Author's Note: Warning, major character death
Chapter 27: Expulsion
For a moment, Severus Snape found himself in a very dark, confined space. There was a small cot which took up most of the floor space and what looked like…a Muggle electrical box on the wall?
Before Hogwart's latest Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher could even get a good look at the space, he found himself suddenly outside the room, looking at a locked door. There was a stairway above the space he had just been in, which could only be some kind of closet or cupboard area. In a Muggle house.
Severus Snape realized that he was standing in Harry Potter's adoptive family home. Clearly, this was a place Harry Potter did not want him to see, and what delightful little indiscretion could that small hidden crawlspace beneath the stairs hold? Which was exactly why the potions master was dead set on going back to the door to open it.
Snape managed a single step before there was suddenly a large, burly man with walrus-like mustache standing between him and the hidden cupboard area.
"What are you doing, freak?" the man asked menacingly.
Vernon. Uncle Vernon.
Severus Snape smirked. The boy was giving up information, not even knowing what he was doing. The potions master pushed forward, hoping to see what else he could learn.
"We don't want your kind here," the fat, odious man snapped, interposing his corpulent bulk between him and the storage room door. "Get out!"
Severus had to admit that getting part of a memory to act as part of the mental defense was a good strategy. If the intruding legilimens was not careful, trying to banish the defensive elements could result in parts of the memory, or the entire memory cluster, being lost back to the occlumen's defenses. Still, Severus Snape was determined to find out what it was that Potter did not want him to see.
"Get out of my way, Muggle," Severus ordered, brandishing his wand within the memory. Of course what he was holding was not really his wand, but rather a representation of his control of the magic he was using to invade Potter's mind.
The man stumbled back, voice quieting under Severus's command even as the man's visage clearly became angrier. Severus strode forward again, but was met almost immediately by a pudgy boy and a severe woman who both wore cruel sneering expressions. There was something about the woman that felt alarmingly familiar, but Severus did not make the connection right away.
"We don't want you here," the pudgy boy sneered. "Who'd want to speak to you?"
Dudley Dursley, Severus understood from the memory. Interestingly, Severus could sense some small amount of fear, and strong dislike towards this aspect of the memory from Harrry Potter, though the feeling was carefully disguised. So, Potter did not like this cousin, and the feelings of antipathy were even greater towards the memory of the uncle. Severus smiled wanly. This information would prove useful in future encounters with the boy. A good lesson in why it is critical to not let any information slip unintentionally.
And then the unpretty, horse-faced woman beside Dudley spoke with the sort of shrill, unpleasant voice that one never forgot. "Get out of here you freak! You and all your strange, unusual kind! You are nothing but a worthless burden!"
Petunia. No, not Petunia Dursley as Potter projected in his memory of the woman, but Petunia Evans!
Severus Snape reeled back, the shock of seeing and hearing Lily's sister again after all these years taking him unexpectedly, even if it was just in someone else's memories. Snape had never bothered to learn where Potter was being kept, and was shocked to know of the Headmaster's choice in the matter.
And then Severus Snape was shocked again, this time at a presence behind him in the memory.
"Unpleasant, aren't they."
Potter. The boy had used the moment of confusion to assert control of the memory. Lucky, but not bad. Being able to recognize when an attacker lost focus and take advantage was a useful skill.
The Muggle home, the unpleasant family, the door to the cupboard beneath the stairs, all of it vanished into the fog of recollection, and Severus Snape was left standing face to face with Harry Potter, those vibrant green eyes so much like Lily's boring into him. Despite himself, he was impressed.
"You attacked me from behind, Professor, as I was leaving, " Potter accused.
Severus sneered. "When the Dark Lord comes for you he won't be playing nice, Potter. He won't bow and let you take a few minutes to prepare yourself. It will come as a surprise. He will not need for you to look him in the eyes to invade your mind."
Harry Potter smiled sardonically, and there was something chilling in that look that Severus had never seen before. "You're right, Professor. And if I thought you had invaded my mind like that in order to teach me, in order to prepare me, I would thank you. But since we both know that wasn't why you did it, I'm going to treat you the same way as you have just treated me."
The gall of the boy! Severus lips twisted into a sneer. For Potter to believe he could threaten him, that after a mere year of training he had any chance against him? "The Headmaster may have seen fit to appoint you to teach as a junior faculty member, but—"
Potter trained his wand on the him. "Legilimens!"
Severus Snape found himself cast out of the boy's mind and just as suddenly he felt the familiar sensation of his own mind being invaded.
Weasley Seer
"Rennervate!" Hermione said quietly as she pointed her wand at one of the students lying prone on the ground outside The Three Broomsticks. The Hufflepuff on the ground blinked her eyes open, gasping for breath before sitting up.
"What's happening?" the frightened girl asked, looking fearfully around the now mostly empty street.
"The Death Eaters have moved on," Hermione answered, "but we aren't safe. Three of them went into the inn while the others moved down the road. I think they are looking for something."
After the initial mayhem, when the Death Eaters had arrived with curses that mostly just blew up a number of store signs and a few carts lining the street, the attackers had then targeted those in the vicinity with hexes and curses meant to create panic. Students were not spared, but it did seem that the group of robed dark wizards were at least showing restraint, and those in Hogwarts robes were generally being knocked out or paralyzed rather than hit with any of the nastier curses that the Death Eaters might have used.
