's office was offered one of those terrible lemon drops. Many refused them but some were stupid enough to have some. Those were easy for the headmaster to manipulate exactly the way he wanted.
Marvolo just sat beside him barely moving a muscle. Obviously he was still displeased with the current situation and desired Ciaran to continue.
"Dumbledore was disgruntled when I didn't permit him to call me by my first name and began to comment in his thoughts how alike I was to my father in terms of being snarly. To begin with he attempted to relax me by asking questions about school, how I enjoyed the first day and who I made friends with such as Granger and Weasely. With that singular mistake I discovered that Granger and Weasley are reporting to Dumbledore after every day about what they did. It appeared as if I were a major topic since I am a Snape."
"Granger told Dumbledore that we were good friends after the meagre few words we traded during potions though I told him I had never met them therefore getting them into trouble. After those false questions I began to tire of his attempts to play nice with me so I got straight to the point and asked him why I was in the headmaster's office at all. He began to ask questions of my family."
Severus and Marvolo both tensed. That was never good. They still didn't know Ciaran well enough to be able to tell whether or not he could hide or even lie to save his secrets. Sure they trusted him and loved him however it wasn't enough to know him deeply. Both still judged him as if he was Harry Potter and it annoyed him to no end. The only one who treated him differently that he could stand at the moment was Draco and that was for an entirely differing reason.
When would they simply trust him as he was?
"He asked me whether my mother had died recently and if that was the reason for the guardianship transfer from her to Severus. I didn't answer him since I believed that he didn't need to know that so he began to ask questions about how much time I spent with my father and then whether that had anything to do with my grandfather and his obvious influence over me. He knew that I, according to our story, spent more time with my grandfather than I did my own father and he was curious to know the reason why that was. I didn't tell him anything he didn't already know and I didn't speak of any names."
Ciaran turned slightly to face Marvolo and noticed something akin to approval in his eyes. It looked strange when he had the red colouring but it was welcome all the same since no one had ever shown him approval before. To finally have someone's approval was something Ciaran didn't take lightly. To him it was a treasured gift.
"He spoke of father's allegiance trying to trick me into speaking on the subject. At the time he was already curious to know how much I truly knew about father. I told him that my grandfather already knew of father's allegiances and who he was truly loyal to and didn't find a problem with it. It was his fault for openly believing that father actually supported the Light and not the Dark and you approved of the open move. Then he asked me what I knew of father's allegiances in an attempt to get me to tell him which side father supported. I told him that if he didn't know himself then he shouldn't be asking. It was easier to dodge the question entirely than actually speak of it."
Something only a true Slytherin would do. Of course that only provided Marvolo and Severus something to be proud of and not something that proved he was different than Harry Potter. Merlin, his life was confusing.
"It is good to see that you haven't allowed past discussions with the headmaster to cloud your judgement on the topic." Severus openly praised though his face was void of all emotion.
Ciaran nodded, slightly irritated at their amount of belief in him and continued to relay the discussion.
"When he enquired about where I would be spending Yule he was hoping to engage me about Marvolo and who he was. I explained that I would be leaving for Yule to spend it at the annual gathering my grandfather holds and that all of my friends would be attending to pay respects to him. Dumbledore continued to insist that I somehow knew Granger and Weasley personally and that they wouldn't be allowed to attend any festivities I enjoyed on Yule with you. Could you imagine that? I told him that all of my friends were either in school or out of school and neither were they in any Gryffindor or Hufflepuff house."
"I failed to explain to him that Fred and George had actually been in Gryffindor and were my friends. But that shouldn't be a problem to keep a secret unless Ron or Hermione remember they saw me at Weasley Wizarding Wheezes conversing with them. After that I got up and left as he was still thinking and didn't care what happened any longer. I simply walked directly out of the headmaster's office and headed directly here."
