"Name?" Daphne Greengrass asked, quill poised.
"Marietta Edgecombe," Edgecombe said, looking a little unnerved. Greengrass made a note and then stepped aside to let her pass.
"Name?"
"Cho Chang," Cho said almost challengingly.
When Greengrass had added her name and she was allowed past, Ginny slipped in on her heels.
She wouldn't have guessed she'd see Cho tonight, and wasn't at all sure what to make of it. Edgecombe—who floated back to Cho's side as soon as she was in—was less of a surprise since she'd always been a bit of a cow, and the fifth year Slytherins—Malfoy, Crabbe, Goyle, Shafiq, Parkinson, and Greengrass—were expected.
Cho gave a little wave at Pucey and Higgs—Ginny's eyebrows climbed at that too—and went to stand with them, Edgecombe in tow. Ginny beelined that way, frowning; that made three Eihwaz members there for Umbridge's briefing.
"Evening," Pucey said, nodding at the girls.
"Hi," Cho said. "Have you met Marietta? She's in Ravenclaw with me."
"Hello," Higgs said.
"Marietta, meet Adrian and Terrence," Cho continued.
"How do you all know each other?" Marietta asked.
"Terrence used to play Seeker for Slytherin," Cho said. "We started in the same year. And they're both friends with Cedric." Her chin lifted defiantly as she said this, and Marietta gave a little sniff, looking away. She missed the raised eyebrows and grimaces exchanged between Cho and the boys, but Ginny didn't.
Was it possible they were here for Cedric? Infiltrating the Inquisitorial Squad just as Ginny was, but in their own way, publicly?
She curled her fingers more tightly around the cloak and inched closer, but none of them said anything else, just watched the rest of the room. Ginny did too:
Johnny Harper—as Slytherin in Ginny's year, and an idiot—had come, and Millicent Bulstrode, Tracey Davis, Theodore Nott, and the Joffs brothers, but there was also representation from other houses. There was Kenneth Towler, who shared a dorm with Fred and George, Cormac McLaggan who kept trying to get onto the Quidditch team, Sophie Flint—a fifth year Ravenclaw—Marcus Belby—also Ravenclaw—and Rebecca Stimpson from Hufflepuff. Roger Davies had come too, and joined Cho's little group with a genial wave at the Slytherins and a nod at Edgecombe.
"What are you doing here?" Cho asked him, seeming surprised.
"It's always good to network," Davies said, with a shrug and a smile. "The High Inquisitor's supposed to be very influential at the Ministry—she's certainly in the papers enough—so I thought it couldn't hurt to get on her good side. This seemed like an opportunity."
"Right," Cho said, looking like she wanted to shake him. She didn't, though, and Ginny wished she had Harry's nose so she'd know what the other girl was thinking; did Cho not want Davies around?
"Isn't that why we're all here?" Pucey said airily, patting Davies on the shoulder. Cho shot him a withering look and he smirked.
"Hem hem." Everyone—even Ginny—straightened; Umbridge had arrived. She strode into the Defence classroom wearing robes in a shade of bubblegum pink that made Ginny think of Dora. She scowled at Umbridge.
"Attendees, High Inquisitor," Greengrass said, offering her the list she'd been keeping. Umbridge took it with a stubby hand, glanced over it, then hmmed and tucked it into her robes.
"Thank you, dear." Greengrass stepped back to stand with the other already-inducted members of the Inquisitorial Squad, who were watching from the sidelines. "And thank you all for coming," she said. "While involvement in this prestigious group offers students like yourselves no shortage of opportunity, it's still heartening you've been able to see that, and more, stepped forward to take advantage of that. I look forward to working with each and every one of you to make this school into a place we can all be proud of." She smiled widely around the room. Ginny's skin crawled. "And that is where we'll start; what has motivated you to join the Inquisitorial Squad? What are you hoping to achieve by being involved?"
The answers were fairly uninspiring; most people either wanted a foot in the door with the Ministry, or wanted power and influence over the school. Cho's answer was interesting though:
"I want to learn," she said clearly, "from people who know how to teach and who have experience in their subjects, so that I can make sure I have the experience I need to be ready for next year and then life after school. With things the way they are, I'm worried that won't happen, so I want to help fix that for myself and everyone else."
Umbridge smiled and nodded, and Ginny—now positive Cho was here for Eihwaz—bit back a laugh.
