Summary: The Death Eater spy is revealed!
A/N: Thanks for reading everyone! More mystery and intrigue.
Chapter 18
Severus made his way to the Headmaster's office. He had a free period, and he wanted to bounce off some ideas he had for the potion as he was at a standstill as to how to proceed. The last trial had definitely extended the life of the mouse, and it had certainly gone insane. It kept running into the walls, trying to smash its small head in. Unfortunately, Severus wasn't sure how to test the potion to see if it acted like Veritaserum. The potion included everything to make Veritaserum, but something might combine with another ingredient, making the truth serum effect useless.
He went up the spiral staircase and quickly opened the door, eager to consult with the Headmaster. The scene he saw before him startled him. Lucius Malfoy was sitting across from Dumbledore. As they realized they weren't alone, Lucius shoved something into his robes covertly. Severus narrowed his eyes at the two men.
"What's going on?" he asked Dumbledore. "Why is he here?"
"Mr. Malfoy is part of the Board of Governors. We were discussing school business."
"Then why did he shove that headpiece into his robes when I came in? What are you hiding?"
Albus sighed and looked at Lucius. Lucius glared at him.
"There are things you are not aware of, Mister Snape. Nor you, Mr. Malfoy. Perhaps it is time."
"Dumbledore," Malfoy ground out. "Do not do this."
"Sit down, Severus," Albus directed, moving a chair next to Lucius.
Lucius flew out of his seat and drew his wand, pointing it in Severus' face.
"Now now. No need for that. You will see that things are not what they seem, Lucius. Please sit down and put away your wand. I have a fascinating story to tell you."
Severus frowned. "Headmaster, you're not going to tell him what I think you are going to, are you?"
"Oh, yes. I certainly am."
"Headmaster! He cannot be trusted."
"I beg to differ, Severus. Remember when you first arrived here, I told you I had a spy among the Death Eaters?"
Severus gave a quick nod and eyed Lucius.
"Lucius Malfoy is that spy."
Severus' eyes grew wide as Lucius looked so angry he could spit diamonds.
"Why, Albus? Why have you divulged this most top-secret knowledge to this Slytherin? It will be all through the House within the hour, and I will be killed by Voldemort."
"Lucius, Severus is also a spy. Your secret is safe with him."
Lucius now stared wide-eyed at Severus.
"You see, he's not exactly who you think he is. You've known him a lot longer than you realize."
"Dumbledore!" Severus ground out.
"It's okay, Severus," he said as he held up a hand. "This is probably a good thing. You both can help one another."
He lowered his hand and looked at Malfoy.
"Lucius, Severus is actually the young man you grew up with. He found a spell that would move him to the future and wound up here."
Lucius' eyes narrowed at Dumbledore before he glared at Severus.
"What nonsense is this?" he replied darkly.
"Can you help convince him, Severus?" Dumbledore asked.
Severus rolled his eyes but quickly came up with something.
"My first year, you told me that you knew my mother. You knew that I was a quick study and that someone would be interested in me as I grew."
Lucius sputtered. "Your father could have told you that!" he cried.
Severus scowled. "According to that logic, anything I say could be explained away in the same manner."
He looked at Albus, who gave him a quick nod. Severus frowned bitterly at him.
"This better not go pear-shaped," he grumbled.
Turning back to Lucius, he sighed. "Use Legilimency," he said simply.
Lucius raised a brow. "Are you sure? I will know if memories are altered. You cannot lie."
"I understand that," Severus ground out. "I have no reason to lie."
"Very well," Lucius agreed as he unsheathed his wand.
He chanted the spell and Severus felt Lucius rifling through his memories. It only took a short time before Lucius had pulled away from Severus' mind and looked at him incredulously.
"It's really you. No wonder why you look so much like the Snape I knew. You are the Snape I knew."
Severus' eyes grew narrow, and he looked away. "I suppose my life is forfeit now," he ground out.
"Nonsense," Albus chimed in. "I told you Lucius is our spy. He will tell no one what he has learned here today. And neither will you."
"Hmph," was all that Severus said.
"But how can this be?" Lucius asked.
"I was unsure that I wanted to take the Mark," Severus began to explain. "It felt like something was being held back whenever I was spoken to about the organization. Aside from that, my life was miserable, and I just wanted a fresh start."
"So, you came here," Lucius finished the thought.
"Yes, more or less. I didn't know where I would land. The spell was just to travel into the future. I was able to set parameters. One of which was to be able to make a difference."
Albus broke in then. "So, as you may have already realized, Lucius, Severus is part of the prophecy. He's…"
"The one thrown through time…" Lucius finished Albus' thought. "My God, Albus, the end is closer than anyone realizes, isn't it?"
Albus nodded. "It is, and the item in your robes just brings us one step closer to ending it."