Ciaran shrugged at the end of his story. It wasn't as if something amazing had occurred today and certainly not something to fret over. They had talked and that was it. Nothing else happened and he was in perfect health. It only served to prove how protective Marvolo and his father were when it came to his wellbeing. It was almost like a family. Taking an opportunity while both his relatives were shocked he continued with what Citren managed to achieve.
"I'm glad that you sent Citren to me this morning grandfather as while Dumbledore was distracted with me, Citren sneaked around the room destroying or 'playing' with a few of his beloved objects. I'm pretty sure than when we left his office was trashed and he didn't even realize it. I believe he even had a bite to eat from Fawkes who is now sporting a chewed wing."
Severus chuckled at that. It was actually good to see the nuisance doing something useful for once in his life. He still wouldn't accept the cat but he did like it more than after the stunt in his potions lab.
Marvolo on the other hand simply looked more relaxed than he had before. Ciaran guessed that he was comfortable with what had taken place during the meeting and he wasn't thinking about taking him out of Hogwarts any time soon. This was a huge relief to him in many ways.
Ciaran had a feeling that he just proved that he was loyal to the family through this and couldn't be happier. Perhaps now they wouldn't always be so uptight about what he did at Hogwarts. They would still watch him as their protection was guaranteed no matter what the situation however they would be more lenient with what they would allow him to do with his spare time.
Citren was now sleeping at his feet after the long day they had. Hopefully today would have knocked the cat out until tomorrow so he wouldn't have to put up with his curious nature. Even knowing the trouble Citren was likely to bring, Ciaran still couldn't help the smile that graced his features thinking of his current familiar.
"You have done suitably well in keeping our secrets from the Order members and that of Dumbledore. I am impressed so I will leave you here at Hogwarts knowing that you can hold your own for now. But if for one second I am told that you are in trouble you will be dragged home so fast you won't be able to utter a word either way. Am I making myself clear?" Marvolo hissed.
It was obvious to Ciaran that Marvolo didn't want Severus to hear what he had said in a moment of supposed weakness. He truly loved Ciaran and even though the same sentiment was shared between his father and grandfather they would never tell the other for fear of appearing weak. If anything Ciaran believed that it made them stronger since they now had something to protect. They had something, someone, to fight for.
"Yes I understand." Ciaran said simply.
Severus was of course confused since he didn't understand a word being said to his son but figured that it was a warning of what should happen next time should he not be able to avoid the headmasters inquisitive nature. In that regard he completely agreed with Marvolo.
"Very well I shall leave you to your father."
With that Marvolo swept elegantly over to the fireplace and flooed back to Slytherin Citadel without saying a word since only those connected via the Dark Mark or of Slytherin's line could enter the heavily warded castle.
Ciaran sighed and relaxed slightly since his grandfather had left. He still felt tense being in the same room as the man. With Severus, his father, it was a little better knowing that as much as he'd despised Harry Potter he had at least worked to save his life. Voldemort had only ever attempted to murder him. It was simply easier for him to forget years of glares and detentions over numerous murder attempts. He turned to face his father.
"I'm glad that you were able to keep Dumbledore's suspicions at bay. It would have been poor if we had to return to Slytherin Citadel after merely one day of entering the halls of this school. At the same time I am also concerned that this could have disastrous outcomes. Dumbledore will obviously believe that you will aid him somehow in the upcoming war and you will do no such thing. As I have said before you will report back to me every day. I'll allow you to bring Draco with you however before returning to your common rooms."
"Yes father." Ciaran knew it was simply to calm the Dark Lord down when he was asked about the welfare of his only heir.
"Good, now go and see Draco. I am positive that he is suitably worried about you by now."
Ciaran couldn't help but blush remembering that morning's conversation with his friend. Even though he liked Draco he wasn't sure about a relationship with his friend so soon after his numerous discoveries. Before his father could even ask however he was out of the room and fleeing down the corridor towards the Slytherin Common Room with Citren at his heel.
