41: Saving Your Lives, and Countless Others

RIDDLE HOUSE, FOURTH EARTH

After the attack on the Shrieking Shack, after he'd saved the lives of the Malfoys three, he hadn't felt safe, knowing he had to move. No place had seemed perfect enough to hide; wherever he fled, there would suddenly appear a wandering traveler, a sudden interest in the new place, that would make it unfit to hide.

It occurred to him that if anywhere was deserted, it would certainly be the childhood home of Voldemort himself. So he went there, making sure to Apparate outside the house first in case someone was inside, making some sort of report—Rita Skeeter was infamous for digging up old Voldemort memorabilia, anything that would fascinate the reading public.

It was a good thing, he realized, that he had Apparated outside and not inside. Lights were on. Dim, but lights all the same. Curious, he drew closer to the window from which such lights emitted. He crouched, staying low to the ground, under the window so that whoever was inside could not look in and see him.

"Aren't we going to launch the invasion soon?" he heard a voice say. Rowle. He recognized it immediately, though he wasn't sure how he was hearing it. He'd thought they would execute Rowle. Perhaps he'd been wrong.

"As soon as Crouch is done and comes back," the voice of Macnair replied. Not only had he thought Macnair was dead as well, but they had definitely mentioned "Crouch." All members of that family were definitely dead. But then again, had he not himself gone to pains to ensure that others thought he was dead? It seemed that several other Death Eaters had gotten the same idea. So the appearances of Pettigrew and Scabior weren't mere flukes or lookalikes.

"So what do we do with the girl when Crouch gets back?" That voice most certainly belonged to Bellatrix Lestrange.

"She'll be a threat to us if she escapes alive," Rowle replied. "That much is obvious."

"But how do we get rid of her?" Bellatrix couldn't hide the glee in her voice as she thought of ways to torment the prisoner.

"We'll get to that when the time comes," Rowle said sternly. "Right now, we need to keep her alive in that basement. So don't get any funny ideas."

"But he should be done any day now," Bellatrix whined. "We've almost got all the Portkeys back! I was hoping we'd be in the castle by tomorrow night!"

He went over what he'd heard in his head. They had some sort of hostage kept in the basement. They were going to use Portkeys to make an assault on a castle, and as far as he knew, there was only one castle for a Death Eater to find worth assaulting.

He Disapparated, and Rowle, Macnair, and Bellatrix all heard the faint "pop." "You hear that?" Bellatrix said, moving toward the window and opening it. "No one there…now, anyway."

In the basement, he reappeared. He took in his surroundings. A musty but well-lit room. A cauldron of what was definitely Polyjuice Potion in the center. In one corner, a dwindling pile of bags of sweets, and a parchment sheet at the base of the pile. In the opposite corner, the only other living being in the room, the alleged hostage.

Veronica Aardman was far too young to know who or what she was looking at. Otherwise she might have made more of a fuss. As it was, she squirmed against the ropes that held her, unsure whether the man who'd just arrived was a friend or foe.

He severed her bonds with a quick charm, and she immediately began to moan: "Please help me…get me out of here, please…"

"You will be silent," he told the girl sternly, "if you do not wish to be heard."

Veronica shut her mouth and nodded.

"Come with me," he ordered, and Veronica got up, but instead of moving directly to her savior, she crossed the room to pick up the discarded sheet of parchment.

"What is that?" he asked. "And why is it so important?"

"It's their plan," Veronica whispered, then said no more out of fear. She rushed to the side of her rescuer, clutching his arm.

He Disapparated, taking her with him.

Trixie and Alex entered the cellar at about this time. "So I'm thinking we're about done with this chick," Alex told Trixie. "I mean, we got all the books back except one, and—oh my gosh!"

"NO!" Trixie cried when she saw Veronica gone, her ropes broken and left behind. "THIS CAN'T BE!"

Both young women flinched at the sound of a stern voice behind them: "What…cannot…be?"

They both turned, shrieking, "Horvath!"

Horvath glared at them disapprovingly. "What has happened?"

"It was not the fault of Trixie!" Trixie moaned. "We were only gone a short while, and the Hogwarts girl disappeared all on her own!"

"What she said," Alex added.

