Author's note: Holy guacamole, we've hit 100 chapters! Super proud to share this part of the story, so I went ahead and dropped this one a few days early. Huge thank you goes out to all the folks who take the minute to leave comments after reading a chapter. Y'all don't know how much of an encouragement you are!
GinnyPotter6891 - Sorry for the confusion on the teams. The final competition was the Unity Cup, where each team had to have one person from each house. The explanation was several chapters back, which means almost two months in real time, so I probably should have reiterated those conditions. Glad you liked the action sequences! As for holidays, here's an early chapter for a late Christmas gift to y'all! Thanks for keeping up with my story for 100 chapters!
Harry and Ginny on top - Glad that you enjoyed the tournament! I worried that it might be more action than folks might prefer, so I hope the character moments I added within those events shone through. I may have a little fluff for you in this chapter… Thanks for commenting!
Melissa Cox - Thanks for reading and commenting!
Hereforhinny - I'm so thrilled that you thought the tournament was a fun read! I poured a lot of thought into differentiating the events and trying to make the action sequences enjoyable. I love when I write something that comes as a surprise to readers, but that they think makes sense in hindsight, so your kind words about their use of wards was really encouraging. Thanks so much for your comment!
Chapter 100
Though Harry often thought that Ginny was most beautiful when flying about in quidditch gear, her hair pulled back in a windswept ponytail, the sight of her in her golden gown and with her hair flowing down over her shoulders reminded him that she could stun without ever lifting her wand. He thought she almost glided down the stairs from the girls' dormitory as the bottom of her dress hovered just above the ground. When the flickering candlelight struck the gown just right as she moved, golden flecks shimmered the light back onto the stonework around her. She had blushed at his gaze as he blinked as if brought into the noonday sunshine from a deep cavern. A warm smile spread across Harry's face, even though his ability to speak failed as Ginny sauntered across the common room toward him.
Harry's use of words returned as the two walked from Gryffindor Tower toward the Great Hall. They talked about the tournament and how different matches had played out. Ginny relayed how she'd overwhelmed Anthony's defenses before springing an ambush on Daphne as the Slytherin attempted to make her way back to the base with the flag. Harry wasn't surprised at how well she'd done, but still felt a surge of pride as he listened to her recount how she ousted her opponents.
Strolling down the corridor, his fingers interlaced with Ginny's, Harry felt a renewed sense of eager anticipation. After a week filled with end-of-term projects and the stresses of entering three different tournament events, an evening spent enjoying time with his girlfriend loomed as a welcome respite.
The corridors were dotted with small contingents of first, second, and third years who weren't old enough to attend the ball. Many stared with wide eyes as Ginny and Harry passed by. While there was a chance the added attention was due to their excellence in the tournament, Harry nudged his girlfriend when a half dozen second years began chattering the moment the two passed.
Entering the Great Hall was much less of an ordeal than at the previous ball. Instead of queueing nervously with the other Triwizard champions and their dates before proceeding with all eyes on them, Harry and Ginny simply walked into the room and found a place at a round table set for twelve. Seamus and Theo were already seated next to each other, with Hermione and Blaise alongside them.
"Not a bad night for Gryffindor and Slytherin pairings!" laughed Ginny as she noted Theo's hand in Seamus'. The table only grew louder when Ron, Padma, Parvati, and Luna joined the group, followed soon after by Dean and Lavender. Harry noted his best mate appeared frustrated about something, but didn't get a chance to figure out what before the banquet was served.
The house elfs had truly outdone themselves. Harry's mouth watered as dish after dish appeared in the middle of the table. Their early lunch before the final was a distant memory as he began piling his plate with roasted chicken and buttery potatoes. By the time their plates were magicked away and dessert shimmered into existence, Harry thought Professor McGonagall might have requested the kitchen make extra delicious food just to weigh down the students and make them less likely to sneak off for potential rule breaking. That possibility didn't stop him from downing an extra large piece of treacle tart.
