Hi, the first half has been edited by littleGreeneyes. The next half will be soon. Many thanks To her for such hard work. Again it's takeing me longer to wrap this up than I thought. Please review I've been slowly working on this since June and it would be great to end up with at least 100 reveiws. Thanks so much for reading and following.
Harry, Ron, and Draco left the meeting, and started to walk back to the room of requirement.
"So I guess all we can do now is wait for the old dungeon bat to sort himself out, and tell us what to do next."
"That's my godfather Weasel, show some respect."
"Why? He never shows us any."
"Because you have to earn it." Draco snapped.
"And how are you earning it? Didn't realise you were looking for brownie point's"
"Oh shut up, both of you. We need to work together. I've never liked Snape, but let's be honest I never had much of a chance did I? I grew up surrounded by half truths. The only genuine things I've ever known are You, Ron, and Hermione. I know the truth now, I have the facts , I'm starting again. If my mother could be friends with that man, I'm sure I can learn to respect and tolerate him. I've got a feeling that I may have to anyway. As for you Draco, I've hated your guts from day one..."
"Cheers Potter, clearly our feelings are mutual."
"Let me finish, I'm sure you will agree that both of us were lied to. Over the past few months I'm starting to feel like I'm seeing the real you, even though you're an arrogant arse... I like you. I want to be friends, we can work together Draco, can't we Ron?"
Harry jabbed his elbow in Ron's side.
"Ouch! Err... yeah I guess so." he said rubbing his side.
"Well Harry, I don't know what to say other than; despite your annoying moralistic and pompous attitude to everything... and ignoring your weird little crush on me. I accept your friendship."
Harry gave a yelp of outrage while Ron snorted.
"Bloody hell! I don't... I take it back...little crush? you wish! You can stuff your friendship up your arrogant arse!" Harry blurted out while Ron and Draco laughed outright at his indignation.
"Chill! I'm messing with you, conversations with you are way to serious, lighten up. So, are we going to find Longbottom and Loony?"
"Luna!" Ron and Harry corrected.
"Fine whatever, Luna. So are we?"
"Yes, let's check everything's still fortified, and all the protective spells are still in place." Ron replied seriously.
"We can fill Neville and Luna in as we go." Harry agreed.
"Shall we visit Hermione when we are done?" Draco asked.
"Yes, and then we wait for Professor Snape to start the action. It feels weird waiting for somebody else to make a move. It was always us deciding how to move forward."
"Well yeah, but to be honest Harry I'm quite enjoying our diminished responsibility."
Harry nodded and they continued walking to the room of requirement, where they had left Neville and Luna asleep.
A few hours later, night was drawing in, the castle was quiet. Rota's had been drawn up to patrol the castle. All teaching staff were now aware of the approaching peril, although full details were not given by McGonagall, enough information was relayed to emphasise the seriousness of the situation.
The ministry had been in contact via the owl post. Hogwarts was being watched by aura's from the outside of the grounds.
Satisfied that for now Hogwarts was safe, Harry, Ron and Draco went to visit Hermione, in the now very familiar school infirmary.
Hermione was sat up on the bed fully clothed in a black jumper dress, she looked calm and composed, but Harry perceived a slight tremor in her hand.
"Hey Hermione, your up! I have to be honest, visiting your sick bed is getting a bit tedious." Harry said softly teasing her.
"Tell me about it." she replied, opening her arms for a hug from him.
"Are you ok?" he whispered in her ear as he embraced her carefully.
"Yeah, but I don't want to talk about it."
Harry released her and allowed Ron to give her a quick hug too.
"Are you badly hurt?" he asked looking over her in search, as if to detect some injury.
"Just bruises, otherwise I'm absolutely fine... A little traumatised that's all. I've heard about Bill and Fleur, are they ok?"
"Bill is bruised and traumatised like you. Fleur was badly hurt, no one can believe she survived, the miracle is, that the baby was unharmed. She will have to stay in hospital for some time while they treat the spell damage, but she's going to be fine."
"That's a relief, I'm so sorry Ron, your poor family have been through enough."
"Yeah well, we're tough. What about your family? Do you need them here?"
"No, I'm ok, no need to worry them, they don't understand anyway. Also, they are hard to contact at the moment, my mother doesn't want me using magical means, as it might scare the villagers they are working with."
"Fair enough, as long as you're sure."
Hermione nodded, and turned her attention to Draco who looked remote and withdrawn.
"Where's my hug Draco?"
