Chapter 3
AN: Hah, Hah! I managed to edit another chapter for this story! Yay! Now if tomorrow would be so kind in giving precious electricity, maybe I could get others ready for posting too! Keep your fingers crossed for me. :) Anyway, there will be two more chapters after this one and then the story will be complete. Thanks for checking this chapter out and hope you enjoy it. Please stay safe during this atrocious time in our world. Love to you all!
Disclaimer: I make no money with this.
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The next morning, Hermione met Severus as they made their way to the kitchen to fix their morning tea, both noting how the other wasn't a morning person. After two cups of strong tea and a bit to eat, they adjourned to the living area to figure out the next step to take.
"We start planning today, correct?" Hermione asked.
"Yes." Severus answered, "Since nothing else happens during this school year, we can move on to preventing, if possible, what happens your second year."
Hermione nodded before getting a look of concentration.
"What is it? Is this year's events not over?" Severus prompted her.
"No, it seems I forgot a memory to share." Hermione told him, "Just before school lets out; the three of us get caught wondering the halls after hours and get detention from Minerva. We all had it with Hagrid and he took us into the Forbidden Forest to look for a hurt unicorn. We split up; Ron and I with Hagrid and he put Harry with Malfoy and his dog."
"Wait, that idiotic oaf took four first years into the Forest, the Forbidden Forest…to look for an injured unicorn…at night?" Severus interrupted her, a look of total disbelief on his face.
"He did." Hermione confirmed before continuing, "We patrolled for a bit before we heard Malfoy's scream, it would seem they had come upon something dark and evil feeding off a unicorn. Of course, Malfoy ran, leaving Harry alone; fortunately, Firenze came to Harry's defense and chased off the wraith-like creature. I'm sure you know who that creature was."
"The dark lord." Severus solemnly stated.
"Yes." Hermione nodded. "Draco found us and told us what had happened and the four of us hurried to where Harry was. The next day, the three of us approached Minerva to try to warn her but she sent us on our way…"
"At which point, the three of you decided to check on the Stone yourselves." Severus finished for her.
Hermione smirked, "Well, I couldn't very well let the boys go alone, what if they needed my help?"
"And did they?" Severus inquired.
"Of course. I petrified poor Neville who was keeping guard and tried to stop us, then I had to unlock the door and instruct the boys to relax so the Devil's Snare would let us go. Well, Harry and I relaxed but I had to use the sunlight spell to rescue Ron. Next was the flying key room which Harry managed to get the key. Then we came to the giant chess board where Ron played the game. Unfortunately, after placing Harry and I, Ron took the knight piece and ended up sacrificing himself so Harry could check the king. It was awful to watch, so barbaric. Anyway, I stayed with Ron until a few professors arrived but Harry went on." Hermione took a deep breath.
"This part I know from what Harry shared with us. He walked off the board before going down the stairs and came face-to-face with Quirrell, who was looking at the Mirror of Erised. Harry said Quirrell commanded him to come and stand in front of the mirror and tell him what he sees. Harry said he saw an image of himself pull the Stone out of his pocket, wink at him and then slide it back in but Harry gave Quirrell a different story. However, Quirrell proceeded to take his turban off so the parasite on the back of his head could speak with Harry directly, not believing Harry's reply." Here Hermione paused, "Harry said that when he tried to leave, Quirrellmort spelled a ring of fire around the room before offering for Harry to join him. When Harry declined, Quirrellmort flew at him, knocking him down and causing him to drop the Stone as Quirrellmort attempted to strangle Harry. But when Harry touched his wrists, to try to pull him off, his touch burned Quirrellmort. After both took a moment, Quirrellmort tried to reach the Stone before Harry could but Harry placed his hands on Quirrellmort's face, burning him and causing the body to turn to dust."
"What happened to the dark lord if he no longer had a body to inhabit?" Severus was curious.
"Well, Harry said he felt something was off after he picked the Stone up and turned around. What he saw was something looking like smoke standing there, it yelled at him then went straight through him causing him to pass out. The next thing he knew, he woke up in the medi-wing." Hermione finished.