As they were finishing their desserts, Theo caught Harry's eye. The Slytherin was the quietest person at the table and was in the running for least-talkative sixth year, so his furtive glance caught Harry off guard. He got up from his seat next to Seamus and walked close to Harry, pouring iced pumpkin juice into his glass.
"Hey. Just so you know, Draco has been acting odd the last few days. Not sure what he's been up to, but he seems to think it's working out." The Slytherin looked slightly nervous, but maintained a quiet, steady voice. He finished filling his glass, took a sip, and then topped it off with a little more from the pitcher. "Figured it would be worth it to let you know."
"Thanks for the warning," replied Harry quietly with a gracious nod. "I'll be on the lookout and can let some other people know who'd be interested."
Before Theo could return to his seat, McGonagall's magnified voice rang out across the hall requesting that everyone stand aside so that the staff could remove the tables and ready the dancefloor. Excited chattering broke out across the Great Hall as the students watched the room transform before their eyes, while the band readied themselves to play. Ginny snaked her arms around Harry from behind and squeezed his midsection, causing him to second-guess the amount he'd eaten for dinner. Even so, he smiled back at her from over his shoulder.
"Would you like to dance?"
~RLM~
Nearly two hours later, swaying back and forth on the dancefloor late into the evening with Ginny's cheek pressed against his chest, Harry couldn't help feeling grateful. Despite all the time and effort he'd spent on the Dueling Tournament events, these moments alongside his girlfriend felt like a well-earned reward.
The Winter's Ball was much less fancy than the Yule Ball had been two years prior. The decorations were less opulent, many of the gowns and dress robes weren't as resplendent, and the Great Hall felt emptier without the Beauxbatons and Durmstrang students present. The band playing was a little-known group called the Willy Pinkles. Even though Parvati had assured anyone who would listen that they were the next big thing in music during dinner, they certainly lacked the star power of the Weird Sisters.
While some of the older students complained at dinner that the Winter's Ball was inferior in comparison, Harry preferred this year's dance by a wide margin. There was no opening dance for Harry to nervously muddle through and fewer eyes focused on him from all sides. Instead of sharing a meal with a braggadocious Ludo Bagman, an overly formal version of Percy from two years ago, and a Roger Davies bent on becoming more familiar with Fleur, he'd been surrounded by a raucous group of friends eager to recount their favorite moments from the week's tournament. Harry even felt reasonably confident about dancing with Ginny, thoroughly enjoying their time together under the hundreds of flickering stars shining down from the enchanted ceiling.
Yet Harry felt that the biggest change from two years prior was with Ginny. Instead of hesitantly speaking in hushed tones, hoping not to give her the wrong idea, Harry laughed loudly at her jokes and teased her back almost as much as she gave it to him. He didn't fear upsetting Ron with closeness to his best mate's sister and even handed her off for a quick Chaser / Keeper dance with her brother. Though the mysteries of the rogue memory hadn't all been resolved, Harry no longer worried about how what he'd seen might affect his relationship with Ginny. In fact, he thought that things had worked out quite well for him since the fateful night when the glowing memory had taken him by surprise.
"Trouble brewing," whispered Ginny under her breath, so low that Harry could barely hear her over the conclusion of a song. Harry broke from his introspection and pulled away from his girlfriend just enough to see where her eyes were locked.
From across the Great Hall, Harry could see Ron gesticulating with both hands. His glass of punch appeared to be sloshing onto the floor as he argued with Padma, who seemed incensed. Several nearby students looked on from closer quarters, while others shifted away from what appeared to be an awkward confrontation. Harry didn't exactly want to watch the disagreement unfold, but couldn't tear his eyes from the scene. He couldn't hear them over the sound of the band beginning their next ballad, but he very clearly saw Padma jab a finger into Ron's chest twice. Ron's head tilted back into what Harry thought was likely a derisive eye roll. With that, Padma turned on the spot and stormed out of the Great Hall, leaving Ron behind.