"What do I do?" the young girl asked, frightened. "Run back to Hogwarts?"
It was Ron who answered. "Not a good idea, that," he commented with a shake of his head. "Seems there's a bunch more of 'em at Hogsmeade Station and watching that path. If you try to go that way you'll be hexed for sure. Or worse." There had been some sounds of spell battle from that direction, which was why Ron and Hermione hadn't gone that way for help themselves.
Hermione nodded her agreement. "You should join the rest of the students across the street next to that white house." Hermione gestured to a spot across the street where two modest village houses met, forming a small alleyway. "Marcus Turner is over there, he's a Ravenclaw Prefect; he'll protect you until help arrives. Just remember what you've been practicing in Defense and you'll be alright."
As the pair watched the last of the revived Hogwarts students run across the street to relative safety, they thought again if they shouldn't be doing the same thing and joining the other students there. It was one thing to practice magical combat with Harry and Sirius, but quite another to willingly take part in the real thing. They were too young for this.
"Where are the aurors? Word has to have reached the Ministry by now!" Hermione groused. Ever since a trio of Death Eaters had entered the Three Broomsticks, Hermione had been anxiously awaiting the authorities so she could give them that information.
Suddenly, a large, silvery-white form in the shape of a phoneix burst into the air before them and spoke in the voice of Headmaster Dumbledore: "Diagon Alley has been attacked by Death Eaters. Hogwarts faculty members should see to it that all students return to the castle immediately while I assist the aurors here. All other Order members, secure yourselves in your homes." With that, the silvery patronus flew on, disappearing in the same way it had appeared.
"Well, that explains why there aren't any aurors here," Ron remarked.
Hermione thought to herself, "What would Harry do?" Then she considered whether that was brave or foolhardy.
"Alright, you're probably not going to like this Ron, but," Hermione pursed her lips, "I think we need to try to rescue the people in The Three Broomsticks." Perhaps a year ago Hermione would have considered the prospect foolhardy, but the last year she had learned more than just a little. There were certainly risks, but there was at least an equal chance of success—as long as none of the Death Eaters was actually Voldemort in disguise or something like that.
"You're right," Ron nodded, "I don't like it and I'm pretty sure you're mental, but you're right. Nobody else is going to help." It wasn't Ron's first instinct to be brave, well except for if someone he cared about was in danger, then he'd charge in without a thought. But being around Harry had made him just that more willing to stick his neck out for strangers.
Ron made ready to kick the door to the inn open, but Hermione grabbed his arm and pulled him back.
"We'll go in after I send a message to Harry and the rest of the Order and let them know what's going on here."
Ron's face reddened. "Right. Guess I'm probably more mental than you."
"Expecto patronum!" Hermione uttered, thinking of receiving her first Hogwarts letter, Harry and Ron's friendship, and getting all O's on her exams. A bright warmth filled up her soul, all traces of fear and discomfort fleeing away as a white light emerged and a shining silvery otter appeared at her summoning. She whispered her message and watched as the patronus sped off to deliver it.
"Ready, Ron?" Hermione asked as she took the lower angle, ready to duck under Ron and cover the opposite side of the room once inside. .
He nodded and kicked the door in and the pair began hurling hexes at the exposed Death Eaters.
"Petrificus Totalus! REDUCTO!"
"Relashio! Stupefy!"
Weasley Seer
As Harry turned the connection of the mind magic between them back on his attacker, he felt the sort of mental resistance he had expected from the accomplished Occlumens. Harry pushed confidently forward, willing the same sort of embarrassing and vexing memories to materialize in Professor Snape's mind that professor had attempted to reveal with his own memories. Turnaround was fair play, after all, and Harry did need to give the man a reason to try his very best to keep him out. Severus Snape was certainly better at this than his godfather, but after having practiced a bit with Dumbledore, Harry was confident he could break through—
And then he was inside the man's mind. The initial struggle had ended far faster than he had thought that it would. Harry narrowed his eyes in consternation, wary at how easy it had been. A memory materialized out of the mind fog:
Two young men walked arm-in-arm down the halls of Hogwarts, laughing raucously at some joke only the two of them could know. One of them had unruly brown hair and a mischievous smile that looked entirely familiar.
At first glance Harry thought he was seeing himself, but quickly realized the truth when the pair came to a stop just in front of the secret passageway that Harry knew, thanks to the Marauders Map, would lead them back to Gryffindor hall. It really was astounding how much that boy looked like Harry. The boy with the same messy brown hair, same lanky build, and same earnest face (except for the lack of a lightning bold scar on his forehead) could only be his father. The other teen was clearly his godfather, Sirius.
Suddenly, another figure emerged from where it had been hiding, behind one of the many tapestries draped along the castle walls. Unmistakably, a much younger, but still pale and lanky Severus Snape approached the two with a sneer ready on his face.
"Out for a stroll after hours, Potter? Black?" Snape drawled out, an unfriendly tinge to his words.
"Not that it's any of your business, Snape," James Potter replied, a smirk on his face, "but we're just getting back from a meeting with the Headmaster. Feel free to go check with him if you don't trust us. Perhaps you can explain what you were doing hanging around this part of the castle so late yourself."
Severus did not rise to the bait, but instead stalked around the pair, secure in his safety. There were many portraits there to witness any mischief the pair of Gryffindors might get up to, which was partly why he had chosen this spot to confront the two.