"And you, Miss Edgecombe?"
"I worry about the direction things are going too," Edgecombe said, with a glance at Cho. "Everything feels so… divided and… well… unsafe at the moment. Some certainty and some protection would be nice, and I'm glad the Ministry's trying to put that in place."
Ginny frowned at that; Cho might be here for the right reasons, but she wasn't sure Marietta was.
"Mr Higgs?"
"Opportunity about covered it," he said. "Seemed too good to pass up."
"Perspective," said Pucey when it was his turn. "There are a lot of different ideas getting around at the moment… I want to know what's going on."
Umbridge raised an eyebrow at that, but nodded. Ginny hoped—if he was here for Eihwaz—he hadn't given himself away to her.
"Well," Umbridge said when they'd finished going around the room, "I'm pleased to say I think this group can help all of you achieve what it is you're hoping… and more. I see great potential—great ambition—in all of you." Ginny made a face. "This need not be a taxing commitment for you. Most of you are fifth years or above, and I do not want to see your focus taken away from your O.W.L.s and N.E.W.T.s. Unlike certain others in the school, I am here to support and enhance your education, not distract you from it." She paused, and clasped her hands together. "Mr Pucey mentioned perspective. That is what I, too, want to achieve through this initiative. I want to know the school through your eyes. Where you are worried you're not learning—" She nodded at Cho. "—I want you to tell me why. Is it that the curriculum is too advanced? Is it that it's not relevant or engaging? Is it that the teacher is not competent? These are things I—with the Ministry behind me—can fix."
Ginny watched Malfoy lean over and say something to Parkinson, who hid a laugh behind her hand.
"If," Umbridge continued, "you feel unsafe or afraid—" She gave Edgecombe a sympathetic look. "—I want to know who is making you feel that way, and why. Bullying or reckless behaviour will not be tolerated at Hogwarts—from anyone."
Ginny snorted at that, then froze when Cho frowned and glanced right through her. She inched a little further away: Oops.
"I will, of course, work with you to ensure any perpetrators are punished, but I do not want you unable to enforce safety and respect until I can be involved. As members of the Inquisitorial Squad, you will be granted the authority to take house points from your peers." A murmur went around the room at that, and Ginny blinked; as far as she knew, only teachers and the Head Boy and Girl could take points.
We can probably say goodbye to the house cup this year, she thought grimly; the smiles on the Slytherins' faces made her sure they were going to exploit that.
"Now, I'm sure it will come as no surprise that there are already some here at Hogwarts who are contributing to an unsafe environment. I will say this—that the Ministry is aware of these few, and working to resolve the situation."
"Sorry," Davies said, half-raising his hand. "Who?"
Ginny was not the only one who stared at him in disbelief.
"I shan't name names," Umbridge said delicately, "but—"
Malfoy coughed in a way that sounded a lot like Potter and Umbridge smiled indulgently at him.
"I ask for your patience and your trust for now," she said, "but should you happen to witness any undesirable behaviour that could… expedite a resolution, I'm all ears." She smiled again.
"For those of you who do find themselves with the capacity or ambition for additional involvement and responsibility, there will be the opportunity for Inquisitorial Squad members to join a school patrol roster to help enforce the evening curfew. And, there may be other activities—curfew checks, for instance, or leading students to safety during school lockdowns. If you are interested in patrols, see Mr Montague when we finish." She smoothed down her bright robes and glanced around the room. "Questions?"
"Are there going to be meetings?" Flint asked. "Or are we just supposed to find you when we have something to say?"
"We will meet once a fortnight," Umbridge said, nodding at her. "At five-thirty on Thursday afternoons, here in the Defence classroom. Of course, should you have pressing news outside of meetings, I'd encourage you to seek me or one of your peers out, so the news can be passed along. Very occasionally, I may call us all together at short notice. You will all receive the invitation, but only those wishing to take on some of the additional responsibilities I mentioned before need heed it."
"How will you do that?" Cho asked. Ginny could have hugged her; she wanted to know the same thing.
"Members of the Inquisitorial Squad are given pins to who their association," Umbridge said. She waved a hand at the already-inducted members; Malfoy puffed his chest out, and Greengrass waved a hand at the small, silver I on her robes. "Your pin will quiver when I wish for us to come together—discreet, but if it's on your robes, you're sure to feel it. On those occasions, we will always meet at my office. Miss Shafiq."