"Hostages do not disappear all on their own," Horvath said accusingly. "Not with the way she was bound. Did either of you think to take pity on her? To loosen her ropes?"

"No!" Trixie insisted. "Trixie did not give in!"

"Don't look at me," Alex protested.

Horvath looked at the two young women, thinking it over. "I think you are being honest with me," he said at last. "This was obviously done by someone from outside."

"But who?" Trixie asked. "No one knew of our presence here!"

"Oh, hey," Alex broke in, surveying the room, "heads up. We got another problem."

"What is it NOW?" Trixie asked through gritted teeth.

"Yeah, I had my copy of the schematic of how the invasion was going to go down in here," Alex explained, "and that's gone too."

"So someone from outside not only has our hostage," Horvath stated angrily, "but also the exact specifications as to how we were planning to attack the castle?"

"Maybe?" Alex said with a guilty shrug.

"Trixie was not so careless as to leave her copy of the plan out of her sight," Trixie muttered.

"This will be reported immediately," Horvath stated. "More likely than not, this will require action."

"Are we to be punished?" Trixie asked.

"That," Horvath told her, "is for Voldemort himself to decide."

THE COUNTRYSIDES OF ENGLAND, FOURTH EARTH

He took Veronica to an open field over which the dusk was settling. "Tell me," he said, "what was going on in that house. And who you are."

"My name is Veronica Aardman," Veronica gushed. "I'm a first-year at Hogwarts. I was supposed to be! But one of them is pretending to be me! He's got some kind of potion that turned him into me!"

"What of the people who captured you?"

"I don't know! They kept calling each other by names that belonged to dead Death Eaters! And…and…it couldn't really have been true! I saw something, but I couldn't have seen it!"

"Tell me…exactly…what you saw."

"He looked just like the pictures of Voldemort I've seen," Veronica squeaked, "and they called him Voldemort too. But he's gone! He can't be back! I don't know what happened!"

"Who was the one that took on your appearance?"

"They kept calling him Barty Crouch!"

"And why did he do such a thing?"

"He's making Portkeys at Hogwarts." Veronica was nearly sobbing by this time. "They're planning to attack the castle and take something. They're probably going to kill everyone!" She held up the parchment. "This was the plan the one who was me wrote. This is where all the Portkeys were going to be put in the school!"

He took the parchment, looking it over. The parchment assigned several names to each location. He recognized most of the locales listed as places within the school, though "Incendiary Ballroom" didn't seem to belong. The names assigned were most of those of infamous Death Eaters, though they contained some strangers.

It was time, he knew, to consider the impossible. And believe it. He rolled up the parchment. "You are to take this to Hogwarts immediately," he said, "and turn it in to the Headmistress. Tell her exactly what you told me."

"I can't go alone!" Veronica wailed. "I'm only a first year! I can't even Apparate!"

"I will take you as far as the grounds."

"No! You have to come with me! I can't do this on my own!"

He considered the benefits and pitfalls of accompanying her. On one hand, it would ruin the wall of secrecy he'd built around himself. On the other…who was to say that McGonagall would merely believe the girl and her parchment? He'd heard the voices. He'd seen the attackers at the Shrieking Shack. He knew the truth. And his very presence was a strong argument toward the truth. As much as he hated to admit it, he had to go with her.

"If you insist," he told her—it almost sounded to her as though she were being scolded—"I will accompany you."

"Thank you…" She clutched his arm again, desperate for some sort of protection.

He Apparated again, taking her with him.

HOGWARTS, FOURTH EARTH

A lone owl swooped in through the window of the hallway down which Crouch walked. It dropped before him a single envelope.

He bent to pick it up. It was labeled "Veronica Aardman." He opened it carefully. Inside was a sheet of parchment bearing four words, written in Voldemort's own hand:

"They're on to you."

He folded the note, tucking it into his bookbag next to the book that was prepared to be the last Portkey and one other spare book. Then he bolted, heading down and out of the castle.

"You know," Applejack remarked at the dinner table that evening, "if Linney don't mind, I'd be real interested in pickin' up some of her vegetarian recipes. I mean, I could always use more."

"You think she'll actually be able to get a shop in Diagon Alley?" Rainbow Dash asked.