"And what of Lupin?" Snape said, elongating the sound of the 'L' in the name, "Was he also at this meeting with the Headmaster?" At the pair in front of him's silence, Snape sneered, certain he had caught on to some scheme of theirs. "I find it curious that it is just the two of you together at this hour and even more curious that it is always Lupin who seems to disappear in the middle of the night."
"Remus? He's probably already in bed, curled up with textbook," James laughed.
"Don't try to deceive me, Potter!" Snape pounced, fully prepared for the prevarication. "I've suspected the three of you are hiding something for some time and I've had your common room spied upon while I watched out for your attempts at sneaking through the dark corridors! If Remus Lupin were in the Gryffindor common room, I would know it. When I find out what you three are all hiding, I'll see to it that you are all tossed out of school."
Suddenly, Sirius Black was standing just a little in front of James, glaring balefully at Snape. "Careful there, Snivellus, that sounded like a threat." Severus Snape took a step back, unprepared for Black's sudden aggression. And then, seeing the other back off so easily, Sirius snorted in disdain. "If you care so much to find out, why don't you go look for yourself by the passageway near the Whomping Willow? Since you seem to know so much already."
"Sirius!" James exclaimed, aghast at his friend's brazen revelation.
It was James' reaction that sold it. Black was speaking the truth. Snape stalked off quickly, intent on catching Remus Lupin out red-handed.
The memory fogged at this point, pitching forward. Harry followed as the younger version of Severus Snape literally ran across the open Hogwarts grounds towards the Whomping Willow. He watched a familiar scene play out as black robed man who would grow up to be his most despised teacher immobilized the large tree with a spell and opened the passageway. Harry tensed, already aware of what was about to happen.
Severus tapped around the trunk of the tree until he found the knot that opened the passageway beneath. It was dark as he crawled into the hole, so he lifted his wand and used the lumos charm to light the way. As he stepped forward in the confined space, his eagerness slowly transformed into dread, a heavy foreboding sinking into his heart. And that's when he heard it. The breathing. Heavy, inhuman breathing.
Something stepped into the passageway with him, and it was all Severus could do to not scream and run. It was all teeth, fur, claws, and feral eyes. Snape backpedaled, and the motion sent the creature after him with a snarl. In his haste to get back to the entry to the secret passage, Snape tripped.
Just before the inevitable bloody biting and pain could occur, however, there was a sudden flash of brilliant white. The werewolf, illuminated clearly by the sudden light, flinched back. And then Severus Snape found himself jerked backwards.
James Potter was standing there, having hauled Severus Snape out of harm's way by the arm, and now interposed himself between Snape and the werewolf. The Gryffindor gave him a cheeky grin.
"Get out of here, Severus," the young wizard instructed, "I'll handle this." And there it was. James Potter had just saved his life. It was a relief, such a relief! But followed upon that, was shame, and hate. Utter hate. He could never recover from this humiliation.
Severus crawled out from the hole as he heard James call to Remus Lupin the werewolf.
Harry shook his head. Something about this wasn't right. It was a shameful memory, yes, but….it was as if this were being staged. Why this embarrassing memory instead of something from Snape's time with the Death Eaters? Surely there was something darker that Snape would feel guilty about. If Harry had uncovered this memory, why not something more incriminating from the former Death Eater's dark past?
Suspicious, Harry rooted through the memory, checking for flaws or falsifications. He could find none. Harry probed to see if Snape's consciousness were watching, directing the memories from hiding. If the man were concealed within the mental fog Harry was confident he would discover the mind of the potions master. But nothing revealed itself.
With a frown, Harry decided to move on. "What is it, Severus Snape," Harry mused, "that you most wish me not to know?"
And so the dark passageway, the whomping willow, the werewolf, all faded into fog.
Weasley Seer
Ron and Hermione's opening salvo took the three Death Eaters by surprise. Hermione's first immobilizing spell was blocked clumsily by the robed wizard she had targeted, but her follow-up reductor curse blasted him, the table in front of him, and a number of chairs that had the misfortune of being placed nearby, straight into the wall of the inn. Ron's initial jinx, intended to relieve the witch he had targeted of her wand, instead forced her to drop the rope she had one of the inn patrons bound with, but Death Eater managed to put up a shield charm before Ron's stunner could take hold.
The third Death Eater turned and fired a curse that missed, just wide of Hermione, leaving a scorch mark on the wall behind her. And then the battle was joined, the element of surprise gone.
"Protego!" Ron put up a strong, wide shield, which Hermione quickly darted behind and from which she began rapidly firing hexes and jinxes at both of the Death Eaters. Ron's eyes focused in concentration as the dark witch and wizard they were facing sent a steady stream of destructive magic his way, but his shield held.
"Oppugno!" Hermione's spell targeted the many empty bottles around the room, which suddenly all flew at the witch attempting to bash against her. The female Death Eater was forced to cease her assault on Ron's shield to defend herself with banishers and reductors or risk being bludgeoned and cut to death.
The wizard beside the woman snarled, seeing his remaining companion forced onto the defensive. "Enough of this!" And then he pointed his wand, pure malice on his lips. "Avada K—"
Ron dropped his shield and he and Hermione cast silent banishers at the robed man in perfect synch. The man doubled over and flew into the wall, to crash next to the first Death Eater. Powerful spells with long casting times were not always better than weaker hexes that could be cast nearly instantly.