Shafiq began to move through the room, handing out small, velvet bags out to everyone gathered. Ginny knew—from watching Edgecombe open hers and tip out its contents—that they held the pins.
Could she get ahold of one, she wondered? They were right there, swinging in Shafiq's hand…
Higgs took his and then Shafiq was moving away; Ginny'd lost her chance. She'd have to hope Cho or one of the Slytherin boys brought theirs along to the next Eihwaz meeting. Fred, George, and Hermione had managed to enchant everyone's Defence textbooks with what was surely a similarish charm. Surely they could do something to disrupt Umbridge's handiwork, or otherwise have it work to their advantage.
Umbridge had everyone put their pins on so she could test them, and then, when there were no more questions, sent everyone on their way.
Ginny loitered until she could be sure that everyone was going—that Umbridge wasn't just shooing off the new members so she could talk privately to the likes of Malfoy and Greengrass—but when it became clear that was the case, slipped out between a grim-looking Davis, and one of the Joffs, holding the cloak tightly around herself.
Cho, Davies, and Edgecombe were just saying goodbye to Higgs and Pucey. The sensible thing to do would probably have been to follow McLaggan back to Gryffindor and sneak past the Fat Lady on his heels, but on a whim, Ginny set off after the Ravenclaws.
Davies was only with them for a corridor and then said something about his girlfriend and split away from the girls. Ginny stayed with them:
"I thought that went well," Edgecombe said, as Roger's footsteps faded. Cho made a non-committal noise. "I'm glad you came along—I've been worried about you this term."
"There's nothing to worry about," Cho said. "I've told you that."
"There is," Edgecombe said, "and you know it, even if you don't want to admit it." Cho let out an annoyed sounding breath but said nothing. Ginny thought Edgecombe would let the matter drop, and she did… but only for a few seconds.
"He's not good for you, you know," she said primly. "Cedric. He's a bad influence."
"Your opinion's noted," Cho said.
"I don't want you to note it," Edgecombe said, catching her arm. Cho's eyes narrowed, but she didn't pull away. "I want you to listen to me. I'm your best friend! And maybe you don't see it, but I do. He's dancing along to Potter's tune, and Dumbledore's." Ginny scowled. "I didn't miss—and I doubt the High Inquisitor would have either—that he's not put his hand up for the Inquisitorial Squad."
"He was busy," Cho said dismissively. "Otherwise he probably would have." There was a pause and then she said, "Besides, Riley wasn't there either."
"Riley had gobstones tonight—like he does every week—and you know it. Don't try to make this about him."
"I'm not," Cho said defensively. "I'm just pointing out that Cedric's not the only one who wasn't here."
"But him not being here's a statement. I've heard the way he talks about the Ministry and High Inquisitor Umbridge. It's dangerous. He's going to get himself in trouble—real trouble—and he's going to drag you right along with him—"
"Cedric's not dragging me anywhere," Cho snapped, looking pointedly down at Edgecombe's hand on her arm. Edgecombe released her, and Cho started walking again.
"You're mad at me now, aren't you?" Edgecombe said, looking upset.
"A little," Cho said, shooting her a look.
"I just— I feel like I hardly ever see you any more," Edgecombe said. Cho's expression softened, and Ginny wanted to shake her. "When Riley and I got together, I made sure you were never left out, and through that whole disaster that was you dating Potter—" That was the first thing out of Edgecombe's mouth that Ginny agreed with; Harry and Cho had been a disaster. "—we were there supporting you, but now you're with him you're sneaking off every other night. You don't tell me anything anymore—"
"I tell you everything," Cho said.
"Except about whatever it is you're doing at your secret club." Ginny looked around them but the corridor was quite empty. There weren't even portraits along this stretch of wall—just old tapestries. Still, she didn't like that Edgecombe would bring it up so freely; she knew Edgecombe knew a tiny bit about Eihwaz already—she'd overheard Cho and Katie Bell talking about it at their first meeting—but discussing it publicly was another thing entirely.
"You were invited," Cho said. "But since you chose not to come along—"
"I didn't choose not to come along," Edgecombe said, "He uninvited me after that big argument. Remember?" Cho's pretty face scrunched up.
"I can't talk to you about it," she said at last. "I'm sorry."
"Because you'll be in trouble with him if you do?" Edgecombe asked bitterly.
"No," Cho said, biting her lip, "because I promised I wouldn't. We all did."