She smiled as Draco let out the breath he was holding, he had feared she would hold him responsible for his mother's actions. He approached her and hugged her, for longer than strictly necessary. "I am so sorry that my family were once again the cause of this."
Hermione surprised him by kissing his cheek, "We don't know that yet, and even if it turns out that your mother is a murderous Death Eater, then it's still nothing to do with you. I still want to be friends."
"Thank you Hermione." he flushed slightly and quietly withdrew from her arms.
Hermione smiled as brightly as she could and addressed them all. Permanently changing the topic.
"So what's happening in Hogwarts?"
They briefed her on the security, and their doubts about lessons being continued the next day.
"Maybe some staff will teach the younger years. But most are involved in the security plans." Harry finished.
"Hermione where's your wand?" Ron asked suddenly noticing it wasn't at her bedside.
"I've lost it, Dolohov took it."
"Sorry, that's a nuisance, we need to find you another one. I will ask Professor McGonagall about it for you."
Ron assured her
"Snape killed Dolohov, knowing my Godfather he will have searched him and if he still had your wand, well Snape will have it now! I will ask him." Draco chimed in.
"He killed him? How?" she asked in shock.
"Drowned him apparently, took us by surprise to, he didn't go into details." Draco answered.
At this point McGonagall walked into the bay.
"Hello Hermione, how good to see you up. Gentleman will you excuse us for just five minutes. Don't go away just wait outside."
They all murmured their consent and trundled off.
The headmistress waited for them to be out of earshot. She sat down on the visitors chair beside Hermione.
"Well Hermione, We are here again." She smiled and continued, "You seem in good shape physically, how are you...really?"
"I'm fine, I don't want to talk about it. I'm sorry I just can't keep going over it."
"I know dear, but sometimes you have to talk. I want to give you another option. Do you want me to wipe your memory?"
Hermione considered this option carefully, She was slightly surprised at the head's extreme suggestion.
" it's only been one day, I think I need to see how I deal with it. Experience can make you stronger, survival can make you appreciate what you have... I think I would like to see how strong I am."
McGonagall reached out to grasp her hand firmly,
"Promise me that if you feel overwhelmed or you can't sleep that you will talk to someone. Remember you always have the option to remove it from your mind."
Hermione gave her hand a grateful squeeze and replied.
"I might need the memory, I might need to draw on it in order to help defeat the Death Eater's. Thank you for the offer and the concern, if I ever change my mind I will tell you."
McGonagall let go of her hand and rose to her feet. "Well I think some more rest, it was the early hours of the morning when you came in to the medical wing."
" I'm so tired and last night is so hazy, I don't even remember how I got here."
"Professor Snape carried you... Again." the headmistress answered sharply.
Hermione took a sharp intake of breath, composed herself and responded glibly. "Really? How tedious for him."
Flash backs of his apologies and concern flooded her mind, but it was jumbled and hazy."
"Yes my dear, very tedious. The boredom he must have endured while watching you sleep. It's quite understandable that he should fall asleep next to you. It's equally understandable that you mistook him for a child hood teddy bear, post traumatic stress is documented as sometimes making people regress a little." With this closing comment McGonagall turned heel and left the room.
Hermione's friends soon trooped back in the room. Harry spoke first.
"Just here to say goodnight. Professor McGonagall says you need the rest, we will pop back in the morning and make plans. "
Hermione nodded and mumbled her good nights.
"Are you ok?you look flushed do you have a fever?" Ron asked in concern.
"No I'm fine. Good night then." She replied hurriedly.
The trio left the room quietly, Draco with a little wave and a knowing grin that Hermione did not like at all.
'A teddy bear! Nobody could ever mistake the prickly professor for such an item.' She wondered how exactly she'd given that impression. 'I must have clung to him' she thought. 'Why did he let me?'
Soon Madame Pomfrey was bustling in, disturbing her recollections. She was given another calming draught and was bid good night.
Two hours later Hermione found sleep impossible. When she closed her eyes she could hear the thud of earth, she could smell the wood of the coffin. She sat up in the darkness. After blinking away a few stray tears that escaped in her panic, she made her decision. She dressed and left the medical wing quietly.
Professor Snape made his way back to his rooms, determined to study and discover the name of the wand. As he entered the room, he sensed something was different, someone had been there. A quick glance around the bookcases and tables showed nothing had been removed, but something had been added. He walked over to his desk, a huge, seemingly ancient bible lay unopened where it hadn't been before. Snape ran his wand across the leather binding. Then tapped it and uttered the words, "Reveal your secrets." The old book flew open with a loud thump, dust raising into the air as it did so. Concealed within the pages was a large solid looking gun with an intricately decorated handle. "How original" Snape murmured sarcastically. He performed a few more safety spells, when he was sure it was safe to touch, he removed the gun from the cut out pages. Underneath was a letter, he placed the Gun down carefully, then picked up the note and began to read.