Then the pair turned to face the witch, who had just managed to blast the last of the flying projectiles from Hermione's spell into harmless bits. Just as the Death Eater opened her mouth to cast a spell, the table behind her transformed into a huge mallet that wasted no time bashing the witch over the head, sending her crumpling to the ground. Hermione looked at Ron. Ron looked at Hermione. Both shook their heads.
"I dare say," Professor McGonagall called from the doorway behind them, "I had my doubts about supporting the Headmaster's decision to appoint Mr. Potter as an instructor, but I am a true believer now. The two of you managed to take down three adult wizards and witches," the Transfiguration teacher said with an incredulous shake of her head. "Fifty points to Gryffindor. Each."
"Professor!" Ron and Hermione shouted in unison, relief at having an adult with them flooding the both of them.
And then Hermione felt the need to correct her teacher, "Actually, professor, you were the one who defeated the witch."
McGonagall waved her hand dismissively. "I took advantage of her being fully focused on you two, yes, but I have no doubt that you had it well in hand," the matronly witch complimented. "Unfortunately, I was not in a position to organize a withdrawal of the students when the initial attack came, but now that it is clear that the Headmaster will be otherwise occupied, I'm afraid it will be up to us to see to it that as few students are harmed as possible. I will need your help."
Other than for the destruction of a table and a few chairs, the inn was relatively undamaged. There apparently were no casualties, either, as most of the patrons had chosen to duck down out of sight during the Death Eater's assault and then again during Hermione and Ron's fight with them. There were a few exceptions, though, with a few obviously stunned or petrified witches and wizards lying about the inn's main room. Then there was the one who had been tied to the chair. All of the stunned adults were quickly revived with the casting of rennervate and finite incantatem.
"Professor McGonagall!" The witch who had been tied to the chair was now standing and coming forward. "Thank Merlin you and your students arrived when you did!" The witch pumped the hands of her rescuers vigorously. "Matilda Poffins," she offered her name to the two students. "If there's anything I can ever do for you…"
Professor McGonagall was about to say something, but Hermione beat her to the punch. "Mrs. Poffins, do you know what it was that they wanted? Why were you being tied up like that?"
"Oh, yes!" The woman nodded emphatically. "They're looking for someone from Hogwarts, as a matter of fact. They thought I fit the description. Imagine that!"
"Who are they after?" Ron asked, his face turning anxious. He had too many family members who attended Hogwarts in Hogsmeade at the moment not to worry, even if the middle-aged woman looked very little like any of his family.
Mrs. Poffins thought for a moment, racking her memory for the answer. "It was an 'S' name. Cindy? Cynthia? Simba? Cymbal?"
"It was Sybill," another voice offered. The proprietor of the inn, Ms. Rosmerta was just recovering from having been released from a body bind spell.
Mrs. Poffins eyes lit up. "Yes, that was it! Sybill Trelawney, they said. They thought my glasses looked like hers."
Weasley Seer
It was a warm spring day, a day to be outside rather than cooped up in the castle even if the Ordinary Wizarding Level examination had just finished, and that was why young Severus Snape had his head down focused on the exam paper for the course, going over the questions to be certain he hadn't foolishly missed some aspect of a question. So engrossed was he with his paper that he had failed to see the Marauders, James Potter, Sirius Black, Remus Lupin and Peter Pettigrew hanging out about a beech tree situated next to Hogwarts lake just a short distance away.
James and Sirius, the latter with a mean expression on his face, approached the oblivious Slytherin. Remus had remained at the tree, ostensibly reading over his own exam paper, but Peter was trailing behind, a look of fascination and anticipation on his already beady face.
Harry watched with a sickening feeling as the Gryffindors approached Slytherin, unprovoked, and prepared to torment him. To bully him. James at least had a look of amusement, the same sort that Fred and George got just before pulling a prank, but Sirius was another matter. Harry could see the cruelty, and it reminded him more of either Dudley, Crabbe, and Goyle than the Weasley twins. And Harry had seen many times the look on Peter Pettigrew's face, too. That look anticipation was always on Piers Polkiss's face and the other hangers-on who travelled with "Big D". His father and his friends were bullies.
"All right, Snivellus?" James inquired just as Severus Snape had stood up from the bushes where he had been seated. Harry recognized the bullying technique. It was a move designed to startle, to provoke a reaction that would "justify" whatever it was they were going to do. And it worked.
Snape's reaction was instantaneous. He had no doubt what was to come, and so he spun, grabbing for his wand—but he was far too slow.
"Expelliarmus!" James Potter called, the spell ripping the wand away from Snape and tossing it high and far away.
Sirius Black laughed, and Snape dived for the wand, his only hope of fighting back and avoiding humiliation.
"Impedimenta!" the disowned member of the Black family said, flicking his wand.
Severus was caught in mid-air, his momentum nullified in the middle of his leap and he just hung there for a second. And now a crowd was gathering, as students from different years who had all had similar study ideas formed a circle to see what was going on as James and Remus advanced with their wands drawn. Even Remus had joined the spectacle, watching from the back.
"How'd the exams go, Snivelly?" James asked, almost conversationally.