"All?"
"I can't talk about that either," Cho said, looking away.
"What sort of group swears you to secrecy if there's nothing to hide?" Edgecombe asked. "You realise how this sounds, right? It sounds like he's forced you to join an anti-Ministry cult, or— or Dumbledore's war effort—"
"Shh!" Cho said, because Edgecombe's voice was rising steadily. "It's not like that. At all. And I'm not anti-Ministry, Mum and Dad both work for the Ministry, same as your mum—"
"Which is exactly why I can't believe you're involved at all!" Edgecombe said. "If they knew… If this all goes badly, they could lose their jobs!"
"Nothing's going badly," Cho said. "And no one's losing their jobs. I've just joined the Inquisitorial Squad—obviously I'm not anti-Ministry."
"So you've changed your mind, then?" Edgecombe asked hopefully. "You're siding with the Ministry?"
"I'm not siding with anyone," Cho said. "I just want to learn. Professor Umbridge forced Professor Black out of the Defence post, you know—"
"So she could teach us an approved curriculum," Edgecombe said.
"I'm just not sure that she's teaching us much of anything," Cho said weakly. "Black was a good teacher, and I know you thought so, too." Cho bit her lip. "You fancied him."
"I did not," Edgecombe said, but her face was bright pink. Cho's mouth twitched.
"I think Professor Umbridge could be really good for Hogwarts," Cho continued, tone conciliatory, "and I think she's right about a lot of things—Hogwarts isn't very safe a lot of the time, and it would be good to fix that. And, while most of the teachers are quite good, Trelawney and Hagrid aren't, really, and Snape can be nasty… If she can replace them, that would be wonderful. And the Inquisitorial Squad—giving students a voice and the chance for responsibility if they don't get chosen for Prefects… I think that's a brilliant idea. I do wish Malfoy and his little group hadn't taken her up on it because I'm sure they'll abuse it—especially the house points…" Cho sighed and Edgecombe made a face that suggested she agreed with Cho on that, at least. "But then, maybe, once she's fixed all that, she could find someone else to teach Defence… maybe?" She smiled hopefully, almost coaxingly, at Edgecombe, who was silent for several long seconds.
"Black was a little bit handsome," she said finally, with a small smile back.
They seemed to have reached a truce—at least for the moment—and Cho was visibly relieved.
Ginny, who stopped to turn back to Gryffindor now that the conversation was at an end, was not.
"You can deliver any news to us directly, as you have the last few weeks," Crouch said, frowning at Severus. The younger man looked tired and had a patchy, stubbly beard shadowing his face. Pettigrew looked little better; his hair looked to be in dire need of a cut and brush, and he had bags under his eyes. Whatever their project was, it was clearly taking a toll.
"It is for the Dark Lord's ears first and foremost." Crouch and Pettigrew exchanged a long look.
"By all means, then," Crouch said eventually. Though his voice was heavy with foreboding, the fact that he was even allowing Severus to try was an improvement on the last month. "It'll be your funeral."
"Ours too, if he decides Snape's wasted his time," Pettigrew muttered, and Crouch grimaced, but made no move to stop Severus from moving past him.
Had Severus been alone, he would have hesitated at the door—taken a few extra moments to compose himself, perhaps—but with Pettigrew and Crouch both watching him, that was not an option.
He knocked once, soft but firm.
After two long seconds, there was a hissed, "Enter," from within.
Severus strode inside and shut it behind him. Then he spun and knelt as fluidly as he could manage with his wooden leg.
"Rise, Severus," the Dark Lord said, and that was better than being killed on the spot, but only just; the Dark Lord did not sound particularly pleased, and he held his wand between long, pale fingers, as if waiting for an excuse to use it. Severus would have felt better with his own wand in his hand, though the pragmatist in him knew it would do little good.
He rose.
They were in the same room as they had been when he last met with the Dark Lord, to share the prophecy; a sort of drawing room-library hybrid, with wooden floors, and forest green wallpaper on the walls not covered by bookshelves or portraits of Crouch ancestors, and several surfaces bore scorch marks, like they'd borne the Dark Lord's anger. A marble fireplace burned low on one side of the room, despite it being a mild night; Nagini was coiled in front of it, and still, though her eyes were on him. Almost every surface in the room was covered in books—piles of them which had been read or were waiting to be read, and open ones he was not done with yet. The titles were as varied as they were concerning; Magycks of the Middle Ages, Modern Magic, The Sorcerer's Guide to Spellworking, Recherche Rituals, Beastly Bewitchments of a Bygone Era, The Wonders of Wandlore—
"What news do you have that you feel merits this disruption?" the Dark Lord asked. It was a dangerous question—loaded—and the words were backed by a feather light brush of the Dark Lord's legillimency. Severus dragged his eyes away from the books and did not have to work hard to appear apologetic.
