Quoth the Raven

Disclaimer: See chapter 1. Reviews are welcomed, flames are not.

Chapter 44: Till the Dirges of His Hope

Harry returned to Hogwarts the day following Sirius' and Remus' visit. Everything was in place for the next stage of their plans, and both Marauders had finally been let in on everything. They'd been stunned at the amount of planning involved and the layers of complexity.

However, when Harry, with Wolf behind him, walked into the Great Hall that morning, Hermione was very relieved. And quite visibly very pleased. She hadn't liked being alone in a hostile environment, and that's what it had been since word spread around that she and Harry were 'stepping out.' Her friends, Luna, Neville and Mandy, had been supportive, but they could only do so much.

Several of the pure-blooded female students were not happy at this development, but there was nothing they could do about it. Harry Potter had very powerful patrons, both magical and Muggle. Because of that, he was 'off limits;' Hermione Granger was not. Harry's presence guaranteed Hermione would be safe from any possible repercussions for her status as his girlfriend.

Both Professor McGonagall and Albus Dumbledore were also relieved that Harry had returned - however, for different reasons.

0o0o0o0o0

The rest of November flew by for Hermione, but went at a crawl for Harry. He disappeared for hours on end, leaving his professors fuming. They were noticeably upset over his 'ditching' classes, but could not locate him to give him the necessary reprimands.

"Mr Potter, Miss Granger, come to my office, if you would. You too, Sergeant-Major," McGonagall commanded one morning when they came down for breakfast. November had finally given way to December; in a couple more weeks, the winter hols would start.

"Yes, Professor," Harry acknowledged calmly. The trio left the Great Hall together after breakfast to the whispers and speculation of the other students.

Once they were settled in her office, the stern Deputy Headmistress glared at the pair in front of her. "Mr Potter, in the past month, you have managed to miss most of your classes. I know that Miss Granger has been copying her notes and passing the assignments to you, but that is not enough for you to pass this term! Care to explain yourself?"

"Before I do, Professor, how much of this interview will be reported to the headmaster?" Harry asked as he made himself comfortable.

"Mr Potter," she sputtered, "you know as well as I that I have to give him a report. He is, after all, the headmaster, and you have been less than diligent in your work."

Harry sighed and looked over at Wolf, then back to his Transfiguration Professor. "Madam, I have been keeping Professor Flitwick informed of my whereabouts, and he is fully aware of my capabilities."

"Professor," Wolf said as he stood behind his charge, "what we have to tell you cannot be disclosed to anyone outside this office. The headmaster has made too many mistakes, and has angered too many powerful people, to be trusted with this knowledge."

"What can you tell me?" she asked despondently.

Wolf pulled out a folder. "As you already know, Lord Potter was found by the Queen at the age of five, dirty, naked, and not even knowing his own name. From there, we researched and realised that the Headmaster was responsible for Lord Potter's mistreatment. He placed Harry, against the stated wishes of his parents, with those who physically, mentally and emotionally abused him... and never took the time to check on his well-being. It took years, and a lot of patience and love, to heal him." He handed her the thick folder.

"As to his schooling here... frankly, Professor, Lord Potter is very bored. He has already passed his OWLS and will be taking his NEWTs this spring."

Her head snapped up from the damning folder. "What...? But... Why were we nae told?"

"The headmaster," Harry said. "We refuse to give him any more excuses to meddle further in my life. He has proven, time and time again, that he's incompetent and makes the same mistakes repeatedly. Sadly, he fails to learn from them. Frankly, I refuse to cater to him." Harry's voice was cold as he asked, "Now, do you need anything more from me?"

"But... But... What about your magic? Your training? You were seen using a staff..."

"That is classified, Deputy Headmistress," Wolf interjected. "Lord Potter has allowed two people access to that knowledge, and they are his defence instructor, for safety reasons, and Professor Flitwick because he is Lord Potter's Head of House and a Master Duellist. Professor Flitwick has worked regularly with Lord Potter to better his skills. Frankly, His Grace needed the practice. The good professor was most impressed with Lord Potter's abilities."

"So, Professor, how much of this are you going to tell the Headmaster?" Harry asked.

Minerva McGonagall was torn. On one hand, she had a duty to the headmaster; and on the other, she had never cared for the favouritism Albus displayed towards his 'chosen few' students.