Upon reaching the entrance he took a minute to compose himself before entering to avoid embarrassing himself. Who would ever believe that the heir of Slytherin and the son of their Potions Master would ever lose his composure? Once he was positive that he looked every bit as regal as his grandfather he entered at a sedated pace and moved directly over to Draco, Theo, Blaise and Pansy who were all sitting together. Crabbe and Goyle were obviously elsewhere most likely still in the Great Hall eating.
"So what did I miss?" Ciaran asked taking a seat beside Draco.
Everyone nearly pounced on him. It was obvious that they had all missed him and had worried about what the headmaster was doing to him while he was away from the influence of the snake den. They were all asking questions so he couldn't understand any of them clearly.
"Guys either you speak one at a time or I'm going to have to Silencio all but one until you get over this."
That had them all falling quiet.
"What did Dumbledore want?" Theodore finally asked.
The group were all aware that the entire Common Room was listening in rapt attention to what they were discussing regardless of what they were actually doing at the time whether it was reading or homework. Slytherins were inquisitive yet they didn't openly enquire about things like Ravenclaws and that was what set them apart. They were far better spies than anyone else.
"He wanted to know more of my past and my alliances however he only received vague answers from me. I am after all a Slytherin and our answers are often hard to decipher."
"What of your grandfather?" Pansy asked.
Immediately everyone perked up having known that the Dark Lord had been within the castle for a short amount of time. It wasn't particularly exciting news but the Dark Lord had been inside the castle and nothing had alerted the headmaster to this fact. That meant the Death Eaters could enter and their dearest headmaster would be none the wiser.
"He has left."
"We should all be going to bed I think, after such a trying day." Draco drawled trying to hide his urgency to drag Ciaran away from their friends.
Thankfully they all agreed and went their separate ways. Draco and Ciaran walked calmly to their room which was two levels below the common room. It was only once they were inside with the door shut firmly behind them and a ward blocking everyone from entering or hearing them that Draco dragged Ciaran to his bed and began to check him for wounds which he had been reassured that he didn't have. Ciaran, even though exasperated at his friend, allowed it to happen as it seemed to calm Draco when he made sure he was alright.
"I told you I was fine. Dumbles and I only spoke to each other and nothing more. Citren did more damage than I did."
Citren, the devilish cat that he was, purred in pleasure for his spot on Ciaran's bed. He'd been there since they had arrived in the Common Room and hadn't moved.
Draco sat down beside Ciaran almost willing him into leaning against him for comfort. Ciaran still wasn't positive on another's touch even after the amount of affection others had showered him with, so he remained where he was even though he knew it was disheartening for his friend.
"I know but it still worries me when he calls you up there, as it would Charlie and father. We care about you so let us do our resolve and ensure your safety to appease our minds. Put your trust in us, we won't lead you astray. We won't betray you."
Ciaran sighed and allowed him to be pulled into Draco's arms. He knew that they desired to care for him, that they did care for him. But he couldn't understand why that was and until he knew why he was going to be cautious around them. He just prayed that they weren't like the others who had hurt him before. False promises were something he couldn't take from them. He couldn't handle that again. Not this time.
However he got the feeling that he could trust them not to hurt him. After all his father was trying to be easier on him and that was helping. Marvolo would certainly take longer after all of the murder attempts. Charlie though had always been there for him and if Lucius and Draco were trying to be like Charlie then he knew he would be able to trust them soon enough. Charlie had never hurt him and wasn't likely to in the future.
Before he knew what was happening he had fallen asleep in the arms of Draco Malfoy.
x-x-x-x-x
The Order of the Phoenix was once again in a meeting concerned with one Harry Potter. No one could find him even though they had been told by their spy no less that he was trapped in the Dark Lord's new headquarters. They were all determined to prove him wrong since he was "dark and wouldn't tell them the right answer just to spite them especially since he didn't particularly like Harry". Suffice to say Severus only spoke directly to the headmaster now.
