Chapter 56 : Final preparations and Plan B
"So, did Voldemort question you about the Patronus display?" Dan asked, looking at Severus.
"Actually, he did not . . . never mentioned it," replied Severus, shrugging. "In the two weeks between the Quidditch match and my next attendance at a Death Eater meeting, other things had pushed that little incident from his mind. It seems that Harry, Ron and Hermione had been spotted in Diagon Alley and he was livid that 'Potter and his friends' was walking around so freely."
"Were you really?" Emma asked, startled that they could be so foolhardy.
"Of course not," laughed Harry. "It was various members of the Order using Polyjuice potion ; waiting for the effects to be almost gone, then popping into Diagon Alley, going into a shop as they felt themselves changing back, and when the Snatchers or Death Eater who had spotted one of us came in to search, we were not there and nobody had seen us. Drove them bonkers!" Harry was grinning. "Especially when we were 'spotted', almost simultaneously, half way across the country in, say, Godric's Hollow or at St. Mungo's, even. By the time these reported sightings got back to him, our 'doubles' were, of course, back to normal and going about their business. Didn't take him long to figure out I was taunting him."
"He was NOT pleased, to say the least," Severus added. "But, as these sightings never occurred in Hogsmeade or at the school, I wasn't involved."
"You all were really pushing his 'buttons', weren't you?" Tom laughed.
"Every chance we got," nodded Ron.
"But it was just a couple of times we did that . . . we didn't want anyone caught, so when the winter weather settled in to stay, we stopped that particular activity and moved on with our preparations," Hermione informed them.
"And we weren't the only ones getting ready," Draco added. "My classmates in Slytherin House had their own agenda."
"Which we might not have noticed as soon as we did, if it hadn't been for a slight hiccup on my part," Albus informed them.
"What happened?"Dan asked.
Albus leaned forward and stage whispered, "I was seen in the dungeons." Nodding his head at the gasps that announcement elicited.
"You were not!?" "Oh, dear!" "How'd that happen?" "OOPS!"
"Oops, indeed! And I didn't even know I'd been spotted!" Albus informed them. Holding up a finger to stop any questions, he continued, "In my defense, it was in the middle of the night, around 3 AM or so, and I daresay that nobody would have expected students to be sneaking about . . . would you?"
"Actually, Headmaster, I can come up with quite a list names who, I suspect, have most certainly been skulking around Hogwarts at that hour, on numerous occasions," answered Dan, as his gaze swung over several groups of former students who either snickered, sheepishly raised their hands or found the enchanted ceiling of particular interest at that moment.
"Ah, but at that time, I wasn't really considering the possibility, with the Carrows patrolling the halls and the atmosphere of the times."
"So, who spotted you and what happened?" Rupert asked, grinning.
"Ah, well, it really started with Harry, Hermione and me," Ron injected.
X X X
The wind was howling around the castle, grey clouds hanging low as the snow started falling, ushering in the third storm in as many weeks. The drifts in the courtyards were higher than most of the students, so the ban on using wands outside of the classroom (one of the Carrow's rules) was lifted in order for the students to be able to clear pathways enabling them to get between the different wings of the school.
The hallways were drafty and frigid, the classrooms not much better, but it was just the weather, not the Dementors, causing all the discomfort. Wearing their cloaks, scarves, gloves and boots at all times was considered totally necessary unless the students were in their Houses, where the common rooms and dorms were significantly warmer.
"This has got to be the worst winter weather in decades," muttered Ron, as he blasted a drift out of his way. "Even Mum and Dad don't remember anything like this from their time here."
"Well, it's not just here, the whole country is getting nailed," Harry informed them. "About the only thing moving in London is the Underground."
"It would be beautiful, all the snow and ice, if it wasn't so bloody cold!" Hermione added, pulling her scarf up over her red nose. "It's a wonder we all haven't come down with pneumonia!"
The Trio was heading to the library, while classes were in session, to return a couple of the books Peter Pettigrew had repaired. With all the extra clothing they were bundled up in, they weren't worried about being spotted for who they really were. Madam Pince was ecstatic about the work on her precious volumes but didn't ask who or where it had been done.