"Professor, if it'll help?" Wolf spoke up. "You only have to hold off until after Yule. There are plans in play that'll see their end-results by then."

"Very well, I shall stall this report. The headmaster will'na be pleased."

Harry looked at her and frowned. "Professor? A question; why are the Old Ways no longer allowed here at Hogwarts?"

She sighed, rubbing her forehead. "Over the centuries, many of the Old Beliefs fell by the wayside and were forgotten. Others were declared too dark by the Ministry. And, of course, the increase in Muggle-borns with their beliefs only served to push them into the background even more. The headmaster is a firm non-believer. He thinks that to follow the old gods is counter-productive to the 'greater good' and not relevant to life today."

"In other words, he believes in nothing but himself. He's an atheist. Pity."

0o0o0o0o0

The list for students staying on over the holidays appeared in the common rooms just as the term was coming to a close.

Nothing more was said about Harry's erratic attendance in classes. Minerva did manage to wangle a seat in the duelling chamber to watch Harry and Filius' matches once or twice, and left with a deep respect for the young man's abilities. It had shocked her just how powerful Harry was; and that he was using a blackthorn staff was staggering! That wood was sacred to the Lady herself! Wolf had a staff as well, but it was very clear that he wasn't nearly as powerful as Harry.

The Defence instructor, Auror Kelsey, informed her that he'd nearly passed out the first time he watched them duelling. So he had no desire to call on Mr Potter in class. He wasn't sure if he could correct any problems if anything went wrong with one of Lord Potter's spells, and certainly didn't want to send anyone to the hospital because the lad had over-charged one!

0o0o0o0

Albus stopped Harry a few days before the holidays started. "Mr Potter."

Harry sighed as he turned around. "Yes, Headmaster?"

"I see that you did not list your name to remain here at the castle over the holidays..."

"No, sir. My adoptive family is really looking forward to seeing me. We have plans already made."

Albus frowned. "But aren't you worried that they might be in danger with you there?"

Harry shrugged. "I think they can handle themselves well enough. If you'll excuse me?"

Albus watched with a slight frown as Harry walked away down the hall. The boy showed no concern about the danger he was in, nor did he seemed concerned about the danger he might bring to others. This just wouldn't do! The Dark Lord was over-due to make a move. If he was in Tom's place, he would be following the boy home. In fact, Albus was planning to do so as well.

0o0o0o0o0

Hagrid walked the forest on his regular patrol. The recent snow lay heavy on the branches and caused his normally silent footsteps to crunch. He stopped at the clearing where he knew that Severus had an altar to his goddess.

Hagrid sighed. He wished that Dumbledore would change his views on the Old Ways. The headmaster had lectured the friendly half-giant for over an hour on why he could not possibly have met a forest god.

Dumbledore had proposed that it was Hagrid's drinking; it was making him see phantasms! It may have worked - after all, Dumbledore was very wise - if not for the fact that he'd met the Lord of the Forest several times since, and his wonderful beastie as well!

The snow creaked underfoot as Hagrid looked over the simple stone altar. He could see from the burnt out candles that Severus had used it recently. The dour man was very exact in his worship.

Hagrid frowned as he noticed several different sets of footprints circling the altar. Who else was using it? He didn't think any of the other professors would come deep enough in the forest to use this clearing, and the students were not allowed into it at all.

"'Ere now, wha's this?" he asked himself as he noted something unusual on the altar. A long, slender wand lay rimed with frost. Four ravens, perched on the four corners, guarded the altar, watching his every movement with wary eyes. "Not t'worry. I won' be takin' yer offerin'," he assured them, backing away slowly.

"Caw!"

0o0o0o0o0

The sun had slipped almost below the horizon, casting deep hues of indigo and charcoal grey on the snow clouds overhead as Albus Dumbledore hurried into the snow-covered clearing. It was unfortunate that he couldn't get away any sooner and, with darkness falling fast he knew it wasn't safe to be out here.

He peered around the clearing. In the centre was a small stone altar with his wand laying upon it. It was exactly as Hagrid reported, including the four ravens standing guard.

The ravens cawed a warning before taking flight as he walked up and reached to take his wand off the small stone altar. It was his, and he hoped that its allegiance had not shifted. As far as he could tell, no wizard had bested him or had touched it since that day.