Severus sat quietly for a moment, letting this new information sink in. "I knew there was something off about Quirrell but I haven't been able to put my finger on it. I must say, I would not have ever considered the dark lord hiding under his turban, however, it explains so much. Is there anything else you forgot to share?"
"No, that was the only incident." Hermione answered.
"Very well." Severus said as he conjured his patronus. "Madam Bones, this is Severus Snape and I seek council with you at your earliest time but not at Hogwarts. There is a situation you should be aware of."
Hermione fixed them both another cup of tea as they waited for Amelia's response.
"Master Snape, message received, will meet you in two hours' time at The Cauldron Café, back booth."
…Two Hours Later…
Severus and Hermione walked into The Cauldron Café and headed towards the back booth. Just as they passed the next to last booth, both felt the magical barrier wash over them.
"Master Snape, please, have a seat." Amelia told them.
Giving the older witch a nod, Severus and Hermione slid into the booth. "Madam Bones, this is Hermionen Bellator, my assistant." Severus introduced.
Amelia's left brow arched, "Hermione the Warrior, interesting name." Hermione gave a small smile before Amelia continued, "How may I help you, Master Snape?"
"Severus, please, and I hope you have allowed time for this meeting." Severus said instead.
"I see, then call me Amelia and yes, I have allotted ample time for this meeting. It's not every day a Professor of Hogwarts and Master of Potions requests a protected meeting." Amelia stated with a smirk.
"Excellent." Severus said as he pulled his pensieve out and enlarged it before setting a small crate of vials next to it that caused Amelia to lean forward with a questioning look.
"Before any talking happens, I strongly suggest you view these vials in order. They are my assistant's memories." Severus explained.
"I see, very well." Amelia responded just before she dipped a finger in after emptying the first vial. After watching all the vials plus the three Severus added about Hermione's added incident at the end of the current school year along with the memory of her telling him about Amelia's murder and the memories of how to explain Hermione's sudden appearance, she sat back and breathed deeply.
After a several minutes, Amelia looked at Hermione pensively, "Quite the timeline you come from, my dear."
Hermione nodded her head, unsure of what to say, completely amazed that Amelia wasn't questioning her memories.
"Don't be so surprised, Miss Bellator, my easy acceptance of your memories is because they explain the time disturbance a few days ago." Amelia tried to put her at ease.
"Hermione, please, Madam Bones." Hermione told the older witch, using her formal title since she hadn't been given leave to be informal.
"Amelia, no formalities here." Amelia told the young witch. "Now, it seems we have an opportunity coming up to end a second war before it really gets started."
Amelia thrummed her fingers as she digested the events from Hermione's memories that had yet to unfold. Fortunately, they had a bit of time to plan.
"If I understand this correctly, there are seven Horcruxes Tom Riddle made; one by complete accident, correct?" she asked.
"Correct. I don't think Riddle even realizes Harry is a Horcrux." Hermione answered.
"I happen to agree or the dark lord wouldn't have been so keen on ending the boy's life." Severus stated.
"I also agree. It wouldn't make any sense to create a Horcrux only to destroy it." Amelia nodded. "And you're sure of the locations of the other six Horcruxes" she wanted clarified.
"I don't see why they would be anywhere else since Riddle believes no one knows of their existence." Hermione answered.
"You are planning on having agents collect each one" Severus pondered.
"I am." Amelia confirmed. "Normally, you wouldn't be privy to such information; however, since it is because of you two sharing such vital information, it only seems appropriate you know."
Hermione and Severus sat quietly as Amelia plotted out a plan in her head.
"The Cup will be easy enough. I will inform the goblins about it and they will take care of it. Also, since Mister Potter is heir to the House of Potter, the goblins will take care of the soul shard in his scar." Amelia paused and chuckled at Hermione's look which was a mixture of surprise and horror.
"Don't worry, Hermione, Harry will be unharmed. Few in the wizarding world give goblins proper respect. They do not use wands, true, but their magic is very strong. They use Earth magic. Their language, Goblinese, is the language of the Earth. Most consider their native tongue as Gobbledygook, a bunch of incoherent sounds but it is much more than that. If you were to learn their language, it would take years before a simple conversation could be had without insulting someone due to the complexities and intricacies of Goblinese." Amelia chuckled again at Hermione's gobsmacked expression and Severus' raised brow.