"I was watching him," Sirius answered for him, Black's voice vicious. "His nose was touching the parchment! There'll be great big grease marks all over it. They won't be able to read a word!"
James Potter grinned as at his friend as the gathered students laughed at Severus's plight.
It was clear to Harry, as it had been to Severus, that the real animosity had always been from Sirius Black. James Potter went along with it for the sake of his friend. It was no excuse, though.
Harry frowned as he continued to watch. There was something he was missing here. This was certainly embarrassing for Snape, but the focus of the memory seemed out of place considering what he had focused on finding. This was more about the follies and failings of his father and godfather than on Snape's pain. It was too perfect to be accidental. Once more, Harry scanned the memory, looking for flaws and for the presence of a consciousness directing what he was seeing.
Snape struggled, unable to wriggle free of the spell holding him in place. "You wait! Just you wait!" Loathing, pure loathing roiled off of Severus so strongly that Harry could feel the younger man's feelings within the memory.
"Wait for what?" Black asked, mockingly, "Are you going to wipe your nose on us?"
And then Snape just snapped. He hurled every vulgarity he knew at the pair, mixed in with actual curses and hexes, though the latter lacked any magical power behind it being as Snape was without his wand and not capable of any wandless magic at this point.
James Potter was not amused by Snape's dirty words or attempts at dark curses. "Wash your mouth out," he said, voice cold, no longer playing. "Scourgify."
Harry could understand his father's reaction. Young Severus Snape might be excused for losing control, but the things he had said were offensive and evil. But what happened next was perplexing.
Bubbles began emerging from Snape's mouth and he began choking as the spell forcibly scrubbed his mouth and throat, soap included. Slowly the impedimenta jinx wore off and Snape was able to slowly crawl his way forward towards his wand. Finally, he managed to get his hands on it and quickly muttered his newest spell creation, "Sectumsempra," and directed his wand back at his tormentor.
A gash appeared on James Potter's face at which point he turned back to Snape and cast a spell that had the hapless young wizard suspended upside down by one foot, his robes falling down over his face exposing his underpants. Laughter.
Harry shook his head. This was wrong. Not that the memory wasn't genuine, but it was being crafted. Directed. But from where?
The memory froze in place while Harry searched. There was nothing in the environment of the memory, Harry was certain. Snape wasn't hiding out in the fog or standing invisibly out in the open. So then where….
Harry whirled, his eyes scanning the crowd.
"Very clever, Professor," Harry acknowledged, his eyes searching every person in the memory. "Camouflaging your consciousness within your memory." Harry skipped over the frozen form of Severus Snape. "You wouldn't want to relive this experience from your own perspective. Too humiliating, and too exposed. It would be the first place someone would look if they suspected."
Harry examined the memory of his father, but nothing there seemed out of place. And then it came to him.
"In the last memory, you were the werewolf, weren't you?" Harry rounded on the form of Sirius Black. "Weren't you, Professor Snape?" Snape was taking the role of his own deepest fear. Harry's wand was in his hand, pointing at his godfather's head, who suddenly groaned, his face contorting.
And then there was a struggle, short and vicious as Severus Snape once more tried to throw the Boy-Who-Lived out of his mind.
And failed.
The consciousness of Severus Snape was forced to step forward, standing in his own memory yet fully within the power of the wizard-boy before him. Harry could feel the loathing of the man pouring off of him.
"I'm sorry, Professor, but I have to be sure I've succeeded. You understand. I am going to be facing Voldemort, afterall."
And then Harry concentrated. "Now, show me, Professor, what you were hiding from me."
Some of the fog around the memory blew away, the parts of the memory Snape had wanted to keep from Harry now presented clear as day. Events replayed, the same yet with critical additions, revealing a group of young witches who had been by the lake. Snape had followed them, his attention focused on one of them.
Lily Evans.
Harry saw the missing pieces of the memory: Lily confronting his father, distracting him as she demanded James set Snape down. And then the moment when Severus Snape uttered the words he would regret for the rest of his life. "I don't need help from filthy Mudbloods like her!" And that look of deep hurt in her eyes. Severus, his true consciousness, almost wept there, reliving that moment.
And then Harry relented.
"So," Harry said quietly. "My mother."
They were back in Severus Snape's office, the Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher on his knees, panting and out of breath.
"You probably don't want to hear it," Harry added, "but I'm sorry for how you were treated. I know how that feels."
"Out," Severus demanded.
Harry nodded. He had learned much from this. More than he had expected. He wouldn't begrudge the man privacy to nurse his wounded pride and deal with long buried emotions.
He was almost to the door when a silvery otter materialized within the room and spoke in Hermione's voice. "Hogsmeade is under attack by Death Eaters! The DMLE and the Headmaster are busy with a simultaneous attack at Diagon Alley. Alert the Order and send help!"
Weasley Seer
Professor McGonagall led Ron and Hermione out the front door of the inn under a disillusionment charm. Now that they had a good chance to look around, the amount of destruction they witnessed was appalling. Several homes and storefronts had their front walls blasted off. There were scorch marks all over the road and over many of the buildings.
"Dear Merlin," McGonagall exclaimed.
Ron spotted movement across the street between buildings and pointed it out to the others. Still under the Transfiguration teacher's disillusionment, the three made their way across the road to intercept. Wands out, they flanked the approaching group and emerged from behind the building in perfect position to score a surprise attack.