"I believe she will," Hermione said. "And she has our full support behind her for when she does."

"Well, look at that," Ron pointed out. "Filch is in a hurry. Wonder who screwed up this time. I keep forgetting that George isn't around to be the one being punished."

Filch hastened to the staff table. "Headmistress," he said gruffly when McGonagall was within hearing range. "Visitor at the door. And you won't believe who it is. Thought it had to be some kind of trick, myself, but he insists he's really him, and the girl with him says she's been with him long enough that he isn't using Polyjuice."

"Well, who is it?" McGonagall asked. "I'm certain it won't surprise me as much as you think."

Filch told her.

She dropped her fork with a clatter. "Argus Filch," McGonagall said sternly, glaring at him over top of her glasses, "I do not know WHY you choose to lie to me, but I will not stand for—"

"No lie, Headmistress!" Filch said desperately. "He's waiting just outside. I could show him in! The girl, too! You could see!"

"Please do so," McGonagall said sharply. "I will not have truck with lies, Mr. Filch."

Flitwick had heard everything. "Headmistress," he said, "if it is…him…won't that cause a fuss with the students?"

"If it is him, that will be the least of the thoughts on my mind," McGonagall admitted as Filch rushed back to the doors of the Great Hall to let in the visitors.

"Ten Galleons says Filch is complaining about how to punish Enoby," Stevie giggled as she watched Filch hustle back from the staff table to the door.

"I'm sure he wouldn't interrupt McGongall just to lodge a complaint against—" Hestia began. She then saw the door open and the two visitors enter the room. "My GOD!"

"What?" Rarity asked. "WHAT?"

"Veronica?" Pinkie asked from the Hufflepuff table. "What happened to her?"

Fluttershy took a look at the nervous, quivering girl staying close to the side of the taller man. "I don't know. Who's that with her?"

"That—I—no!" Ron sputtered. "That isn't—it just ISN'T!"

"It can't be," Harry breathed.

"I…think I can believe what you said about people coming back from the dead now," Neville told Applejack and Rainbow Dash.

"I don't get it," Twilight said. "Who's that? And why is everyone staring at him?"

Luna answered simply. "It appears to be Professor Snape, the old Potions master."

"I thought he was dead."

Luna shrugged. "He was."

The tall man, with his unkempt black hair and directly contrasting pale skin, strode toward the staff table with deliberation, Veronica still too nervous to leave his side. The pair stopped before McGonagall.

"If this is some sort of trick—" McGonagall began.

"I can assure you it is not," Severus Snape replied.

"So he decided to show himself," Draco muttered.

"You KNEW?" Rarity cried. "You knew he was ALIVE?"

"He was the one who stopped Pettigrew and Scabior from killing us," Draco informed her. "We lived with him in hiding."

"This…this is impossible!" McGonagall cried. "You had perished!"

"I am well aware of what you all believed happened to me," Snape said calmly. "And were it up to me, I would have preferred you kept on believing that. However, I have come across information that is in your interest. It seems that I am not the only one thought dead who is still living. In short, Hogwarts is most likely no more than a day away from being overrun by Death Eaters, including Voldemort himself."

This set the students into worried whispers. McGonagall rose sharply. "I shall speak to you of this further in my office," she said sternly. "Now. And Miss Aardman shall return to the Hufflepuff table where she belongs."

"Miss Aardman," Snape said, "shall be returning to her table for the first time since Christmas. But that is another matter we can discuss in private."

McGonagall stepped down from the staff table, striding quickly toward the door. Snape followed. Veronica timidly stepped toward the Hufflepuff table.

"What…" Ron stammered. "WHAT THE BLOODY HELL JUST HAPPENED?"
"No way," Flora repeated. "No way…no way…no way."

"What was that all about?" Fluttershy asked Veronica.

"You don't know!" Veronica wailed. "They had me locked up! They kept me in the cellar!"

"Who did?" Pinkie Pie asked.

"The Death Eaters!" Veronica nearly burst into tears. "It's really happening! It's awful!"

"You silly!" Pinkie retorted jokingly. "How could you have been locked up by Death Eaters? You've been here the whole time!"

"NO, I HAVEN'T!" Veronica shrieked. "ONE OF THEM USED MY HAIR TO MAKE POLYJUICE POTION AND TAKE MY PLACE!"

