Snape Victorious

John slowly approached the carriages with his fingers tightly squeezing Sherlock's wrist. He could see the Thestrals properly now, without the odd shimmering veil he'd seen them through before. He shuddered as he saw Sirius again, as he had an innumerable amount of times over the summer, constantly being reminded of his failure, his fingers inches from Sirius before he'd fallen.

Cas and Dean waited patiently for them, saving a carriage for them. John was grateful for this; Cas's power always had a soothing effect on him, and though it didn't block everything out, it dulled things enough for him to be able to climb into the carriage and travel up to the castle. As they did so, John briefly saw the Dark Mark hovering over the Astronomy tower, and his stomach lurched. Sherlock squeezed the soft spot in his palm for him, and the Mark faded away.

As they approached the castle, even Cas's power wasn't enough to dull the noise coming from the gathering students, and their futures assaulted him once more.

I can't do this, he thought, his heart racing.

You must, came Sherlock's voice in his head.

John nodded. Despite the fear and pain, he had still been drawn back to Hogwarts, though he would have been more than happy to stay at Baker Street. He didn't know why he had to come back, but Sherlock was determined to find out, and after everything Sherlock had done for him, he owed him this at least. He closed his eyes for the last few minutes of the carriage drive, steadying his breathing and pushing away what visions he could.

Sherlock dragged him through the Entrance Hall, but had to let go of him when they approached the Great Hall. He gave John a regretful look before making his way to the Ravenclaw table. John was rooted to the spot for a moment before Dean guided him to a seat at the Gryffindor table.

He paid no attention to anyone, until he heard Hermione say, 'Where's Harry?'

John looked up. He hadn't noticed that Harry wasn't in the room. John tried to find him, but as he looked around the room, colours blurred his eyes and everything wavered. He closed his eyes again, his head pounding, but the pain didn't stop. His jaw clenched and he pounded the table with his fist. Then, he felt Cas's power seize him and dull the pain. He let out a long breath and looked over at Cas. His palm was glowing, and he appeared to be in deep concentration, but John gave him a grateful smile.

Cas kept it up all the way through the Sorting, and allowed John to get something to eat, but he was eventually drained, and couldn't continue from across the room. The light in his palm sputtered out, and he dropped his hand heavily.

Tell him I appreciate it, John whispered in Sherlock's head, and he saw Cas smile.

It wasn't long before it all came flooding back, but the break Cas had given him allowed him to gather a little of his strength to block some of it out.

At least, Harry arrived, all but running between the house tables and squeezing his way between Ron and Hermione.

'Where've you - blimey, what've you done to your face?' said Ron, goggling at him, along with everyone else in the vicinity.

'Why, what's wrong with it?' said Harry, grabbing a spoon and squinting at his reflection.

'You're covered in blood!' said Hermione.

John blinked and felt Dean shiver beside him. Dean had gone pale at the unexpected sight of so much blood, and John could see Cas watching him in concern.

Is he all right? he heard Sherlock whisper.

John gently tugged on Dean's sleeve, breaking him out of his reverie.

'Tergeo,' said Hermione, siphoning the dried blood off of Harry.

'I'm fine,' Dean said, forcing a smile.

Good enough, John whispered to Sherlock.

'How's my nose looking?' Harry asked.

'Normal,' said Hermione anxiously. 'Why shouldn't it? Harry, what happened, we've been terrified!'

'I'll tell you later,' Harry said, very aware of all the people attempting to listen in, including Nearly Headless Nick.

'But-'

'Not now, Hermione.'

Harry reached out to grab a handful of chips, but they disappeared before he could, then was replaced by various puddings.

'You missed the Sorting anyway,' said Hermione.

'Hat say anything interesting?' asked Harry, taking a piece of treacle tart.

'More of the same, really… advising us all to unite in the face of our enemies.'

'Dumbledore mention Voldemort at all?'

'Not yet, but he always saves his proper speech for after the feast, doesn't he? Can't be long now.'

'Snape said Hagrid was late for the feast-'

'You've seen Snape? How come?' said Ron.