Lucius removed the item from his pocket. It was a diadem with an eagle atop and a beautiful blue gem.
"What is that?" Severus asked.
"This is the Ravenclaw Horcrux," Dumbledore explained. "It is Rowena Ravenclaw's lost diadem."
"How on earth did you find it, or even realize what it was?" Severus asked.
Lucius explained. "The Dark Lord was talking to Bellatrix. I was Disillusioned and hiding in the corner. I have found if I Occlude, I can spy on meetings with those who might know important details." He cleared his throat. "Anyway, they were talking. The Dark Lord was making sure the item he gave to her was secure. She promised it was. He started pontificating as to how it was one of four precious items that belonged to the founders of Hogwarts.
"Bellatrix begged to know what the four items were. Voldemort finally was coerced to tell her-I won't speak of what she did. He told her there was the Hufflepuff cup, which was in her vault, The Gryffindor sword, which he'd do anything to possess. Slytherin's locket, which he had in a safe place, and Ravenclaw's diadem, which he had hidden at Hogwarts. He would say no more about any of them."
"Merlin, he told you everything without even knowing!" Severus marveled.
Lucius gave him a quick nod.
"I mulled over where the Dark Lord could have hidden something as glitzy as a diadem, and then it came to me–The room of Hidden Things. It took me three days to find it, there were so many items in that damn room, but I finally came upon it. I was here to give it to Dumbledore."
"So, now we just need to kill the snake…" Severus muttered.
"Yes, and Harry, unfortunately."
"Hermione is working on a way to save him."
Albus gave him a nod. "As per my direction," he acknowledged. "She is coming along nicely. Hopefully, she will find the answer before we need to move on Tom."
"How do we kill the snake?" Severus asked.
Dumbledore got up and left the room. Severus gave Lucius a curious look. Lucius shrugged. He stared at Severus for a bit.
"I can't believe it's really you," he said. "When I first saw you, I marveled at how much you looked like my old friend. I'm still a bit shocked that it is you."
"What made you turn spy? You were always so invested in the Dark Lord."
Lucius looked down before raising his eyes to meet Severus' again. "A lot happened after you disappeared. When the Dark Lord was foiled the first time, I felt freed. He was… unhinged… toward the end there. I felt trapped as leaving his organization meant certain death. Once he was gone, I was happy to be able to raise my family without his influence. Time passed, and I forgot a lot of my misgivings from the past, so I fell back into almost worshiping him. I tried to help bring him back, but that failed. Then he did come back, and he was even worse than he'd been before he died. I spoke with Narcissa, and she agreed that I should come to Dumbledore and seek his help. He asked me to spy. He's taught me some spells to help with my Occlumency and to keep me a secret among the organization."
"So, you've been a spy since his return?"
Lucius nodded as Albus reentered the room with a vial of orange potion. He placed it on his desk in front of Lucius.
"This is a slow-acting poison. I got the idea from Severus, as he's working on Tom's potion. A dropper-full in the snake's food daily and she'll be dead in three weeks."
"Then we have three weeks to get ready," Severus mused.
"The Order is prepared. Harry is prepared as best as he can be," Dumbledore mused.
His eyes moved from Severus' to Lucius'. He motioned to the diadem.
"Are we ready to destroy this?"
"Definitely," Severus said.
Lucius shook his head. "I would rather not be in the room. There's only so much I can hide with Occlumency."
"Understood, although you are quite the Occlumens, Lucius," Albus said.
"Lucius, does Draco know what you're doing?" Severus asked as the other man rose.
"He does not," Lucius told him. "Please keep it that way."
"As Dumbledore said, nothing shall leave this room."
Lucius gave him a clipped nod. "Let me know if you need anything," he said before turning and sweeping out of the room.
Severus turned back to Albus. "Maybe we should call Harry and the others?"
"Good idea," Dumbledore said as he scribbled a note and attached it to the leg of his owl.
"Take this to Harry Potter quickly."
"While we are waiting, I wanted to ask you how I should test the potion to see if the truth serum aspect works," Severus said.
Albus frowned. "That is a tough question, as we can't test it on humans. Are you close to a successful potion?"
Severus shrugged. "I think I am. It's been slow going, but I have the insanity part of the potion done. I am just not sure about the truth serum part of the potion."
"Will it take longer than three weeks or so to finalize?" Dumbledore asked.
"Possibly."
"Then perhaps we need not worry about that. Hopefully, Tom will be defeated by then."
"Still, I'd like to be prepared."
"Yes, having a plan is always preferable. Can you use an animal that you can train?"
"I suppose. What would I train them to do?"
"Maybe teach it to do something, then to always do the opposite of that thing. If the truth serum works, it will choose the right thing even if you tell it to choose the other item."