Fortunately, it was a group of Hogwarts students and not Death Eaters. Of course, the students were frightfully startled by the sudden appearance of Ron, Hermione, and Professor McGonagall, but as soon as their surprise faded, the group was greatly relieved.
"Miss Jones," McGonagall addressed the oldest student, a Hufflepuff, "Where are you going? What is happening on the other side of town?"
Megan Jones caught her breath. "We're trying to get back to Hogsmeade Station. The Death Eaters, they came from all directions. I—I don't think they were aiming at students, but they were looking for someone, and going from store to store throwing curses everywhere. I was coming out of Gladrags when I saw a group apparate in near Dervish and Bangs, but then I heard screaming coming from down by Honeydukes."
"Are any of the students hurt?" Hermione pressed.
"No—no, I don't think so. Neville, Neville Longbottom told us to get in groups like in our DADA classes and stay together. So we did, and we've been blending our shield charms like Mr. Potter taught us, and it worked! We would have been hit by some of those curses if we hadn't been using it." The Hufflepuff was speaking all in a rush, the story gushing out without any need for more prompting. "Fred and George Weasley were leading students into Honeydukes, but soon a group of Death Eaters followed them in, so we hid around the back and tried to stay off the main street."
Professor McGonagall comforted the rattled Hufflpuff, patting her shoulders. "You did well, Miss Jones, very well indeed. Just up ahead there's a group of students with Marcus Turner. Stay with him until help arrives."
The group of students nodded and headed off, leaving Hermione, Ron, and their Transfiguration teacher standing together.
"It sounds as if there are at least twelve Death Eaters up ahead," McGonagall noted. "It would not be wise for the three of us to try to take them on ours—"
Suddenly, the sky above Hogsmeade darkened and a sickening hissing sound could be heard throughout the area. A gargantuan, spectral green skull formed in the air above the town with a vicious snake curling out from the open jaw of the apparition.
The deputy headmistress gasped. "The Dark Mark! Oh, Light forbid something has happened to a student!"
"Professor!" Hermione pointed down the street towards the other end of Hogsmeade.
While still a fair distance away, it was clear to see that the Death Eaters had all converged at one point and now were formed into a line that stretched across the entire road. It was more than twelve. They had swept through Hogsmeade from both ends now were intent to return and inflict even more harm on the already terrorized community. The dark robed wizards walked in step, making it a point to send fire or explosions out towards what buildings had remained untouched as they passed, turning storefronts into messes of debris and homes into burning wrecks. There would be no hiding between buildings now.
"Mr. Weasley, Miss Granger," Professor McGonagall said grimly, "get the students moving back towards Hogwarts. Fight through any smaller groups of Death Eaters if you have to, but get the students to safety."
"But, Professor, what about you? What are you going to do?" Ron asked fearfully, as if he didn't already know the answer.
"I'll hold them off while you get the group away from here. Now, go. I'll give you as much time as I can."
And then the matronly witch stepped away from the two and bravely into the street. She cut a striking figure, with her back straight and her pointed hat looking like a regal crown. Professor McGonagall was everything a member of the Order of the Phoenix ought to be: Proud. Strong. Dedicated. Righteous. Determined.
Tears rolling down her face, Hermione dragged Ron by the arm between the buildings to where the Hogwarts students had gathered between Hogsmeade resident's homes opposite the The Three Broomsticks. Marcus Turner gave the witch a nod when she arrived.
"What's going on?"
"Professor McGonagall ordered us to take the students to Hogwarts. She's…she's going to hold them off while we escape."
There were whimpers and even tears from some of the gathered students, but the group followed Professor McGonagall's instructions, starting to head towards Hogsmeade station and the trail that would take them back within the bounds of Hogwarts' powerful protective wards. The older students had their wands out, ready to protect the group from what Death Eaters had remained behind at the station.
Back on the street, the line of Death Eaters continued to advance in lockstep towards the solitary figure of Professor McGonagall who stood in their way. On seeing the defiant witch, the dark wizards had stopped their indiscriminate attacks and began marching straight for her. They were almost within hexing range, the whites of their masks beneath their hoods just becoming visible.
And then there was the deafening sound of explosions from the direction of Hogsmeade Station followed by a rapidly approaching screeching sound that tore through the air. Everyone looked up in time to see a figure astride a broom approach at a speed one only saw at professional Quidditch matches. A flash of white shot forward from the approaching figure, strafing upwards to engulf the great green monstrosity that was the Dark Mark, which promptly exploded in a shower of golden light, leaving nothing of the skull or snake remaining.
Then, before anyone could blink or act, the broom shot downwards towards the ground at breakneck speed, only to come to a sudden halt just before the rider would have impacted the ground. "CONFRINGO MULTA!" Harry Potter called with a broad sweep of his wand while simultaneously dismounting his Firebolt.
Explosions rocked the line of Death Eaters. Those too slow to produce a shield were blasted back to crumple in heaps on the road, their robes and lower bodies charred from the blast. Those quick enough to put up a defense and those on the end who managed to dive out of the way were still scattered by the impressive spell.
"It's Potter!" came a cry of fear and alarm.
Harry's performance during his confrontation with Death Eaters and Voldemort in the Little Hangleton graveyard was clearly still in the minds of some of them. Harry smiled to himself. Considering how much progress he had made since then, he expected he'd be eliciting a lot more of those reactions after this encounter was over.