'Bumped into him,' Harry said evasively.

'Hagrid was only a few minutes late,' said Hermione. 'Look, he's waving at you.'

John hadn't noticed Hagrid come in at all, and looked up at the staff table, but instead of looking at Hagrid, his eyes fell on Professor Trelawney. It was jarring to see her out of her classroom. She never usually attended feasts, but there she was, glittering with beads and trailing shawls, her eyes magnified by her spectacles.

It had been her that made the prediction that caused Voldemort to kill Harry's parents. Her powers weren't strong, but she was the closest thing John had to a peer. Though he never took her very seriously, he had a certain fondness for her, and couldn't help but smile when she caught him looking at her.

Finally, Dumbledore got to his feet. The talk and laughter died away almost instantly.

'The very best of evenings to you!' he said, smiling broadly, his arms opening wide as though to embrace the whole room, but John gasped and heaved, clapping a hand over his mouth.

Dumbledore's wand hand was blackened and shriveled, and looked as though the flesh had been burned away. Several images flashed before John, but the only ones he managed to grasp were of a gold ring inset with a jet black stone, and Tom Riddle's diary. He did his best to show them to Sherlock, in the hopes that Sherlock would know what it meant. The sight of them made him sick to his stomach, and it was all he could do to stop himself from vomiting over the table. He felt Cas try to help him again, but the effect was weak. There was ringing in his ears, and he could do nothing but wait for it to subside.

'We are pleased to welcome a new staff member of staff this year,' Dumbledore was saying when John could finally push away his nausea. John noticed he had covered his hand with the sleeve of his robe. 'Professor Slughorn,' Dumbledore continued, 'is a former colleague of mine who has agreed to resume his old post of Potions master.'

'Potions?'

'Potions?'

The word echoed around the Hall as people wondered whether they had heard right.

'Professor Snape, meanwhile,' said Dumbledore, raising his voice so that it carried over all the muttering, 'will be taking over the position of Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher.'

Snape, who was sitting on Dumbledore's right, merely raised a hand in lazy acknowledgement of the applause from the Slytherin table.

'Well, there's one good thing,' Harry said savagely. 'Snape'll be gone by the end of the year.'

'What do you mean?' asked Ron.

'That job's jinxed. No one's lasted more than a year… Quirrell actually died doing it. Personally, I'm going to keep my fingers crossed for another death…'

'For God's sake, shut up, Harry,' John snapped.

'He might just go back to teaching Potions at the end of the year,' Ron said reasonably, jumping in before Harry could retaliate to John. 'That Slughorn bloke might not want to stay long cause term. Moody didn't.'

Dumbledore cleared his throat. The whole Hall had erupted into a buzz of conversation at the news that Snape had finally achieved his heart's desire. Seemingly oblivious to the sensational nature of the news he had just imparted, Dumbledore said nothing more about staff appointments, but waited a few seconds to ensure that the silence was absolute before continuing.

'Now, as everyone in this Hall knows, Lord Voldemort and his followers are once more at large and gaining strength.'

The silence seemed to tauten and strain as Dumbledore spoke.

John hunched over the table, attempting to protect himself from the terror that suddenly poured in from all corners of the room, including, to his surprise, from Malfoy.

'I cannot emphasise strongly enough how dangerous the present situation is, and how much care each of us at Hogwarts must take to ensure that we remain safe. The castle's magical fortifications have been strengthened over the summer, we are protected in new and more powerful ways, but we must still guard scrupulously against carelessness on the part of any student or member of staff. I urge you, therefore, to abide by any security restrictions that your teachers might impose on you, however irksome you may find them - in particular that you are not to be out of bed after hours. I implore you, should you notice anything suspicious within or outside the castle, to report to a member of staff immediately. I trust you to conduct you, always, with the utmost regard for your own and each other's safety.'

Dumbledore's blue eyes swept over the students before he smiled once more.

'But now, your beds await, as warm and comfortable as you could possibly wish, and I know that you're top priority is to be well- rested for your lessons tomorrow. Let us therefore say goodnight. Pip pip!'