"That didn't look great," muttered Harry, trying to continue moving enough to be considered dancing instead of standing and staring.
"No kidding," replied Ginny quietly. She swayed with Harry for a few more moments before asking, "Has Ron said anything about how things have been going with Padma?"
Without meaning to, Harry let out a snort of a laugh.
Ginny smirked and lay her head back on Harry's chest as they moved. "How do boys spend so much time together without ever talking about things?"
"I dunno. We mostly talk about other stuff: quidditch, defense club, and… err… classes?"
"You're no help," she laughed to herself. "The two of them have been a bit off for a while now. It wouldn't surprise me if they call it quits."
"If that isn't what just happened," added Harry. "I think Ron's competitiveness got the better of him after you knocked them out in the quarter-finals."
"Not to take his side, but Padma definitely wasn't trying her hardest," admitted Ginny. "Ron just takes this kind of stuff really seriously. Quidditch, the tournament…"
She trailed off as her brother stomped to the refreshments table and angrily poured himself more punch.
"Do you mind if I go check on him?" asked Harry. "We could both go if you want to come."
"If you have to," conceded Ginny, twirling away and robbing Harry of the warmth her presence had provided. "Come get me after you give him a pep talk, but you've got to bring at least some semblance of juicy details!"
Ginny made her way through the dancefloor to where several quidditch girls were dancing in a circle around a pile of uncomfortable shoes. Demelza and Kat saw her coming and made space for her to join. Harry watched his girlfriend kick off her shoes and begin dancing alongside her friends before he waded through the mass of humanity separating him from the refreshments table and Ron.
The second-youngest Weasley was in a much worse mood than his sister by the time Harry arrived. He sat slouched down in a chair, his long legs splayed out in front of him.
"Hey, Ron," offered Harry without confidence, unsure of how best to approach his friend. Ron let out a grunt of acknowledgement but said nothing else as Harry pulled up a chair. A voice in the back of Harry's head wanted him to simply sit quietly until Ron decided to talk, but his discomfort won out. "What happened?"
Ron swore.
"She ditched me," muttered Ron sullenly. He shook his head slowly back and forth before downing the rest of his drink. Not knowing what to say, Harry leaned back in his chair and waited for Ron to offer further explanation.
"It's been coming for a while," he continued under his breath, scowling out at the mass of students on the dancefloor. "Been fighting a lot, mostly about dumb stuff. Apparently I 'take competition too seriously.' Not my fault there's a war going on and I want to get better at dueling…."
Harry thought his friend made a reasonable point, though Padma hadn't been wrong about Ron being overly competitive about the tournament. Despite seeing both sides, he decided to keep those thoughts to himself.
"Think you'll try to patch things up?" asked Harry, slumping down slightly to match Ron's body language and peering out at the other students dancing.
Ron stared across the Great Hall for a few long moments before responding with a sigh.
"I dunno…probably not."
Harry nodded. He grabbed Ron's cup and stood, refilling it from a large bowl that was enchanted to look like a frozen pond dotted with ice skaters holding hands. He grabbed a cup for himself before returning to sit back down next to his friend. Ron gave a small noise of acknowledgment as he took his cup and tapped it against Harry's. The two sat quietly for several minutes as they sipped, looking out at the swath of students enjoying themselves.
"Bloody school balls," muttered Ron as Owen excitedly led Rebecca by the hand to the dancefloor, taking a position not far from where Blaise and Hermione were swaying next to Seamus and Theo. "Next time Dumbledore announces one of these damned things, remind me not to even bother showing up."
"Maybe the third time's the charm?" suggested Harry, only to receive a rude hand gesture in reply. "Fair enough. I'm going to go find Ginny unless you want me to stick here with you."
"No, get out of here," replied Ron with a wave of his hand. "I'm heading back to the tower anyway."