Pinkie and Fluttershy exchanged worried glances. They didn't have long to mull this over, though, before they were swarmed by Twilight, Luna, Harry, Ron, Hermione, Ginny, Neville, Applejack, Rainbow Dash, Rarity, and Draco.

"There is no way," Applejack said simply, "we are letting them get away without hearing what's going on."

"We're going to McGonagall's office," Harry clarified.

Pinkie and Fluttershy stood up. "Right on!" Pinkie exclaimed before the group of thirteen left the Great Hall en masse.

"I don't understand," McGonagall said simply. "Reports reached me that you had most definitely died. You were not seen in public since then. It was said that Nagini—"

"I became dead," Snape said, "because I wished the world to think of me as dead. There was no use for me in this world. Were I more of a coward, I might have taken steps to make it even more so."

"But why? You were recognized as a hero—"

"As Albus Dumbledore's murderer, as James Potter's eternal enemy, as Voldemort's spy, and as Lily Evans' jilted lover," Snape corrected. "When Potter discovered me after Nagini's attack, I gave to him the last confession I wanted to give to the world. Knowing that, the world would cease to have a place for me in it, and I acted accordingly up until now, when it seems that there was an advantage to my being alive."

"How did you survive?"

"A mere snakebite is simple to cure. I carried on my person an antidote to the venom at all times. One takes such precautions when acting as a spy within the ranks of Voldemort. The wound was easy to heal. I hope that satisfies you, because I would much rather talk about what is to come than what has already taken place."

"Well…I suppose," McGonagall sighed. "I still don't see what made you think you had to keep your presence from us for so long."

"I do not expect you to understand my reasons. To the point, this very castle is in danger. As I have said, there are many Death Eaters who I had thought dead, but apparently still live. Miss Aardman has confirmed that among their ranks is Voldemort himself. Unbelievable, I am sure, but for one who had for all purposes been dead, I could not truly be surprised."

"And what of Miss Aardman? What is her role in this?"

"She was taken a hostage by Voldemort, and one of them, which is to say Bartemius Crouch Jr., used her as a source for the Polyjuice Potion. The Veronica Aardman you have held in your school since Christmas has been an imposter. Crouch himself. You will likely not find him. I am sure that as soon as the real Miss Aardman was discovered missing, Voldemort would have sent word."

"How do you know all of this?"

"I approached Riddle House in search of a place to hide after leaving the Shrieking Shack," Snape answered. "It was there that I overheard the voices of Rowle, Macnair, and the Lestrange woman. I more or less kidnapped Miss Aardman from them. She gave me the rest of the information."

"The Shrieking Shack…"

"Where I had first seen Pettigrew and Scabior. The Malfoys no doubt kept quiet about my involvement in their rescue."

"Severus, I—I don't know what to say to all of this!" McGonagall shook her head.

"I understand that you may find it difficult to believe that Voldemort has risen once more—"

"No, no," McGonagall sighed. "THAT, I find more believable. Certain sources have informed me that Dark forces are returning from the dead en masse."

Just then came a scuffle from the other side of the office door:

"OW, Twilight, my foot!"

"Sorry!"

"Ron! You're going to get us found out if you yell like that!"

"It seems," Snape sighed, "we have company."

"As I should have expected," McGonagall replied. "There's no sense in hiding our discussion now. You may enter. All of you."

The door slowly creaked open. "Sorry," Twilight said softly as she crept into the room, followed by Luna, Applejack, Rainbow Dash, Harry, Ron, Neville, Hermione, Ginny, Pinkie, Fluttershy, Rarity, and Draco.

"All this time!" Harry cried. "All this time, you let us think you died in the name of Hogwarts, and instead, you were just hiding! And you claim you aren't a coward!"

"I do not expect you to understand my reasons either," Snape told Harry.

"Is it anything to do with Mum?" Harry asked. "Was there really nothing left for you here without her?"

"Wait a minute," Rainbow Dash interrupted. "WHAT about him and your mom?"

"He was Mum's best friend in school," Harry told her. "He always loved her. But he hated my father. She chose my father because Snape had fallen in with the wrong crowd. The crowd that fought for wizarding blood purity and studied Dark magic. Everything he did to me was either out of his love for Mum or his hate for Dad!"