"PROTEGO HORRIBILIS!" Harry threw a shield up wide enough to cover the entirety of the street, evidenced by the dark orange shimmer that briefly enveloped the protected area. Harry held his wand up, steady to maintain the shield, as he swiveled his head to look back to the deputy headmistress. "Sorry for arriving so late, professor. When I got out of the Hogwarts wards I found I couldn't apparate to Hogsmeade. The Death Eaters must have put up an anti-apparation/disapparition jinx once they started their attack."
It took McGonagall a few seconds to get over being dumbstruck by the Boy-Who-Lived's sudden appearance. The Transfiguration professor had never been one to be awed by the fame or legend of her young student—she had after all seen him diapers and goofing off like a buffoon—but at this moment she could appreciate what it was for someone unaccustomed to being around the young hero to suddenly come face to face with a living legend.
"That…that's quite alright, Mr. Potter. I shan't be deducting any points from Gryffindor for your tardiness."
Several of the Death Eaters began recovering about this time and began trying to test the strength of Harry's barrier, but the shield held against their curses.
Harry grinned, pleased that the normally straight-laced deputy headmistress could indulge in a little levity even in such a dire situation.
"If you would, professor, please direct the students to make directly for the castle. Any Seventh Years with an apparition license should take a younger student by side-along-apparition to the path leading to Hogwarts. It will be safe there."
"Are you quite sure you can hold them?"
As if to accentuate her point, a golden hex penetrated Harry's shield just then, although passing through altered its direction, making it miss its mark badly. Harry wasn't worried, though. Every shield had a weakness to different kinds of curses and jinxes—this version would not let through anything with ill-intent, but gave scant protection against spells that would neither wound nor cause pain, such as the Fool's Luck curse that been sent his way. More importantly, there was more than enough room between him and his attackers that he had complete confidence in his ability to dodge anything that did make it through.
"No worries," Harry beamed a smile and gave a Dumbledore-ish wink. "Besides, I won't be alone here very long."
"You got that right, mate!" Ron's voice sounded out strong and sure as the ginger-haired wizard took a position on Harry's left and cast his own protego to reinforce Harry's spell, as well as augment the range of spells it would stop.
"You didn't think we'd leave Harry here alone, did you, Professor?" Hermione chimed in, taking up the spot on Harry's right and adding a protego duo protection seamlessly into Harry's greater shield spell.
"But—" Professor McGonagall began to protest, unwilling to leave her students to fight in her place, no matter how talented.
"Go on, Professor, they can handle this. Besides," Harry added raising his left hand and snapping his fingers sharply, "help is already on the way."
As Harry's finger snapped, there was a disproportionately loud cracking sound. Harry pointed in the air, sending red sparks up high above the town.
CRACK! CRACK! CRACK!
The anti-apparition jinx down, three experienced duelists apparated into Hogsmeade under the cover of Harry's spell. Filius Flitwick dressed in his trademark suit and bow-tie arrived wand drawn and dueling cloak wrapped beneath his left arm. Septima Vector, clad in a deep red robe, arrived with anger flashing in her eyes, clearly unhappy that her students had been threatened. Lastly, Sirius Black appeared, having Floo'ed to Hogwarts as soon as he had heard of what had been going on.
"Get the children out of here, Minerva," Sirius said insistently. "Harry and I will handle this."
With this reassurance, the deputy headmistress moved to get the students to safety.
The Death Eaters who had remained standing after Harry's initial offensive had continued to pepper the shield with hexes, curses, and jinxes—none penetrating once Ron and Hermione had arrived to shore up the protection with additional spells. With the new arrivals, the numbers on the either side of shield went down from 16:1 to closer to 3:1. However, the dark wizards and witches had regrouped, a trio of them beginning to attempt to sap Harry's shield with a ward-breaking charm.
"Most impressive, Mr. Potter," Professor Flitwick said admiringly. "Fifty points to Gryffindor for superior spellcraft." The short, part-goblin wizard gave Harry a wink. "Of course you well know Muldoon's Axiom of Defensive Magicks."
"It takes ten times the effort to maintain a spell than to destroy it." Indeed, Harry could quite literally feel the meaning of that particular magic principle at the moment, and was pretty certain this was not one of the made-up-principles one could just ignore. While he felt confident he could outlast any single Death Eater indefinitely, it was too much to ask to outlast all of them.
Which was why, with that cue to his compatriots, Harry suddenly dropped the shield and immediately began hurling stunners and disarmers at the flat-footed Death Eaters. Several of the dark wizards went down to the coordinated offensive from the Hogwarts spell casters, unprepared for the sudden change from offense to defense. Those unfortunate enough to have been targeted by Harry were blasted backwards and rendered very unconscious. While the Death Eaters quickly resorted to the use of dark curses, even Unforgivables, the long practice between Harry and Flitwick and between Sirius, Harry, Ron, and Hermione lent them superior coordination. Within moments, six more of the dark wizards were out of the fight, while the Hogwarts side had yet to sustain a single casualty.
They had pulled off the sort of maneuver that in most magical battles would have been decisive, the sudden evening up in numbers between sides as well as the overwhelming momentum all on one side would lead to complete collapse or induce one side to flee for their lives. Unfortunately, this moment coincided with the choice of a group of straggling Hogwarts students to try to make a break for it, leaving the cover of the village house where they had holed-up and running towards safety. For a couple of the more ruthless Death Eaters, this was an opportunity as they directed their curses towards the defenseless children. This forced the more skilled duelists to focus on deflecting spells away from the hapless students.