Harry hopped up out of his chair and offered his hand to his friend, pulling him up onto his feet. "You could always stop by the kitchens on the way. I'll bet Dobby wouldn't mind whipping something up for you."
Ron let out a huff of a laugh. "Not a bad idea! I knew I kept you around for a reason."
"'Night, Ron."
The two made their way in opposite directions, only for the entire castle to shudder beneath their feet. The music screeched to a halt and a few students let out cries of surprise.
Harry's eyes swept across the Great Hall as Ron rushed back to where he stood.
"What the hell was that?" shouted Ron as he looked toward the ceiling and walls. "It felt like the whole castle shook!"
"No idea, but I don't like it," replied Harry. He couldn't see Ginny through the crowd. Many of the students were looking around frantically, unsure of what to do. The room filled almost instantly with the sound of dozens of frightened conversations.
"ATTENTION STUDENTS!" Professor McGonagall's magically magnified voice cut through the din of the panicked Great Hall. All eyes turned to the Deputy Headmistress as she deftly climbed up to where the band had been playing so everyone could see her. "RETURN TO YOUR COMMON ROOMS AT ONCE. PREFECTS AND DEFENSE LEADERS, HELP ENSURE THAT YOUR HOUSEMATES ARRIVE SAFELY. STAFF WILL SWEEP THE CASTLE."
Professor McGonagall's urgency startled Harry. From the shocked look of nearby students, he wasn't the only one. The swiftness with which she commanded the dissolution of the final half hour of the night's festivities indicated something was deeply wrong. Though she was doing her best to exude calm, Harry could see lines of worry on the professor's face.
"HEADS OF HOUSE, PROCEED TO YOUR COMMON ROOMS AND MAKE CERTAIN ALL OF YOUR STUDENTS ARE ACCOUNTED FOR. PROFESSORS SINESTRA AND WEASLEY WILL FILL IN FOR SLYTHERIN AND GRYFFINDOR. YOU ARE DISMISSED."
For a few moments, Harry thought the Great Hall might descend into chaos. Students scurried to and fro, bumping into each other in a panic and shouting in fright. A fourth year Ravenclaw got knocked to the ground nearby, and Harry only just managed to pull her back to her feet before a swath of older students stomped across the floor where she'd just been sprawled.
Suddenly, a shower of yellow sparks erupted from a corner of the Great Hall. Harry's eyes darted in that direction and he instinctively pulled out his wand. Instead of an attacker, Professor Sprout had climbed atop a chair, her wand aloft and spewing her house colors into the air.
"Hufflepuffs, to me!" she yelled into the bedlam.
Blue sparks flew into the air from another corner as Professor Flitwick followed suit. Across the Great Hall, Professor Sinestra and Bill ran toward opposite corners with their wands pointed up. Two showers of sparks, one green and one red, followed them as they hurried to points where they could stage an exit.
The chaos lessened as students pressed toward where their house was gathering. There was still a good deal of jostling, but Harry noticed some of the intensity of the panic subsided as students moved toward their professors. When he and Ron reached Bill and the other assembled Gryffindors, Hermione was nearly done helping the young professor account for all their housemates. Ginny hugged both of the boys tightly, even with her wand clenched in her fist.
"That's everyone I know of who came to the ball. Are we missing anyone else?" Hermione's voice was tinged with uncertainty as she stared at a scrap of parchment she'd used to write and then cross off names. Other prefects piped up to confirm their years were accounted for. With a grave look, she gave Bill a nod.
"Alright, everyone follow me and stay close," instructed Bill, determination etched on his face. "Wands out and at the ready, but remember that anyone we run into is more likely to be a professor or a student wandering the halls than some sort of attacker. That said, there's a war, and we don't know what's going on. Let's go!"
The ultra-serious version of Bill Weasley that had shown himself during the attack in Hogsmeade reassured Harry a bit, but the idea of attackers within the castle was unsettling. Ron, Ginny, and Harry hung near the back of the swath of Gryffindors while they swiftly moved through the corridors and staircases toward their tower. The three kept a sharp eye out for any sign of trouble behind their group, but their tense trek was not interrupted.