"A report from tonight's Order of the Phoenix meeting," he said. The Dark Lord's knuckles flexed around his wand. Severus pretended not to notice, but braced himself.
"Wormtail is overseeing our Order counter-actvities," the Dark Lord said.
"Of course," Severus agreed. "I felt it prudent to update you on a few things personally, however. The first is that Quirrell has joined the Order under the alias Cyril Quentin." The Dark Lord and Nagini both hissed at that, in unnerving tandem.
"Quirrell never struck me as one for heroics or sacrifice," the Dark Lord said. "Why? As a favour to Dumbledore?"
"Unlikely," Severus said; the Vow between Dumbledore and Quirrell would have prevented that, seen it as Dumbledore directly or indirectly turning Quirrell over to the Ministry, since a number of the Order's members worked for it. "Truthfully I know little about Quirrell's motivations, though if I were to make an educated guess, I'd think Potter was more behind it than Dumbledore."
The Dark Lord hissed again, though this time he must actually have said something; Nagini responded in kind, though whatever she said did little to calm her master.
"The second…" Severus paused for just a moment, to make sure the Dark Lord was willing to let him move on, "is regarding the boy's contributions to the meeting." The Dark Lord looked interested despite himself, and even more irritable as a result. He waved his hand—the hand holding his wand, which sparked—for Severus to continue. "He claims no interest in power for himself, but went as far as to suggest overthrowing the Ministry; while they're against Potter and Dumbledore, they are—in essence—supporting you… or at least, that is Potter's take on the matter." The Dark Lord was silent, silent enough that Severus could only assume he agreed, as both Quirrell and the Headmaster had said he would.
"Anything else?" the Dark Lord asked after several long moments. "I hope for your sake, Severus, that there is…"
"One more thing," Severus said, inclining his head. "One that Draco brought to my attention several weeks ago, but that I did not have proper context for until tonight… In the face of Dolores Umbridge's presence at the school and apparent lack of understanding of the subject, students—Potter included—have banded together to practice Defence Against the Dark Arts extracurricularly." The Dark Lord's wand twitched. "Wait!" Severus said holding up a hand which would do nothing at all to protect him if the Dark Lord decided to follow through. "I thought from Draco's report that it was a small group—Potter, Draco, a Weasley or two, Granger… nothing surprising or significant, but it's more. Much more." The Dark Lord said nothing, but that was reassuring; it was an invitation to keep speaking. "There are at least fifty students involved—" The Dark Lord's eyes twitched just a fraction wider at that. "—and a good number of those are members of the Order themselves, though it would seem many are not." Severus hesitated. "I cannot speak for all members of this group, but at the very least it is clear those present tonight answer to Potter; they would have continued to conceal the group's existence from even the Headmaster had Potter wished it, and it was made clear that, while a number of them serve the Order, the group itself does not." It was a risk, revealing this, and not one he had consulted either Draco or the Headmaster about beforehand. Severus found himself holding his breath for several seconds, waiting, before he caught himself. He took a more normal breath.
"And Dumbledore?" the Dark Lord asked, as Severus had hoped he would. "How did he react to this news of Potter's bid for power?"
"Surprised, initially," Severus said. "There is little that goes on at the school without him knowing about it, but this, it seems, makes that list. From there he seemed unfazed—as he often is, though I cannot attest to any conversations which may have happened since; the Headmaster did request a private conversation with Potter when the meeting concluded." He did not mention that others had been invited to stay for that too; this was a Draco-inspired style of misdirection through the provision of partial, fully truthful details and Severus' own opinions to—hopefully—steer the Dark Lord's perception of them.
If Severus was correct, the Dark Lord would likely take what he saw as Potter's bid for power or independence and try to use it to create tension in the Order, to try to divide them. There was too much loyalty to Dumbledore in the Order—including from Potter himself—for that to happen, and the Headmaster did not see differences in opinion or approach as dissent, the way the Dark Lord did in his own ranks. They were united by a common goal and it would either see them through, or see them all go down together. The Dark Lord could try though; it would be another distraction for him and another project for his Death Eaters, that would be ultimately unsuccessful and a complete waste of time.