With the usual deafening scraping noise, the benches were moved back and the hundreds of students began to file out of the Great Hall towards their dormitories.

John and Harry lagged behind, as did their friends, allowing most of the Gryffindors to draw ahead of them. Hermione darted ahead to fulfil her prefect's duty of shepherding the first-years, but Padma appeared to have assumed that duty for the Ravenclaws, as Cas extricated himself from the crowd to join them, Sherlock at his side.

Before either of them could say anything, Professor Flitwick appeared at Cas's elbow.

'Mr Edlund,' Professor Flitwick squeaked. 'Madam Pomfrey wishes to speak to you as soon as you can tomorrow.'

'Thank you, Professor,' Cas smiled, and Flitwick disappeared again.

'So what really happened to your nose?' Ron asked, once they were at the very back of the throng pressing out of the Hall, and out of earshot of anyone else.

Harry told them that he had snuck into Malfoy's compartment under the Invisibility Cloak, that Malfoy had found him, trapped him in a Full-Body Bind, and stamped on his face, leaving him frozen and bleeding on the train.

'I saw Malfoy miming something to do with a nose,' Ron said darkly.

'Yeah, well, nevermind that,' Harry said bitterly. 'Listen to what he was saying before he found out I was there…'

What he'd heard Malfoy say seemed to imply that Voldemort had a task for him.

Dean scowled, Cas looked thoughtful, but Sherlock and Ron seemed entirely unimpressed.

'Come on, Harry, he was just showing off for Parksinson… what kind of mission would You-Know-Who have given him?'

'How d'you know that Voldemort doesn't need someone at Hogwarts? It wouldn't be the first-'

'I wish yeh'd stop sayin' tha' name, Harry,' said a reproachful voice behind them. They turned and saw Hagrid shaking his head.

'Dumbledore uses that name,' Harry said stubbornly.

'Yeah, well, tha's Dumbledore, innit?' said Hagrid. 'How come yeh were late, Harry? I was worried.'

'Got held up on the train,' said Harry. 'Why were you late?'

'I was with Grawp,' said Hagrid happily. 'Los' track o' time. He's got a new home up in the mountains now, Dumbledore fixed it - nice big cave. He's much happier than he was in the Forest. We were havin' a good chat.'

'Really?' said Harry.

'Oh yeah, he's really come on,' Hagrid said proudly. 'Yeh'll be amazed. I'm thinkin' o' trainin' him up as me assistant.'

Ron snorted loudly, but managed to pass it off as a violent sneeze.

They were now standing beside the oak front doors.

'Anyway, I'll see yeh tomorrow, firs' lesson's straight after lunch. Come early an' yeh can say hello ter Buck- I mean, Witherwings!'

Raising an arm in cherry farewell, he headed out of the front door into the darkness.

Harry and Ron glanced at each other.

'You're not taking Care of Magical Creatures, are you?' Harry asked Ron, who shook his head. 'Any of you?'

John and Sherlock said no, but Dean grinned.

'We are?' he said, indicating himself and Cas.

Immediately, Ron and Harry looked relieved, absolved of having to see Hagrid upset by the absence of any of his friends.

They continued up the stairs, stopping at the portrait of the silver swan to say goodnight to Sherlock and Cas, who, for the first night at least, were required to stay in their own dormitories.

'Well you meet me before breakfast?' Cas asked Dean. 'I want to see Madam Pomfrey before class.'

'Sure,' Dean said, giving him a quick kiss before starting towards Gryffindor tower with the others.

John lingered, loathe to leave Sherlock, but he eventually murmured a goodnight, and he too went up to the common room. When the others went to bed, however, John instead settled himself on the comfortable sofa before the fire. He tried not to sleep, but every so often, he couldn't help but doze off in the warmth of the fire. Every time he did, he saw flashes of green light everywhere. So much death. So many faces he didn't recognise, and didn't know how to save. He woke with a violent jerk every time, glad, at the very least, that he wasn't disturbing everyone else.