Albus was still the only one to visit Wormtail, who, it seemed, had come to terms with his lot in life. . . his only hope being that once the war was over, perhaps Dumbledore would let him slip away quietly and disappear. The Wizangamot had passed down a life sentence in Azkaban as his punishment, but had allowed his present situation, of being under Dumbledore's supervision, to continue.
However, when Albus 'died', everyone at Hogwarts swore they had no idea where the Headmaster had incarcerated him, so the Ministry just collectively shrugged and conveniently forgot about him. Peter, of course, had no idea that Albus was 'dead', as he was not allowed to see the 'Daily Prophet' or the 'Quibbler'.
The Trio made their way to Madam Pince's office, after making sure there were no students lurking among the bookshelves.
"Well hello, you three," the school librarian smiled, stretching out her hands to pick up the volumes Hermione had put down on her desk. "Oh, these look marvelous! Whoever is doing this work has a future ahead of them in the bookbinding and repairing trades. Could have a career right here at Hogwarts, come to that!"
Harry, Ron and Hermione exchanged looks; Ron shrugging, Harry trying not to laugh but Hermione taking the remark to heart . . . perhaps that was something to discuss with Professor Dumbledore . . . Pettigrew's future . . . after the war.
X X X
After a short chat the Trio made their way back to the main part of the school with the next lot of books to be repaired. They turned down a little used corridor to take a back staircase to the upper floors and thence to the Room of Requirement. Just before they made it to the stairs, Harry heard voices coming down the stairs and threw out his arm to stop his friends. Ron quickly opened the door of a nearby broom closet and they crowded inside, waiting for whoever it was to pass.
"I'm telling you I saw her, just now, crossing the courtyard!" Pansy Parkinson hissed.
"It could have been anyone!" Blaise Zabini countered. "All bundled up against the weather, how do you know it was Granger?"
"Even from that angle, I could tell that bushy headed Mud-blood! And Weasley and Potter, too! Who else would be walking around like they owned the place in the middle of the day?" Pansy shot back. "I just hope we can find them and follow them to where ever it is they're coming in the castle OR better yet, where they're hiding inside!"
"Why don't we just stun them and hand them in?" Blaise asked, as they passed the closet door.
"Because, we need to catch the whole bunch of them . . . we know Potter's getting help from inside Hogwarts and we need to find out who it is! Then we tell Snape and he'll get them arrested!" Pansy stopped at the corner of the hallway, looking first right and then left. "I wonder which way they went?"
"The nearest door to the outside is to the left . . . let's go that way," offered Blaise.
"Okay, let's hurry a bit and see if we can spot them." Pansy's voice faded as they moved off down the hallway.
Harry, Ron and Hermione traded looks and then Ron slowly, quietly opened the door. Listening for a moment, he motioned to the other two to head for the stairs. They scurried up them as quickly and noiselessly as they could, then ran to the entrance of the Room of Requirement. Walking back and forth three times, they waited for the door to appear and entered.
"Oh, my, that was close!" Hermione gasped, as she laid the books down and took off her cloak and scarf. "Bushy haired Mud-Blood! HA!"
"What were those two doing out of class, anyhow?" Ron wondered.
"I believe I can explain," answered Albus, as he walked over. "Severus has informed me that various members of the senior Slytherin class have been patrolling the halls at random times, in hopes of spotting you three or anyone else on the 'suspect' list. He had to give his permission, of course, but warned them to just track your movements and learn how you were coming and going from the castle . . . or if you were hiding somewhere inside."
"Well," said Harry, as he flopped down on a nearby sofa. "I don't mind being seen, but we can't have the others spotted, especially the Malfoys."
"You called," Draco drawled, as he came into the 'common ' area of their hiding place. "Who's skulking around?"
"Pansy and Blaise," Ron answered. "Saw us out a window and tried to track us, but made so much noise, we were hiding before they came anywhere near us."
''Pansy's big mouth?" Draco smiled.
"Of course," Hermione answered. "With her usual comments."
"Harry's right, you know . . . we will have to be seen, slinking around the halls, occasionally, in order to keep Voldemort focused," Ron said. "But we can't let any of the others be seen or the Ministry might send a whole detachment of Aurors looking for us."