"I would not touch it, Headmaster," Severus Snape said as he walked into the clearing. "It no longer belongs to you."

"Severus? Nonsense! Hagrid would've told me if anyone else had found it," Albus replied with his eyes twinkling, waving away any concerns. He faced his Potions Master, a little confused at the turn of events.

The old wizard frowned as a sharp pain lanced through his forehead. "My boy, what is the meaning of this?" He waved a hand at the altar. "Why have you come here? Surely you don't believe..."

Severus gave a slight smile as he replaced the used candles and laid his current offerings beside the wand. "What does it look like to you, Albus?" he asked as if he was talking to one of his dunder-headed students. "There are those of us who, contrary to your wishes, still follow the Old Ways. Or have you not noticed the ravens?"

Albus could feel wild magic beginning to rise from the earth beneath his feet, gathering in the air around him. "The Old Ways are over, dear boy. Their time is past, and best left there," he chided.

A cacophony of raven calls rose around them. Darkness had completely fallen on the clearing. Severus stepped away from the altar and gave it a deep bow, waiting. He looked over at his aged mentor and scowled. "You would do well to keep your thoughts to yourself, especially in this clearing, Albus."

The breeze stirred, causing the bare tree limbs to rustle with its passing. A half moon was starting to rise, bathing the forest in a glittering silvery light which reflected off the snow.

A soft sound had Albus turning to face the trees that led deeper into the forest. The hair on the back of his neck stood up as a sense of deep foreboding washed over him. Something was stirring in the darkness!

Instinctively, he reached out and snatched 'his' wand up, ignoring Severus' cry of warning. The sharp pain, that refused to leave, once more lanced through his forehead as the wand burned his hand. The chiding call of ravens reverberated around him, and then he knew no more.

0o0o0o0

Kneeling down beside the old wizard, Severus checked to see if he was still alive. The older man's breathing was shallow and erratic, and a quick spell told him of the sudden bleeding within the old Wizard's brain. He quickly performed a quick spell to try to stop the bleeding, followed by a stasis spell. If what he suspected was true, Severus knew that Poppy would have her work cut out for her.

Severus slipped the wand out of Albus' limp grasp and replaced it reverently on the altar. He knew that the ravens had placed it there as an offering, and that was where it belonged. He rearranged his own offerings beside it and sighed. How he longed to be free from serving two masters.

The first master, he had joined when he was a foolish teenager, lured in with promises of wealth, power and revenge against those who had tormented him. He had received nothing but slavery and pain.

The second master, he joined when he realised that the first had proved to be a liar and a psychotic tyrant. When his beloved Lily was threatened, he went to Albus for asylum, for redemption. He had received nothing but heartache, danger and pain. And more servitude. He longed to be free.

Oh, how he wished he was free of the chains of his two masters! He knelt there in the darkness of the night and snow. A cold wind whispered through the trees, but its chilly caresses offered no solace.

The only bright thing left in his life had been his worship of the Dark Lady. She, alone, remained constant. Her assurance that it would all end soon was all that kept him going.

The ravens overhead stilled. The wild magic was stirring. Under Severus' knees, snow melted away as earth magic rose up, the scent of it rich and comforting. He could feel the magic coursing through his aching body as it broke through the myriad of spells placed by his two masters on his tortured body and soul.

"Rise, My Dark One," came Her voice on the wind. "Take this unbeliever away from My sacred space. His presence offends Me."

Severus quickly moved Albus' body from in front of the altar before returning to kneel before his Lady. She placed a pale hand on his bowed head. "You have pleased me, My Dark One. For that, your time of servitude to your dark masters is over. My way is the only one you will follow from now on, by your own choice, willingly made. Go in peace, My Dark One, My Own."

Severus stood, tears streaming down his cheeks as Her blessings wove through his magic, his body, his very soul. A much younger and healthier wizard moved to step away. He gave Her a slight bow before he turned, picked up Albus' prone body and left the clearing. He never looked back.

If he had, he would've found the clearing bare and the altar empty. She had accepted all of the offerings laid upon it.

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This story is starting to come to a head. Frau and I see about 5 maybe 6 chapters left. For those that ask questions either anonymously or have their PMs turned off, we give you the pat answer of 42. So there!