A/N: JK owns the Potterverse; I just move around some toys in her sandbox every now and then.
sib ncaim - (v.) to part ways and never meet again; a separation of two persons or thing after a brief encounter [hmong]
The plan was simple: wait in the village for Potter, tag him with a Portkey, and return to his master's side. Snatch and grab, something that most thugs could pull off with a reasonable rate of success. And given that most of the Dark Lord's army barely rated at or above thug, it should have been perfectly within his wheelhouse.
His hiding place was easy; the alley next to Honeydukes that absolutely everyone had to pass to delve further into Hogsmeade. No one would suspect someone standing casually there, bundled up in a cloak to ward off the February chill. He didn't even need to wear his mask; doing so would have actually made him stand out more, and given the way the sun was already reflecting off the fresh white snow, the glare off his mask would have been a dead giveaway.
The Portkey itself was inspired; much easier to force someone away from an area when one has a blade stuck into them. The dagger was enchanted to activate immediately upon skin contact, so the gloved hand currently wrapped around it wouldn't carelessly set off the transport early. With luck, it would find itself buried in an important organ, or at the very least somewhere painful that would disorient the Boy-Who-Wouldn't-Bloody-Die long enough to allow the Dark Lord time to finish the job.
All in all, the plan was perfect. Except for one minor detail.
Harry Potter was nowhere to be seen.
His friends had already gone past (and oh, how difficult it was to not just cut the blood traitor and his Mudblood girlfriend down then and there), and it soon became clear that Potter hadn't come to the town at all. He couldn't have snuck by, could he? A quick look through the town confirmed it: the damn boy wasn't visible anywhere.
However, one didn't have to be visible to point a wand into a Death Eater's back. Nor did one have to be visible to speak.
"I know he sent you. Give me the dagger, and no one gets hurt."
A swipe at the air where he thought Potter's voice was coming from hit nothing.
"Wrong answer. Accio."
Normally, when one attempts to Summon an item, it takes the path of least resistance to the caster. However, given that the dagger in the Death Eater's hand had only the leg attached to the same man between itself and the Summoner, it went directly through, activating the enchantment it was imbued with.
As the would-be assailant went spinning back to his master, Harry Potter pulled off his Invisibility Cloak, and nodded into Honeydukes at a watching Draco Malfoy, who nodded back.
Sometimes, it paid to have a spy.