"Back to the subject at hand, the goblins have a ritual they can perform to rid any dark magic form an object or being. They just don't advertise it. However, for a wizard such as Harry Potter and the Horcruxes, exceptions will be made." Amelia explained.
"Why Mr. Potter?" Severus was curious.
"Well, one, he is a child of prophecy and two, he is the last of his line and the goblins would consider it Line Theft." Amelia shared.
"And the other Horcruxes, they would cleanse them too?" Hermione wanted to know.
"They would if for no other reason than to prove prophecy is not set in stone. They would also do it to thumb their noses at Albus Dumbledore and Tom Riddle." Amelia told them with a smirk.
"The goblins don't care for Dumbledore?" Severus smirked at the thought that the "great and powerful Leader of the Light" wasn't highly thought of by everyone.
"They do not." Amelia smirked as well. "It would seem that Albus Dumbledore offended several goblins when he was with Grindelwald and they don't forget such slights, ever."
Hermione shook her head, not really all that surprised considering what she now knew.
"May I make a suggestion?" Severus asked and continued when Amelia nodded. "Allow me to bring you the ring from Riddle's former home."
"Why would I allow you to perform such a dangerous task?" Amelia inquired.
"I believe I will be able to handle the ring without setting off any traps or be lured to place it on my finger." Severus answered.
"You believe this, why?" she quietly demanded.
"Because of this." Severus said as he unbuttoned his sleeve and pulled it up, showing the Dark Mark. Hermione cringed internally, hoping Amelia would not arrest Severus for being a DeathEater.
"I see, and why shouldn't I arrest you right now?" the stern witch asked.
Severus sighed deeply as he pulled a the last vial from his pocket. Amelia picked up the vial of swirling silvery strands, poured it into the pensieve and placed her finger in to view the memories.
When she came out, she gave Severus a stern look, "You were a brash young man, Master Snape, but no one should be forced to wear that." She pointed to his Mark, Severus nodded and Amelia sighed, "Albus will have a few questions to answer once this mess is sorted out. Don't worry, Severus, your secret will remain as such." Amelia eased the stoic wizard's mind.
"Thank you, Amelia." Severus told her sincerely. The Vow prevented him from speaking about it but it did nothing to stop him from sharing the memory.
"Very well, I will allow you to retrieve the ring." Amelia conceded. "Now, that just leaves Ravenclaw's diadem, a diary, Slytherin's locket and Nagini." Amelia ticked off on her fingers.
"What's the story with the snake, Severus? Do you know?" Amelia asked.
"From what I have managed to piece together, I believe Nagini is a Maledictus." Severus shared.
"How do you figure that?" Amelia was curious to how Severus managed to come to that conclusion.
"If you watch, when Neville Longbottom cuts off Nagini's head, there is a silhouette of a woman for only a moment." Severus explained. Amelia found the proper vial and re-watched the memory. Hermione's view of what happened was at a distance but when Amelia carefully watched the snake's shadow, she saw what Severus had seen.
"Nice catch." Amelia praised. "Which means we could lure her away with proper bait."
"What bait would that be?" Hermione asked. There wasn't much on the curse due to the victim's inability to speak.
"Freedom." Amelia answered. "I'm sure being a Horcrux on top of the curse is a miserable existence."
"Would the goblins really perform the ritual on the snake?" Severus wondered aloud.
"To help defeat a returning and rising dark lord that broke into their bank without repercussions, in a heartbeat." Amelia assured.
"I could get the diadem." Hermione offered. "That way the Headmaster is none the wiser by one of your agents poking around."
"Hmm, Severus, would you permit an Unspeakable into your quarters?" Amelia asked.
Severus smirked, "Of course. Just let me know when and I will adjust my wards."
"Excellent! Now we only have the locket and diary to take care of which means a trip to Malfoy Manor and the House of Black." Amelia stated.
"If you let Lucius know about the diary and what it is, he will have no problem turning it over to you." Severus told her with confidence.