Albus sighed wearily as he sat down. The talk with Severus' child had not gone according to plan and he had nothing to gain from the half an hour spent in each other's company. He was uncannily like the irate Potions master and yet there was something else about him that screamed familiarity, he just couldn't work out what yet. Albus was hoping that the child could also be turned into another spy for the Order to use like his father that was unlikely however as it appeared Severus was overprotective even if he despised other children.
"Do we have any idea where he could possibly be?" Albus said unofficially opening the meeting.
No one needed a reminder that "he" was in fact Harry James Potter.
"I have heard some people that skulk around Knockturn Alley speak of a Citadel that only allows certain people to enter, other than that no, Albus, no one has heard anything of the whereabouts of You-Know-Who and his Death Eater's. They have barely even stepped out into the public eye since the fiasco last year." Moody growled in irritation.
Albus nodded at his friend. Obviously things weren't going according to what they had thought Voldemort would do in the upcoming months. They had believed that now he was known to have returned he would do things rash however he was surprisingly calm and level headed. Something in the Dark Sect had changed.
"What of Voldemort's plans?"
"There haven't been any raids this year so far so we have been lucky there. I believe however that he is attempting to gain more allies from other creatures such as the veela, vampires, werewolves and trolls. He has gained numerous allies from the werewolves because of Greyback already. I'm not sure about the others yet it is too early to tell." Kingsley stated.
"Without Remus here we can't even speak to other werewolves without them getting suspicious. They will only ever speak to one of their kind. To them, no one else matters." Arthur said.
All of them knew that Remus had simply left one day not bothering to tell them where he was going. It had appeared as if the wolf knew of something that they didn't and wasn't willing to share it with anyone until he had verified it. Albus had allowed it seeing as otherwise Remus would normally just mope around the place not caring about what was happening since his cub had disappeared. He hadn't planned on Remus abandoning them for this task.
"The vampires won't take sides. They are neutral creatures and as long as they continue to have a food source they don't care who wins the war amongst wizards." Tonks explained before accidentally kicking Moody in his wooden leg when she slipped from her chair.
The Order simply sighed. Some things never changed with Tonks around. She was still as clumsy as ever. How she was meant to aid them in the war was a pure mystery.
"The veela are with the vampires, neutral. They don't care as long as one of the main leaders in each army isn't a mate of theirs. Otherwise we can fight all we like and they won't care."
"The trolls however are a huge problem. They are openly supporting the Dark. The promise of blood and violence during the war was all that was needed for them to join the Dark." Hagrid said.
"Severus, what does Voldemort plan for all of these creatures?" Albus asked ignoring everyone's flinch at the mentioned name.
They needed more information on what Voldemort was planning. The Order didn't have many supporters at all and they were running out of time now that the Ministry had seen the proof that Voldemort had returned. Voldemort would make his move soon and they were powerless to stop him. If only they still had their last hope… Harry their saviour.
"We know nothing yet. He seems to be withholding his plans for only those he knows will never turn from him. He trusts those who went to Azkaban for him everyone else is running the fine line so to speak." Severus lied.
Suddenly the front door opened with a bang that woke Walburga Black up from her portrait and yet no one was truly worried about her at the present time. They were too busy paying full attention to the man who had rushed in obviously with serious news.
"We have been able to finally destroy the remainder of the wards around Riddle Manor in Little Hangleton, Albus." Bill said as he panted from rushing in through the door.
Finally something had created that familiar spark in Dumbledore's eyes as he thought of what he could find at Riddle Manor. He knew that Riddle Manor once belonged to Voldemort's father and since his murder by his own son the manor belonged to him. It wasn't the first place anyone would look for a Dark Lord who despised muggles for breathing yet it made perfect sense to Dumbledore. Many blamed it on the numerous lemon drops he consumed as not many believed him to be strictly all there.