Dear Severus,
I hope you like my little gift, its very you, dark, dangerous and fun to play with. I've even had your slytherin allegiance engraved on it.
I know you don't trust me, but I need to prove my sincerity. This is a 1851 Navy Colt Revolver. It is for your safety, half-cocked. The hammer is also resting on the sixth empty chamber. To use you need to rotate the cylinder to a fully loaded chamber, fully cock and pull the trigger. It is fully primed, oiled, and ready for use. As skilled as you are, it is unlikely that you will be a crack shot without practice. So bide your time, wait for point blank range and shoot to the head or heart. It's for you to protect your charges. Remember; muggle death is the only way to defeat Voldermort. Don't allow your new conscience to stand in the way. The death eaters must die and there is no fair play.
Yours
Inari
'Inari? That's her real name? Or is it? I recognise that, I don't think it's a name. What makes her think I would use this muggle death stick?' He picked up the revolver and examined it carefully, feeling it's solid weight, Inscribed on the handle was a snake entwined around a staff. 'The muggle symbol for medicine, this is for killing not healing, so why that design?' As Snape quietly mused on the strange gift he placed the revolver back in the Bible and noticed the page before the cut out.
Genesis and part of Exodus were stuck together, the only readable page was in Exodus. Snape wondered if it was deliberate. He scanned the page and realised this was the period that Jannes and Jambres the magic practicing priests were living. 'The Ten plagues of Egypt culminating in the death of the first born of Pharaoh. Chapter 11 verse 4' he read aloud. "About midnight I will go throughout Egypt. Every firstborn in Egypt will die, from the firstborn son of Pharaoh, who sits on the throne, to the firstborn of the slave girl, who is at the hand mill, and all the first born cattle as well. There will be a loud wailing throughout Egypt-worse than has ever been or will ever be again." As he finished reading there was a soft knock on his door, he closed the bible hurriedly and hid it amount his other books.
Snape walked towards the door wearily, and opened it, he gazed dumbly at the woman standing before him.
Hermione was casually and warmly dressed. Her hair was untamed and wild, she had the unmistakable air of a person who had just woken up from a nightmare.
"Please... Can I come in?" she asked.
"It's late, I'm not sure it's appropriate." Snape replied.
"Do you want to see me beg?"
Snape sighed in resignation and moved aside to allow her into the room.
"Draco mentioned you might have my wand. Did you really kill Dolohov? "
Snape pulled Hermione's wand from his robes and passed it to her. replying "I did" as Hermione took her wand from his grasp.
"Thank you." she waited for him to respond, or even tell her how he killed the death eater. Harry and Ron would have regaled the tale immediately and she marvelled at the professors cool restraint. Realising that no comment at all would be forth coming, Hermione glanced around his office, takeing in the piles of books and scrolls. "your researching?"
Snape nodded.
"Can I help?"
"I think not, it's late, you should rest."
Hermione walked over to the fire place and sat in the armchair facing the warm blaze. "I don't want to rest, I would have to close my eyes, I'm scared If I do, I might not be able to open them again. I can still feel the earth pouring in on me... I can feel the lid of the coffin. So please, let me help you, I need distraction, don't leave me on my own."
Snape watched her from the doorway, indecision rooted him to the spot. "Your not on your own, you have Potter and Weasley. I'm sure my Godson would be happy to keep you company also."
"It's your company I want! Why can't you just accept that?"
"Because it's preposterous, look at me!"
On his command Hermione looked at him, her determined chin jutted upwards.
"Now look at you!" he snarled.
"No... You look at me!" she snapped back. "Now, tell me what you see that makes it so wrong and so preposterous that you won't even consider my friendship."
Snape looked at her, his hard expression collapsed as he appraised her.
"Your perfect." he muttered.
"I beg your pardon?"
"You heard me."
"Yes, but I didn't understand you. I'm not perfect, I have many faults most of which you have found and displayed over the years. So why say that? And if you think I'm perfect, why use it as an excuse to be so distant?"
"Children need their faults pointing out, hopefully then, they will over come them. For some reason You irritated me as a child, more than some of the others."
"Why?"