But, the Dark Lord did not start asking Severus to sow dissent, or ask him to have Draco do it from Potter's side. For almost a minute he said nothing at all.
Unease niggled at Severus.
"My Lord?" he asked delicately, at the two-minute mark. "Shall I—"
"Do nothing," the Dark Lord said sharply, and there was a very faint but still very much there shrillness to the instruction. "You shall do nothing—take no actions, and speak to no one of this. Leave it out of your report to Wormtail, and if you cannot get away with omitting it from your inevitable report of this conversation to Dumbledore—" His pale, thin lip curled. "—lie."
"And tell him what?" Severus dared to ask; the Dark Lord had begun to pace, bare feet padding softly on the ground, and dark robes swishing behind him. The Dark Lord—though he was clearly thinking—looked more like a cornered animal than anything.
"Tell him Lord Voldemort is amused," Lord Voldemort told Severus, who was standing warily by the door, "that it would seem his hold on Potter is slipping, and that the state of education at Hogwarts is such that a fifteen year old is running secret classes to make up for it." He forced a laugh and wondered if Severus could see through it.
"Yes, my Lord." Severus inclined his head, and gave no sign that he could. "Is that all?"
"Yes," Lord Voldemort replied. Severus nodded, but he bowed and left with enough haste to suggest Lord Voldemort was not the only one unnerved by their conversation.
"Unsssettled," Nagini observed from her place by the fire. Lord Voldemort snarled at her and she gave an irritable flick of her tail. "Ssseverusss makesss you unsssettled."
Of late, Severus had been a bringer of ill tidings; first the prophecy, which, while Lord Voldemort had so craved to know it in full, felt more like a curse than a blessing. He was still working through its implications, still working to ensure there was a minimal chance of Potter possessing or engaging in any magic Lord Voldemort did not know. And now this…
Dumbledore cannot protect you, or those who fight alongside you, Voldemort had told Potter in June. But you can, Harry, and I can. He had said it to alienate Potter from Dumbledore, to show Potter that he—Lord Voldemort—was far more deserving of loyalty, was far more trustworthy, was far more powerful, and he'd thought the entire exercise a complete and infuriating failure until now. But now, it seemed he may have half-succeeded... Still not in winning Potter to his side, but in alienating Potter from Dumbledore.
Dumbledore's effectiveness had been diminishing for some time but the Ministry's smear campaign and Umbridge's efforts at Hogwarts would soon bring it to an end entirely. The Order would crumble with him and Potter would have no choice but to turn to the Ministry for protection, and from there he'd be vulnerable and dead shortly after.
But if Potter was intending to make a side all of his own and managed it before all that happened… Lord Voldemort had never considered that he would.
But it seemed Potter—at fifteen—had managed to do what Lord Voldemort never had, and secure himself a position teaching—however illegitimately—at Hogwarts. That would give him influence over his peers, and Severus had said a good number of them were in the Order. Since the rest of the Order consisted largely of the likes of Black, the Lupins and Weasleys, and—now—Quirrell, there was a good chance that—if they were made to choose—they'd side with Potter.
And so would others. A Potter who'd broken away from Dumbledore would appeal to all those Dumbledore had never been able to win over, and others besides; Potter was popular, Potter was liked and trusted, despite all the Prophet's work. The Ministry wouldn't like it—it would make everything Lucius had been putting in Fudge's head true—but with enough public support, that might not matter.
And Dumbledore, Dumbledore would never give up his efforts to thwart Lord Voldemort, and would certainly never join him. If his influence and popularity went and he was forced to relinquish the school and the Order, he'd cling to the one thing he could; Potter. He would still be in play to advise Potter, and protect Potter, and Potter would be a fool not to let him, not to use him.
Potter was many things, but he was not—generally—a fool.
But not all was lost. There was time, now, thanks to Severus' warning; it had, Lord Voldemort could—begrudgingly—admit, been a necessary interruption.
He swept to the door, ignoring Nagini's enquiring hiss, and pulled it open. Severus, Wormtail, and Bartemius looked over, surprised and with no small amount of fear. Lord Voldemort felt something in him settle at that.
"Summon Lucius," he said. "Immediately."