"Hmm, that might work. I'll think about it. Or maybe I could Imperius the mouse and if it doesn't do what I command or ask of it, it will show that the potion is working."
"That could work as well," Albus agreed. "But you'll have to imagine that Veritaserum would affect the Imperius when you cast it for it to work."
Severus nodded. Before they could say any more there was a knock at the door.
"That's what you should have done instead of bursting in here earlier," Dumbledore admonished.
"If it was such a secret meeting, the door should have been locked and warded."
"That's a good point. Come in!" he said a little louder so the three Gryffindors could enter.
Ron came in first, followed by Hermione and Harry. Hermione smiled as she saw Severus and sat beside him while the boys got a couple of chairs so they could sit too. All eyes were on the diadem that sat on top of Dumbledore's desk.
"Is that what I think it is?" Ron asked.
"Yes, Ron. It's the Horcrux. My spy found it for us, and he is going to start poisoning the snake, so things are ramping up quickly. We expect that Tom will attack in about three weeks."
Harry's lips thinned, and he nodded. A great weight seemed to have settled upon him. It was time, and he was ready.
"I'll destroy it," he said.
"Are you sure, Harry?"
"Yes, I need to be ready for Voldemort. What better way than to destroy one of his Horcruxes?"
Albus removed the sword from behind the portrait on the wall. He handed it to Harry.
"Everyone take cover. We don't know what this one will do," Albus ordered.
Severus led Hermione to the far end of the room. Ron met them there, and they crouched low under a table.
Taking the sword, Harry lifted it up and looked down at the diadem. A vision of Voldemort rose from it and sneered at Harry.
"You'll never beat me. You're a mere child. You don't have a chance!"
"Shut up!" Harry cried.
Voldemort threw his head back and laughed. "You are pathetic, you know that? You barely know anything about our world, and you are incompetent when it comes to dueling. I will end you with one spell."
Harry was struggling. Severus called out to him. "It's lying. You know that. Finish it!"
Harry sneered at the vision. "You will be the one ended. You don't stand a chance!"
He brought the sword down, and it broke the diadem in half. Black smoke poured out of the relic, filling the room. Everyone began to cough violently. Dumbledore raised his wand and cast spell after spell. Slowly, the room began to clear. Hermione had collapsed on the floor, and both Severus and Ron were on their knees gasping for air. Harry had also been overcome as he was closest to the source.
Dumbledore tried to hold back his coughing as he kneeled over Harry and waved his wand trying to see how hurt the young man was. Severus did the same with Hermione. Albus picked up Harry.
"We should all get to the Infirmary. That smoke was more than it seemed."
He disappeared through the Floo. Severus picked up Hermione and followed suit with Ron on his heels. Madam Pomfrey rushed over and began diagnosing Harry and Hermione, who were laid next to one another. She waved her wand over both of them, and their mouths opened, letting the smoke be pulled from them and into Madam Pomfrey's wand. Once the smoke was all absorbed into her wand, she formed a ball with it and flicked her wand at it again, making the ball of smoke turn crystalline and shatter. With another wave of her wand, the remnants disappeared.
"Madam Pomfrey, we probably need the same treatment," Albus said.
"Just a minute, Albus."
She waved her wand over the two and nodded.
"They'll be fine. Give them a minute to wake up."
She waved her wand again over Albus, Severus, and Ron, doing the same spell, and pulling the smoke from them. Once she was done, she sighed.
"It's good you brought them when you did. If that evil smoke stays in the body too long, it can stop your heart."
"Thank you, Madam Pomfrey," Ron said as he went over to Harry.
Albus excused himself and Madam Pomfrey looked at the four still in her Infirmary.
"You all get into so much trouble. I almost need a separate ward for just the four of you!" she muttered before turning and going back to her office.
Ron and Severus gave each other looks and shrugged before turning to their individual charges. Harry woke first with Hermione soon waking up after him.
"Oy, Ron, what am I doing here?"
Ron explained what had happened to both of them.
"Does anything hurt?" Severus asked Hermione as he grasped her hand.
"No, I feel fine. I don't even remember passing out."
Madam Pomfrey came out then and looked over both of her charges.
"You both seem to be fine. You may leave."
"Thank you, Madam Pomfrey," Hermione said.
"Yeah, thanks," Harry repeated.
They made their way out of the Infirmary.
"Man, I'm starved. Do you think we could go to the kitchens and grab a snack?"
"Oh, Ron, do you ever stop eating?" Hermione cried.
He shrugged. "Destroying Horcruxes gets my appetite up; what can I say?"
Severus shook his head. "Weasley, you're too much. Come on, we wouldn't want you to waste away."
They headed down to the kitchens, where the House-Elves spoiled them all rotten.