"POTTER!" Draco snapped. "I wouldn't talk about things I didn't understand if I were you!"

"I understand perfectly!" Harry retorted. "I understand that Snape was too much of a coward—"

"I will NOT," Snape chimed in, "be made a mockery of. Nor will I stand for accusations—"

"Will everypony just be QUIIIIIEEEEET!" Twilight screamed.

That got everyone to shut up.

"Okay, so I don't know the whole story here," Twilight stated, "but from what I can tell, Snape's been through hard times because of all of this, and none of you get that. Harry, I know you're mad, but you can't just go yelling at him when he came here to HELP us!" She turned to Snape. "That said, HOW COULD YOU LET EVERYPONY THAT CARED ABOUT YOU THINK YOU WERE DEAD?"

"Because there is no one who truly cares," Snape answered.

"More like no one you've ever cared about since Lily!" Ron snapped.

"RON," Hermione scolded.

"Well, maybe if you took a good look around," Twilight told Snape, "you might see that you're wrong about that."

"You know nothing of what I have been through," Snape replied. "I do not even know you. What are you doing here?"

"As a matter of fact, I'm a student. A very nontraditional student. But I'm still a student."

"They all are," McGonagall said. "They have come from another world, Severus. They have seen Dark forces rise from the dead. They have suspected for a while that it was the true Death Eaters who had risen."

"So it's really true," Neville said nervously.

"I thought it could never happen," Harry stated. "Even after all I heard…I just…we went through so much! I died so that he could! I—"

"Wait," Applejack interrupted. "So YOU came back from the dead?"

"…yes." Harry realized the implications. "You mean…if I came back…then why not…" He closed his eyes. "I simply chose not to go. Why couldn't he have done the same? I've been stupid."

"Not stupid," Rarity reassured him. "Everything is changing, after all. You wouldn't have known that Maleficent could get involved."

"The Dark faerie who's bringing back the dead," Twilight explained to Snape.

"Well, he came here in the first place to tell us we were in trouble!" Rainbow Dash reminded everyone in the room. "What's going on? Are they going to attack us tomorrow?"

"They very well could," Snape said. "Crouch used the guise of Miss Aardman to place Portkeys throughout the castle so that the Death Eaters could use them to enter through various points. Most areas of the castle are rigged." He withdrew from his cloak a sheet of parchment. "This is the schematic Crouch gave them." He handed it to McGonagall. "The Lestrange woman said that the attack would be as soon as possible. When Crouch returns to Riddle House, they will likely strike."

"You're saying," McGonagall clarified, "that we could be under attack by a full-force invasion of Voldemort's forces…within a matter of hours."

"That is indeed what I am saying."

"Why does this always happen to us?" Ron moaned. "We just can't go a single year without some big disaster happening, can we?"

"We have to think our way through this!" Hermione insisted.

"Quite right," McGonagall said. "Unfortunately, there isn't time to contact the other members of the Order of the Phoenix. And if there were, there is no guarantee that any of them would believe us. The way I see it, the students must be evacuated immediately, and those of us on staff will have to hold down the castle. We won't be many, but we can still—"

"Hold on," Harry said. "You called us back to help defend Hogwarts. At the very least, Hermione, Neville, Ron, and I should stand with you."

"Then you shall," McGonagall agreed.

"And us!" Twilight argued. "Facing disasters like this is kind of why we're here, you know!"

"And you aren't going to let them fight without Luna and me," Ginny added.

"After what they did to my mother and father," Draco chimed in, "I won't back down either."

"Severus," McGonagall said, "I do hope you will not run out on us during THIS battle."

Feeling the glares of the others, Snape gave in. "I suppose I cannot stand by and do nothing," he admitted.

"That brings our defense force," McGonagall said, "to those of us in this room, Professor Slughorn, Professor Grintcliffe, Professor Flitwick, Professor Ricksmith, Professor Firenze, and Sybil Trelawney. I shall have Hagrid take the rest of the students off the grounds for their own safety."

Applejack and Harry exchanged glances. "You thinkin' what I'm thinkin'?" she asked.