"You reminded me of my childhood friend. I needed no reminders of the youth I lost."
Hermione realised she was being compared to Lily, she didn't much care for the comparison. Then she realised he had expertly and effortlessly deflected from her main question. So she drew it to his attention again.
"Are you going to answer my original question? Why does the child that clearly irritated you ... now seem perfect?"
Snape's expression became blank with the desire to say and show nothing more.
Hermione's face was aglow with the firelight. The determination for his attention and answers radiated from her, he knew she was not going to let his foolish comment drop. He sighed heavily again, rubbed his temple with his long fingers. Without looking at her, he answered with measured precision.
"Perfect to me. You tolerate me, nothing I do seems to knock no, I don't want to be friends. Ive had perfection once before, and I found something to destroy it. The odds are totally against me surviving friendship with you. You're young, impressionable, surrounded by young friends, all of whom despise me. That's what I see when I look at you. When I look at myself, I see a dead man walking. I'm sullied, marked, cynical and bitter. Worse still, I'm fine with that, I don't want to change. I don't want saving, I don't need to be mothered, I do not want pity. I'm not a project for you to practice your altruism. As your friend I would Distroy myself, and taint you by association. If we became friends, and if I didn't alienate you immediately, I guarantee you that one day, you will look at me properly, and think, I have nothing to say to this bitter and ugly old man, by that time... I would be utterly dependent on your friendship, as I was with lily's. I can not do that to myself again." He still stood by the door staring vacantly into the fire, closing his mouth firmly as the last word escaped him.
"Profesor? Close the door and Sit down."
He shrugged and sat in the opposite chair."You sound like Professor McGonagall."
"I'm not Altruistic, far from it, I'm actualy being very selfish. I don't do anything from pity, I just want your company, your help, and I want to find and kill Voldermort. So for now can we just deal with that, let's help each other for the greater good?"
Snape propped his elbows on the arm rest's of his chair, his fingers clasped and steepled under his chin.
Hermione waited for him to speak. The long silence made her feel like squirming on her seat. She determinedly fought it and kept still.
Snape drew himself up, withdrew his elbows from the arms of the chair, and sprung to his feet. His decision made, he barked out his order.
"Start reading, I will make some tea... Familiarise yourself with the book on the top of that pile, we are looking for the true name of the unbeatable wand. I always find a good starting point to be... page three hundred and ninety-four."
Hermione snorted at the feeble joke and the complete disregard of the previous conversation.
She stood and moved over to the desk, lifting the smallish book from the large pile of dusty tome's.
Snape turned his back on her in order to prepare some tea.
"Severus?"
Snape froze in shock at the use of his first name. He did not verbally respond.
Hermione walked back to the armchair, she sat down, opened the cover and perused the first page. Without looking up she said, "You do know we've not been discussing just friendship don't you?"
Snape choked on his shock, recovered himself, and without turning round, or acknowledging the provoking comment, he said,
"Turn to page three hundred and ninety-four."
Hermione smiled to herself and turned over the page.
A few minutes later both were silent as they trawled through various documents and books, Occasionally pausing to sip their tea.
"Professor?"
Snape looked across at Hermione inquiringly.
"I can't find anything helpful in these Japanese text books, are you doing any better with your book?"
Snape's eyes returned back to the book on his lap.
"I'm working on Egyptian texts."
"But you said the kitsune is Japanese, why would there be a connection with Egypt?"
"Just because your born in one country doesn't mean you can't move. I think this particular Kitsune once lived in ancient Egypt. In fact, I think it's highly probable that she had a son who died during the plagues of Egypt. Did you read the book that I left in your room?"
"Yes I did, I read that story about Anubis and the fox. Does that mean Narcissa could have been a Princess?"
Snape continued to read, but shook his head emphatically. "It's not Narcissa, I'm sure of it. Her name may be Inari."
Hermione felt a little jolt of excitement as she realised that she understood the word.
"Inari? That's a type of kitsune! I've just re -read a passage about them in this book. " Hermione blurted.
Finally, Snape looked up and gave her his full attention, stating what he suddenly remembered about the Inari.
"I knew I had heard it before, I have been trying to remember where I read about it, Inari is not her name, it's her job and character. Inari are generally only workers of good, and messengers to the gods."
"That would explain the legend with Anubis, she broke her trust with him and stole the Sekhen! If she's good, why would she do that?"
"The kitsune has an overriding desire to protect family, resorting to any desperate measure to do so, sometimes by immoral and illegal means... They justify themselves, that their motives are pure. If their family's are never threatened, then they live law abiding lives."