"You're sure of this?" Amelia inquired.
"I am. Lucius was forced by his father to get the Mark. He is arrogant and entitled, make no mistake, but he will do whatever is necessary to ensure his family's safety." Severus shared.
"Then I will call upon Lord Malfoy myself." Amelia stated.
"Do you have access to Grimmauld Place?" Hermione asked. "I'm not sure Dumbledore would give you the pass phrase without asking many questions we would rather he not know the answers to and even then, there's no guarantee he would allow you access."
"I do not, but, do you know the phrase?" Amelia answered as she looked at Hermione, who went quiet as she tried to remember.
"Yes! 'Number twelve Grimmauld Place sits between numbers eleven and thirteen.'" Hermione shared. "But how will that help you?"
"Well, if you would be so kind as to write the phrase down for me, then I will have access." Amelia instructed. "You see, once the Secret Keeper shares their secret then the one it was shared with can share it with others."
"Oh! Like Peter Pettigrew did with Riddle about the Potter's home!" Hermione exclaimed, proud she had figured it out but also doing a face palm that it had taken her this long to do so.
"Exactly." Amelia said as she slid a piece of parchment to Hermione so she could write down the phrase. When done, Hermione slid the parchment back.
"Thank you." Amelia gave her a nod as she slipped the parchment into a pocket. "Now, the last thing to cover is catching the Riddle-wraith and Quirrell and detaining them." Amelia shared.
"Not sure how you'll do that without raising the Headmaster's suspicions." Hermione said.
"Well..." Severus started as he rubbed his chin.
"Care to share what you're thinking with the class?" Amelia was curious what was going through the spy's mind.
"Tell me, Amelia, do you know why the Forbidden Forest is so dangerous?" Severus hedged.
Hermione caught on to his way of thinking and smiled wide.
Amelia's smile became devious, "You wouldn't be hinting at a problem the Ministry should look into, would you Professor Snape."
"Possibly. Doesn't the Forest butt up against a muggle reserve of some sort?" Severus hinted.
"Why yes, yes it does. How considerate of you, Severus." Amelia commented. "Would you be suggesting the Scottish wildcats are in danger from a Forest predator?"
"If you consider a family of Acromantulas a threat, then, yes, Scottish wildcats are very much in danger. I would hate for the poor things to disappear." Severus told her.
"You know, muggles are quite protective of their reserves. I'm sure they would become very vocal if anything was to happen." Hermione added.
"How right you are, Miss Bellator. Do you have something you'd like to share" Amelia's mirth shined in her eyes but her demeanor switched to that of official.
"Madam Bones, I hereby request the help of the Department of the Regulation and Care of Magical Creatures to help with the disappearance of Scottish wildcats on the McPherson Reserve." Hermione formally asked with a serious face and tone of voice.
"Request noted and approved." Amelia responded as she switched fully to HBOY mode. "I appreciate you bringing this situation to the attention of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement." Amelia stated as she filled out a form and sent it off to her office with a flick of her wrist.
"How soon will you act on the situation?" Hermione asked, her brows furrowed in thought.
"I should say within the week, can't have the unicorns being harmed on a regular basis, can we?" Amelia told her. The loss of so many unicorns would explain the many beasts Hagrid was able to release into the Forest. It could also explain how Riddle could go undetected for so long. Unicorn blood was pure and the magic very concentrated, which generally increased the magic around whatever area they lingered or lived.
The small group spent the next hour hammering out the details. In three days' time, an Unspeakable would floo to Severus' quarters and it would be only then that Hermione would bring the diadem to them. The day before would be when Severus would go to the Gaunt home and pick up the ring so the Unspeakable could bring both back in a special box.
Amelia would make her way to Malfoy Manor to relieve Lucius of a nondescript book and then she would visit Grimmauld Place to have a chat with a certain elf, to gain a locket. Once those were done, Amelia would speak with the goblins about the Lestrange vault, Harry Potter and Nagini. If all went well, then the Horcruxes would be taken care of and the capture of Riddle would be much easier. Ideally, she hoped to catch him away from Quirrell but she would be happy to just incarcerate him however she could and end a war before it could truly start.
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