"Possibly," Harry replied. "Are you thinking that the defense forces aren't going to be enough—"

"Yep, and I know exactly who we need."

"Headmistress McGonagall," Harry said, "I have a suggestion."

"And what is it, Mr. Potter?" McGonagall asked.

"Don't take every student off the grounds," Harry replied. "We've got a better plan."

Crouch kept running, all the way past the greenhouses, to the tree that he didn't know was Astoria Greengrass' reading spot. He took from his bag the spare book.

If they were on to him at all, any element of surprise would be an advantage. He linked the last book to this place behind the greenhouses. It wasn't marked on the schematic—if that fell into enemy hands, this new place would be left unguarded. They could figure out a new faction to send there by dividing up the original invasion teams.

Then he took off running again with the final two Portkeys, his body shifting from Veronica's into his own all the while.

McGonagall's office had become quite crowded. First of all, she'd summoned Hagrid, Ricksmith, Flitwick, Trelawney, Slughorn, Firenze, and Grintcliffe to the office. Then, according to the wishes of Harry, she'd called as well the members of the group known as Dumbledore's Army: Romilda, Flora, Hestia, Astoria, Wolpert, Caruso, Tolipan, and Stevie. Finally, on one of her explorations through the castle, Winky had noticed the groups moving toward the office, and out of curiosity, she'd brought Kreacher and Linney up as well.

"You have all been called here," McGonagall said, "because the castle is in danger. What you are about to hear will seem rather incredible, I assure you, but it seems to be true."

She explained in one fell swoop: the traveling of the six Equestrians. The resurrection of Dark forces. Voldemort. Snape. The Death Eaters. The coming invasion.

"Is this true?" Trelawney asked Twilight. "Are you from…the beyond?"

"More or less," Twilight answered.

"They are heroes on several worlds," Firenze added. "Do you perhaps feel less embarrassed to be working alongside a 'horse'?"

Trelawney could offer no comment.

"We're planning something really dangerous," Fluttershy told Kreacher, Winky, and Linney. "You'll probably want to leave with the others. We're going to have all the house-elves go off campus with the students."

"Winky stays!" Winky insisted. "Winky won't let Barty ruin her home again!"

"House-elves has strong magic," Linney added. "We can fight!"

"If you're sure," Fluttershy said.

"Hagrid," McGonagall directed, "I want you to take the rest of the students off the grounds, as well as the house-elves. You will be in charge of leading the rest of the staff in chaperoning them until we deem that danger has passed. Take them out of the grounds and as far away as you can go. To Hogsmeade, if you must."

"I will," Hagrid promised. "You can count on me!"

"You want me to STAY?" Trelawney balked. "I've had one battle, and that was enough! I will be taking the students off the grounds as well!"

"Sybil," McGongall pleaded, "in these times, we cannot have you abandon—"

"I will do what I please!" Trelawney barked. "I will not stand for any more of this nonsense!"

McGonagall sighed. "As you wish." She held up the parchment. "This parchment contains the locations of every attack point planned for the invasion. In order to counteract it, we need to put together a strategy."

"HOLD ON!" a voice called from the door. "There's only one person who can possibly stop the Death Eaters…AND SHE'S STANDING RIGHT HERE!"

"Oh, no," Hestia moaned, recognizing the voice.

"Get out of here, Enoby," Stevie retorted. "No one invited you."

"Well, I saw that important things were happening, and I know all about how to stop the Death Dealers!" Ebony insisted. "I'm going to save every poser in this school who doesn't deserve it! No need to give fangs. Geddit? 'Cause I'm Gothic—"

"What," Hestia asked, "is your plan?"

"Listen!" Ebony said, and all were silent. "First, I have to go in time! Then I have to seduce Tom Riddle so he won't be evil anymore! Then—"

"Miss Way," McGonagall ordered, "kindly get OUT of this office. Before I decide to give you a day's worth of detention for every minute you remain here."

"Fine," Ebony muttered, turning to storm out. "Fuckin' posers don't need my help anyway. O.M.G."

"Well," McGonagall said, "we shall attempt to forget THAT happened…"

"I think we should divide up into teams and stake out all the attack points," Twilight said matter-of-factly. "The more of us to a team, the better."