Still, even with this malfeasance, it would have been a simple victory for the Hogwarts side if not for the fact that two of the students were hit with the impediment jinx halfway between two buildings. The pair was there, frozen in place as one of the Death Eaters, Thrfinn Rowle, closed the distance. Rowle was determined to make Hogwarts regret resisting the Dark Lord. They would mourn these pathetic mudblood lovers. he pointed his wand at them. "Avada Kedavra!"
Time seemed to slow down for Harry Potter.
This was not the first time he had seen the killing curse used since the death of his parents, but it was the first time there was no doubt in his mind that the curse would strike a living person. A green shaft of light emerged from Rowle's wand, beginning to streak towards Parvati Patil. She would die. Just like Harry's mother. Just like Harry's father. Just like all the many innocent people Voldemort had murdered.
CRACK!
Harry Potter appeared in front of Parvati a split second before the curse struck. Instead of her eyes going blank and lifeless, it was Harry Potter who felt the stinging pain of death as his soul was ripped—
No.
There was no way this little Death Eater, not even one of Voldemort's so-called Inner Circle, could kill him. He was Harry Potter, the Boy-Who-Lived. LIVED. Even Voldemort's killing curse hadn't taken his life, though that was more to do with his mother's sacrifice than his own budding magic, but still. It was absolutely ludicrous that this little man's curse would do what the strongest dark lord on record had failed.
The battle froze for a second, all eyes on the form of Harry Potter falling to the ground in front of a stunned Parvati Patil and a younger Hufflepuff student. Hermione's voice hitched in her throat. Ron stared, disbelieving. Thrfinn Rowle grinned beneath his mask.
And then Harry stood back up, shaking away the numbness that had stolen through his body before he had managed to will himself to reject the curse. Rowle's grin fell, replaced by a look of shocked horror. Harry's brilliant green eyes transfixed the man.
"Oh, you are buggered now," Ron commented.
Harry thrust his left hand forward, palm out as he whipped his wand around in his right and stabbed forward parallel with his hand. The sound of cracking thunder accompanied the gesture and every Death Eater still standing in Hogsmeade, shielded or not, was blasted backwards the length of three Quidditch pitches, their bodies spasming as the spell struck and continuing to contort until they landed in various states and positions.
Nobody moved for twenty seconds. The Hogwarts witches and wizards were simply in shock at the spectacle of what had just happened. Harry was exhausted, having just fought of the killing curse for the second time in his life. Parvati Patil and the other student who had been jinxed couldn't move because of the still active jinx, though it was was quite unlikely they would have been able to in any event. And the Death Eaters who had been hit by Harry's spells wouldn't be getting up for a long time and would never walk right again.
Weasley Seer
It should have been a happy time. Good had triumphed over evil. But back at Hogwarts, that was not the mood in the Great Hall.
Harry Potter clenched his fists together and banged them on the table, eliciting looks of worry and sympathy around him. Everyone knew how he felt. Tears were falling down Hermione's face, though she tried to stop them, for the sake of her friends if nothing else. But it was Ron Weasley who looked the worst. He was gutted. His eyes were red from the tears he had shed since making it back to the castle and his head was hung low.
Oh, his brothers and sister were fine. Fred and George were better than ever, having achieved a new status among many students: heroes. When the attack first hit the two had, after a brief moment of hesitation, let the school in on one of the secrets of their pranking success: the secret passage in Honeydukes which led to the castle. They had, at substantial personal risk, led at least a third of the students in Hogsmeade, including their baby sister, out through the secret passageway before Death Eaters had occupied the beloved magical sweets shop.
In fact, miraculously, the students were, for the most part, fine. Between the Death Eaters not initially using dark curses and the quick actions of Ron, Hermione, and some of the school prefects, there were no casualties. Hogwarts students were lined up together in the Great Hall, prefects and Heads of Houses taking careful count of everyone. Several had been sent to Madame Pomfrey in the school infirmary to reverse the more lasting effects of stunners or mild hexes that a simple finite would not undo. But all the students were accounted for.
The Hogwarts teaching staff had not fared quite so well. Professor Aurora Sinistra and Professor Burbage had both received curses severe enough to need a trip to St. Mungo's, but the staff was assured they would be fine. All the teachers had made it back.
Except one.
Cho Chang, one of the students left among the stragglers, was the one to give everyone the bad news. She had seen it.
The Death Eaters had taken Professor Trelawney away via portkey just before they had set the Dark Mark in the sky.
She was gone.
Author's Notes:
1. Several lines of dialog in this chapter were taken directly from Harry Potter and the Halfblood Prince, the bullying scene in particular.
2. Generally, I try to stick with the books for details, but there are a few points where I will take a cue from the movies instead. One such place is main character's physical descriptions. For me, Daniel Radcliffe is Harry Potter. Rupert Grint is Ron Weasley. Emma Watson is Hermione Granger. Alan Rickman is, and always will be, Severus Snape. I still use many of Rowling's characterizations from the texts, but things such as hair color will tend towards matching the film adaptation. Please forgive any differences with your preferred imaginings of the characters.