The Fat Lady was abuzz when the group finally made it to her portrait, desperately asking for news and confirmation of gossip that was already traveling amongst the paintings, but her desire for knowledge went unquenched when Hermione gave the password and Bill ushered the students inside.
"Alright, prefects, I need a count of all students. Confirm that every year is accounted for; if someone's not here, I want to know. Get to it!"
"What's going on?" asked Colin with more than a hint of fear in his voice as Hermione, Ron, and the other prefects hurried toward the dormitories.
"I don't know yet," replied Bill. "That shaking felt an awful lot like a powerful ward coming undone. Hogwarts has more enchantments and wards on it than just about anywhere, but whatever caused such a huge tremor had to have an obscene amount of power behind it."
Katie's shoulders tensed next to Ginny. "Is the castle unprotected?"
Bill frowned but shook his head. "No, I don't think so. We would've felt it if the wards cascaded down. It would have been more than just the one big shake. But I can test it out, just to be certain."
He drew in a deep breath and stared at the other side of the room in concentration. After a few moments, he released his held breath.
"Yeah, the wards are still up. Still can't apparate inside of Hogwarts. Whatever ward fell must have been standing on its own and not fully woven into the castle's older wards. Hopefully that means it's not some sort of direct assault on Hogwarts."
Several of the students gathered around Bill let out audible sighs of relief. A few had further questions, but the eldest Weasley didn't have much more to offer. Students either wandered to the couches to relax or made their way up to their dormitories to change out of their dress robes.
Ginny and Harry remained with Bill until the prefects returned, each relaying that the students they'd checked on were all accounted for. In turn, Bill gave them the same explanation he'd described for the other students. Though a twinge of frustration flared from a few seventh years that the night had been cut short for what might have been a false alarm, most of the students were good sports about the frenetic end to the evening.
After he'd sent a patronus accounting for all the Gryffindor students, Bill received a reply from McGonagall asking him to remain in the common room for the night. A wave of his wand transfigured a couch near the fireplace into a bed, and he borrowed some pajamas from the younger but taller Ron to sleep more comfortably while keeping watch.
At a quarter after midnight, Bill finished shooing the remaining students out of the common room and toward their dormitories. Several couples took extra convincing, as they had apparently intended on saying goodnight deeper into the morning, but the young professor eventually managed to get all the students up to their dorms.
Harry couldn't manage to drift to sleep for a long time, especially after being extra meticulous on his Occlumency exercises. He nearly pulled out his mirror to check with Sirius, only deciding against the course of action when noticing the clock approaching one o'clock in the morning. Instead, he lay motionless in his bed. Unable to fall asleep, he stared at the ceiling and wondered what was going on.
The curtains surrounding his four poster ripped to the side, startling Harry out of his thoughts. Above him stood Bill, a look of deep concern etched into his face.
"Harry!" he whispered urgently. "Harry, wake up!"
Bolting upright in his bed, Harry fumbled for his glasses. "What's going on?"
"I just got word from McGonagall. She's sending Hagrid to relieve me, and wants both of us to meet her in Dumbledore's office."
Within two minutes, Harry and Bill were slipping out of the portrait hole and into the corridors, leaving behind an exceptionally sleepy and confused Hagrid in the Gryffindor common room. They hurried to the headmaster's office without talking, except for Bill's quietly cursing himself that he hadn't thought to enlarge the bed he'd conjured to fit Hagrid.
"Every Flavor Beans," announced Bill as they approached the gargoyle, which sprang to life and moved aside for them. The two bounded up the spiral staircase. Harry moved to knock at the double doors leading to Professor Dumbledore's office, but it swung open before his knuckles could make contact.