"Well we had better go and see what we can find then, hadn't we? Minerva you shall return to Hogwarts and look after anything that comes up. Severus, Alastor, Bill, Tonks and Arthur we shall go to Riddle Manor and see what we can find."
Everyone nodded their agreement though Severus was hiding his smirk. He knew that there was nothing there and when Dumbledore eventually discovered that he would pensive the memory to view in years to come.
x-x-x-x-x
The group apparrated to Little Hangleton the same night and proceeded to move directly towards Riddle Manor that remained standing upon a small hill overlooking the quiet muggle town. It was almost like a ghost town though it was probably due to it being late at night rather than an empty town. The group couldn't help but thing that it was eerie except perhaps Severus who was use to the atmosphere that normally surrounded locations the Dark Lord had visited.
They made their way up through the gate and walked directly towards the house while casting cautious glances around to make sure that no one was watching what they were doing. If they were caught by someone it wouldn't go over too well especially if they were to fight a group of Death Eater's. They weren't all that skilled to go up against a large group of them and escape alive.
Once safely inside they warily began scrounging around the empty manor. The place obviously didn't have anyone inside as the entire place was covered in an inch of dust with faded white sheets protecting the minimal amount of furniture that was around. To put it simply, Riddle Manor was completely abandoned.
"Dumbledore there is nothing here at all." Moody growled as his magical eye spun around his head searching for a magical signature.
Severus stifled a sigh. He had told them that the Dark Lord had moved his headquarters. It wasn't his fault that no one believed the word of a spy.
"What do you mean?"
It was Bill who answered after coming from upstairs. He had searched the entire second floor with Tonks and Arthur knowing that it would have the bedrooms and hopefully some signs of life but they had come up with nothing.
"There is no evidence that anyone has lived here in the past ten years at all if that was even possible in this state. This place is even more rundown than the Shrieking Shack and the dust signifies that this place hasn't even been touched in nearly two possible three decades at least. The person who owns this house doesn't live here and no one is around to take care of it. The last person seen living here was the groundskeeper from Tom Riddle Senior's time and he was getting on in years. Never once did he step into the house as we can see by the lack of footprints and the small cottage further on the grounds."
Bill pointed out the window and sure enough there was a small cottage like building that appeared to be as run down as the house if not more with the garden growing around it. Moody continued.
"The only thing we know is that this is Riddle Manor as the graveyard below does indeed hold Tom Riddle and his father and mother. Also there is a slight magic residue from there probably where the ritual took place two years ago with Potter. In short, there is no one present, especially not the Dark Lord or Harry Potter."
Albus saw red. He had been positive that he could predict Voldemort's moves before he even made them however this simply proved that he wasn't as correct as he thought. It made him furious to know that he had been outwitted by someone younger and magically stronger than him. This wasn't supposed to happen!
He was Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore. He wasn't supposed to get these things wrong. Everyone counted on him to make the correct decisions otherwise they might lose their faith in him. He couldn't have that! If they began to doubt him then they might swap sides and hinder his efforts for both locating Harry and defeating Voldemort. He needed to rule them with a firm grip before he began to change the world after that.
With the death of Voldemort everyone would be weak and ready for anything sent their way and he would be the one to do that after the unfortunate death of their saviour of course. He would be the only one they could turn to in their time of need and he would be ready to take that role with eager hands.
Masking his aggravation, he gave his grandfather smile.
"It appears as if we have hit a dead end, my friends. We shall have to try and attempt another way of locating the Death Eater headquarters and with it young Harry."
With a nod everyone turned and apparrated away to do their own thing. The entire time Severus moved towards his quarters in Hogwarts he couldn't help the smirk that crossed his face. Dumbledore was beginning to break and now that everyone was in position they didn't need to try hard to defeat the Order of the Phoenix since Dumbledore would unknowingly help do it for them. Yes the Dark Lord would be pleased.
Yes the insanity of the 'beloved' headmaster is showing. How sad... not. Thanks for all the reviews!
~MidnightEmber