"Ok, so she's protecting Draco."
"No your not listening, she's trying to get her Egyptian son back. She told me only muggle death is permanent. Deaths caused by the Avada Kedavra are reversible.
"Was her son killed by that spell?"
"It would be the quickest way to take out every first born in the land, but I don't think it was magic that killed her son, I think she just wants it to be. Let's think about what we know about the Hallows for a moment..."
Hermione stood up and walked over to him, as she transfigured his chair into a small sofa with one smooth action.
Snape growled at her."What are you doing?"
"Coming to look at whatever you're reading, and I'm tired, I want to be comfortable." She sat down next to him, ignoring his frosty attitude.
Snape closed his eyes for a moment, huffed a sigh and continued.
"First the resurrection stone, what do we know about it?"
"It's true name is Sekhem which means power, authority, mastery.
The Sekhem can, on it's own bring back the ghost of a person. The ghost will only remain as long as the stone is held. The Sekhem has appeared in magical history many times, notably in the tale of the three brothers. From that tale we can assume, that the stone was owned by Death. In light of Egyptian mythology, maybe Anubis is the same as death, maybe the bards story was inaccurate when it suggested that death made the stone for the three brothers, maybe it was always in his possession."
Snape smiled, and replied dryly,
"Text book perfect as ever. I think it is worth mentioning that, some ancient texts can be like Chinese whisper's, they can get distorted over time. So where does the word Sekhem come from?"
"Egypt?"
"Yet again, the resident know it all hits the mark. So if the stone has an Egyptian name what can we assume about the cloak and the wand?"
Hermione scowled at the Professor. Then responded in a brusque manner, "That they have Egyptian names?"
"Yes, so now let's talk about the cloak, impress me."
"Impossible I think." Hermione muttered.
"Get on with it" Snape prompted sharply.
Hermione crossly stated what she knew. "The cloak is also in the three brothers tale. We think it's name is khaibut, The Egyptian word for shadow. The cloak, when mastered, hides and covers from death."
Snape inclined his head,
"That was acceptable Miss Granger, now tell me what you guess about the cloak. I know you have suspicions, I can feel them buzzing away in your mind."
Hermione sighed, and continued to talk. "I read a story, Edgar Alan Poe The Red Death. The character of death had a concealing cloak very like Harry's. Along with this, Ron mentioned the inside of the cloak, it reminded him of something.
"Snape's eyebrow rose in his usual expression of disdain.
"Really! the dunderhead observed something?
"Don't call him that. Yes he observed something and it was interesting. He said that the inside of the cloak looks like the veil at the department of mysteries."
"Indeed... Most interesting." Snape was silent, contemplative.
Suddenly he spoke again, making Hermione jump.
"Although I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, maybe it's not valley, maybe it's veil. The veil of shadows, maybe... That's where all the magical souls reside." He mused aloud.
"It's where Sirius died."
At the mention of Sirius' name Snape snapped out of his thoughts,
"Yes I'm aware of that. Your idea about the red death is interesting too, death under yet another name. If I remember correctly, he brought the plague, that's what killed the Kitsune's son, the red death. Maybe that's why the stone didn't work for her, even in ghost form. The plague is a muggle death. So now we come to the wand ... we need an Egyptian name. That is what I'm searching for. Look, the stone and the cloak are names of parts of the human soul according to Egyptians."
Hermione leaned over to peer at the page he was pointing at.
Snape felt the brush of her arm against his and tried his best to ignore it, even so his fingers trembled slightly.
" Look at that word Akh!" Hermione pointed to the page, leaning right over Snape's lap, her hair brushing against his startled face,
"I would if you weren't in the way." He said, roughly pushing her aside."Akh, part of the uniting of the soul?" he asked, looking at the paragraph she had pointed too.
"Yes, I read about it in the book I was sent. At the reuniting of certain elements of the soul the Akh which means magically affective one, would animate during a ritual called the se-akh 'to make a dead person into an living akh. Would the wand not do that? Could the wand be the Akh?"
"Possibly, let's see."
Snape pulled out the wand held it aloft and softly said "Akh" there was silence. Snape shivered and felt energy drain from his body. It went out through his hand into the wand. His hand shook as it felt the palpable power, the wand channelled through his fingertips. Golden Flames engulfed his outstretched hand, the fire slid down the wand, off it's tip and across the room. The air in the chamber seemed to thin, it was the result of the back draught from the wall of flame blazing out and forming a symbol that was instantly recognisable.