"Or worse, Snatchers," added Hermione. "They wouldn't hesitate to kill us on sight, all the trouble we've caused them."
"Ah, then I believe your map will be very useful in arranging a sighting or two," Albus agreed. "Perhaps if you were seen heading to and from the library or the kitchens, it would suggest you are just invading the school for supplies, as opposed to actually living here. That way, the student body is safe from Ministry interference and questioning."
"Yeah, if only the Slytherins spot us, the rest of the students will think they're making it up. Might make old Pansy a bit miffed to not be able to prove her accusations." Draco smiled wickedly. "Wish I could pop out of a hidden passage and go 'BOO!' at her!"
"Your time will come, Mister Malfoy," chuckled Albus. "Don't think it won't!"
"Oh, I'm counting on that, Headmaster," nodded Draco.
X X X
Over the next few weeks, Pansy, Millicent Bulstrode, Theo Nott, Blaise, Daphne Greengrass, Vincent Crabbe and Gregory Goyle all spotted Ron, Hermione and Harry somewhere in the castle, but they realized it was the kitchens and, occasionally, the library which seemed to be the Trio's destination. They formulated a plan to track where Harry, Hermione and Ron went when leaving those two locations and saw them using a hidden staircase that led down to the base of the castle and then outside. Although they could see footprints in the snow around the doorway, it was obvious that the Trio had used vanishing spells to smooth over the snow, so it was impossible to tell which direction they took, once they left the castle.
"Maybe they just 'Apparate' away," Gregory shrugged, as they came back into the dungeon hallway.
"You idiot! You can't 'Apparate' inside the school grounds!" Pansy hissed, as she slammed the door shut and locked it. Turning to glare at her classmate, she had a thought, so she smiled and put her arm around Gregory's shoulder. "And that gives me an idea, Gregory . . . you'll have to follow them."
"Who, me?" Gregory gasped. "Why me?"
"NO, not just you; we'll all take turns. Listen, we know they show up about every third day, so, let's see, today is Tuesday . . . that means they'll probably be back on Friday. You wait in that side hallway." Pansy pointed to a dark opening about fifteen feet away. "When they come back from the kitchens, or wherever, sneak outside and follow them . . . at a safe distance, of course, see where they go and then come back and we'll tell Headmaster Snape!"
"What if they don't come Friday?" Vincent asked.
"Then it'll be your turn and you can come down and wait on Monday, I doubt they'd try entering the school on the weekend with everyone walking around . . . we'll all do it one day a week and one of us if bound to have those three walk right past them and then lead us to their hideout!" Pansy smiled at her classmates.
"Actually, Pansy," nodded Blaise. "That's not a bad plan . . . we know they come during class hours so we'll wait here instead of patrolling and also we'll be
careful not be seen by them! But if they go into the Forbidden Forest, I'm not following them. Period." Blaise crossed his arms.
"No, no, I don't think that's a good idea either," agreed Pansy. "Just track which way they go and then we'll talk to Snape and let him figure out what to do next."
X X X
As the Slytherins made their way back into the school, Harry, Hermione and Ron emerged from the same side hallway that Pansy had pointed out to her classmates.
"You know," Ron said, as he leaned against the wall. "That Pansy's not bad as a tactician, but she's lousy on stealth."
"So says the future Auror," smiled Harry.
"Ron's right, Harry," Hermione agreed. "It didn't take them long to find this door."
"We practically led them here, leaving a trail of cookie crumbs, Hermione," laughed Ron. "This is the dungeon and they didn't even know this door existed!"
"Oh, alright," Hermione giggled. "That bunch are not exactly the sharpest tacks in the box."
Harry laughed but Ron looked puzzled.
"Never mind," Hermione took Ron by the hand. "I'll explain later."
"Oh, can I be there when you tell him about the hamster and the wheel?" Harry inquired, which caused Hermione to clamp her hand over her mouth, so as not to laugh out loud! Then she swatted Harry on the arm, smiling broadly.
"You two are mental, you know that?" Ron said, as they headed upstairs to tell Albus what they'd heard of the Slytherins' plans.