"Luca," Harry whispered, "Alice…I want you two to take Stevie out with the other students and the rest of the house-elves."

"Oi," Stevie said, overhearing. "Why am I being thrown out?"

"You're a first-year," Harry explained.

"Yeah, and so are the centaur girls!"

"They're different. They've already studied other magic and ways of defense. I don't want you to get hurt, Stevie."

"So I'm not part of Dumbledore's Army anymore?" Stevie snapped.

"You're definitely part," Harry insisted. "You just…don't have enough experience."

"Fine," Stevie sighed. "I'll be a good girl." Of course, she had no intention of paying any attention to Harry's request. As soon as she could slip Tolipan and Caruso…she would run right back into battle.

"Now," Twilight said, "we need to divide into our teams and stake out the spots as soon as possible." She took the schematic, bringing it to the center of the room. "Firenze, I want you to take Pinkie, Neville, and Romilda and go up to the Astronomy tower. That will make it four on four there. Ron, Hermione, I want you two with Applejack. The three of you are pretty strong. You take the Great Hall."

As soon as Twilight began to dole out assignments, no one questioned it. They listened intently. Only a few times did listeners interrupt to ask for a particular assignment—Rainbow Dash wanted to stake out the third floor corridor, as her wish was after all to defeat the attacker of Hogwarts, and Voldemort himself would appear there. Linney, Kreacher, and Winky wanted to be made into their own team, and so were put with Fluttershy in the kitchens.

When all assignments were made, Twilight asked one last time, "Everypony know what to do?"

She was answered with nods and murmurs of "yes."

"Then let's GO!" she commanded. "They're going to be here any minute, so we can't waste any more time!"

The group filed out of the office, hastening either to evacuate the grounds or stake out an entry point.

Twilight had stationed herself in the Incendiary Ballroom, which she realized was on the schematic because Crouch had used his guise of Veronica to discover it by joining Dumbledore's Army. She hoped that wouldn't give him too much of an advantage.

She had, in fact, noticed that someone named "Trixie" would be attacking at that entry point, but it never occurred to her to think of her rival from Equestria. After all, it was a common name.

Chapter 41:

· This…this is the chapter that will make readers flip a table because I shit on canon so much. If you can read this and not be mad, nothing else in this story will bother you. NOTHING. Because I committed a huge canon atrocity here.

· The very title is a reference to why I made this decision at all. It's from the How It Should Have Ended (HISHE) webtoon, specifically the Harry Potter episode. It's one of the lines Snape says.

· So let's take care of the elephant in the room. Snape is not only alive, but he was NEVER DEAD. This is mostly HISHE's fault. Well, yes, I was always really mad about Snape's death, perhaps over all others because of the Lily thing, and it's great that I had an excuse to bring him back. But HISHE gave me the tools. I'm going to credit HISHE so much because it was their idea I used. The idea that Snape would survive the bite of Nagini by carrying antivenom, which is sensible to do when one is spying on Voldemort, and then sealing over the wound, which we know he can do because he fixed Draco after the Sectumsempra incident. And you know what? That…makes a lot of freaking sense. Snape shouldn't have had to die from a snakebite of all things. He'd know way better. Have I mentioned that this idea was HISHE's and not mine? I don't want to plagiarize here. HISHE HISHE HISHE. Anyway, I HAD to use it. I have so many things I want to do with him, and now, I can finally undo that awful death. Don't expect me to do this for other HP heroes. Fred stays dead. Moody. Lupin. Tonks. Dobby. But this one, I HAD to do.

· I hope you bought the "there isn't time to contact other members of the Order" line. I feel like there would at least be time to send a talking Patronus out, but I already have a ton of characters to balance for the upcoming battle. I actually have the schematic of who fights who where.

· Everything I have Ebony do is another My Immortal joke. Her plan to go back in time and seduce Tom Riddle? That's what actually happens in My Immortal. Yeah. "Death Dealers" is how "Death Eaters" was always misspelled in that fic, and the author always uses "fangs" instead of "thanks" and follows any "pun" about death or vampires with "Geddit? 'Cause I'm goffic."

· And "OMG" actually did originate in…well, actually, it's been used back as far as 1917.

· Go flip all the tables you need to now.