X X X
"And you are sure those three haven't seen you following them?" Severus asked the group of Slytherin students standing in front of his desk.
"No, Headmaster, we've been very careful to not be spotted," replied Pansy.
"Very well." Severus sat there, tapping his long fingers on the desktop. "Make up your schedule for observing that doorway, so that I may have you excused from your classes on those days. It shouldn't take more than a week or two before one of you gets the opportunity to following those supremely overconfident children," he added, which brought smiles to the faces of the Slytherin classmates.
"Yes, Headmaster, we'll work up our schedule right away," Blaise said.
"Dismissed." Snape picked up a parchment off the desk and started to read it, as the students left his office, chattering among themselves as to who wanted which day on the schedule.
After the door closed, Lucius Malfoy came down the stairs from the observation platform, where he'd been lurking.
"Lovely bunch of junior Death Eaters," he muttered.
"Pansy is almost as blood thirsty as your sister-in-law, Lucius," said Severus, as the blond haired man took a seat by the desk. "Must be getting instructions from her father, passed down from the Dark Lord."
"Indeed . . . as I used to send to Draco . . . . Merlin, Severus! How could I have been so stupid?! . . . I almost got my entire family killed . . . for what? Power? Wealth? I had that, but it wasn't enough!" Lucius leaned his head back, shaking it. "I was such a fool!"
"Not a total fool, Lucius . . . you married Narcissa, didn't you?" Severus smirked at his friend.
"And thanks heaven I did! She's the one who saved Draco and me! I don't know how I'll even convey to her how much she means to me and how much I admire her courage; managing to save our lives and right under the Dark Lord's nose . . . such as it is." he added, grinning.
Severus smiled, genuinely, shaking his head. "Lucius, when this war is over, you will be told the whole story and then . . . you will understand. Narcissa is a remarkable woman and you are damn lucky! You will also have an opportunity to change your whole life and bring honor to the Malfoy name."
"Really? and you know this . . . how?" Lucius frowned.
"I listen to Muggles . . . brilliant bunch, once you past their inability to do magic; superior to us in their adaptability and resourcefulness. . . .you'll see." Severus glanced at his friend and saw him smiling at him, causing him to furrow his brows in question.
"Merlin help you, Severus! Not only did you sound like Albus just then, but I swear I saw that famous twinkle in your eye!" Lucius laughed.
"Bite your tongue, Lucius . . . one Albus is enough!" Severus shook his head, but knew Lucius was right; Albus was rubbing off on him, now that his attitude toward his own future had changed. And was that such a bad thing? His thoughts went to Katie; wondering how she doing, if she was safe, was she still being watched? He'd been unable to send her an owl, of course, for fear it would draw attention, but word from London had been sparse, to say the least. Ah, well, not good to dwell on something out of his control, in any case.
"Well, I'd better get back to 'camp', " said Lucius and he stood and did a 'Disillusionment Charm' on himself. "I'll see you later, Severus." Lucius added, as he faded from sight.
"Greetings to the rest of the campers," replied Severus, as he watched his office door open and close.
X X X
Late that night, Albus was walking through the lower part of the dungeons, having just checked on the preparations in the shelters for the younger students that the House Elves had been fashioning in some of the unused storage rooms. He was humming to himself as he walked along, holding a sheet of parchment paper, checking the list of supplies that had been stored in the rooms.
As Albus rounded a corner and started toward a staircase, known only to himself, he was unaware someone was standing, at a distance down the other hallway, staring wide-eyed, as Dumbledore walked through the dimly lit corridor. Albus made an abrupt turn and passed into the hidden passage.
Theo Nott came cautiously down the hallway to where Dumbledore had disappeare;, feeling along the stone wall, trying to find the opening into which he'd just seen the former Headmaster walk. Or way there an opening? It seemed to be a solid wal! But how? Unless! Had he just seen Dumbledore's ghost? It had to be! Dumbledore was dead! He had to tell someone, quickly! Turning, he ran back to the Slytherin Common Room and then into his dorm room, his scheduled patrol of the school forgotten, as he woke his dorm mates and told them who's ghost he'd just seen. He'd have to go and tell Headmaster Snape first thing in the morning! Wait until his father heard about this!