The green flames in the fireplace were still subsiding as they entered, arriving only seconds after Moody. Sirius and Remus stood huddled near a bookshelf, while Professor Flamel sat in her wheelchair next to Fawkes' empty perch, apparently in deep conversation with Professor McGonagall beside her. Sirius rushed forward to greet Harry as soon as he and Bill entered.
"Thank you for coming on such short notice," began McGonagall solemnly, rising from her chair to stand in front of Dumbledore's desk. "Several of our number were not able to meet tonight, so I believe it will just be the seven of us."
"Tonks would be here if she could," noted Remus. "She's on assignment tonight and couldn't get away."
"Quite reasonable. Severus is also unavailable for reasons I will explain shortly. As for the headmaster-"
Green flames bathed the room in an eerie light as a tall man emerged from the fireplace, his face deadly serious as he dusted soot from his cloak.
"Kingsley?!"
There was something like surprise and relief in McGonagall's voice, even as Moody trained his wand on his former protege.
"Let's have some proof first."
The man's face was stony, but he brandished his wand with a nod and conjured a silvery lynx before walking to a chair next to Remus and sitting down. Sirius attempted to give him an encouraging smile, but the auror's gaze remained focused on Dumbledore's empty seat. Harry didn't know what Kingsley's presence meant, but it felt jarring to see him once more amongst their number.
"The headmaster sent his phoenix with a note requesting I attend tonight's meeting," he explained quietly, frustration etched into his features. "He said that it was important enough to warrant my presence. I'm here against my better judgment."
Kingsley quickly introduced himself to Professor Flamel before retraining his gaze on McGonagall and the empty desk behind her.
"Albus left instructions for us to view a memory together. Squeezing seven around the Pensieve was already an unlikely proposition, making it all the more appealing to split into two groups." McGonagall pulled on the handle of one of Dumbledore's desk drawers. From within, she produced a small glass phial filled with a glowing white string.
"The urgency in his message made me believe he would be here to explain things himself. I've got half a mind to leave without indulging in his little game," muttered Kingsley as he pushed himself back out of his chair. "But something about being back here makes me want to stick around, even if it's going to end in disaster."
"We are imminently missable," said Sirius with a shrug. "But I think you're just curious."
Kingsley let out a rueful laugh and shook his head. "Damn my curiosity…."
Harry opted to view the memory with the second group of Sirius, Remus, and Kingsley, who planned to spend a few minutes bringing the auror up to speed on what the group had learned over the past six months. McGonagall led Perenelle, Bill, and Moody to the alcove where the Pensieve was stored and poured the contents of the phial into the basin. The swirling white strings sank into the dark waters before the four plunged their heads into the memory.
The late hour and the heavy discussion made it seem as though the other four were in the memory for quite some time, even though Dumbledore's clock indicated only a few minutes had passed. Harry cringed as Sirius explained the discovery of the sliver of Voldemort's soul that had attached to his scar. Kingsley's stern face softened at the reveal, even as he pulled out his notepad and began furiously scribbling notes about their theories regarding the horcrux within Nagini.
From behind Harry, the sound of the other four emerging from the Pensieve wrested Harry's attention away from the discussion. His eyes darted from one face to the next. McGonagall appeared aghast at what she'd seen, and the color had drained from Bill's face. Moody's countenance was even more serious than usual. Only Professor Flamel seemed unaffected by what she had seen.
Sirius loosed a potent swear before asking, "Well, what'd he want us to see?"
"It would be better for you to see for yourself rather than have us describe it for you." Perenelle flicked her wand and began rolling back to the circle of chairs as she continued. "I would advise you to do so right away. We will have much to discuss when you have finished."
Harry's eyes fell upon the stricken Professor McGonagall, who looked almost ready to contradict her fellow professor. Instead, she nodded stiffly and strode to seat herself next to Perenelle.
Soon, the four were all bent over the basin. Harry peered into the Pensieve, took a deep breath, and plunged his face into the dark waters.
~RLM~
With a gasp, Harry opened his eyes to find himself back in Dumbledore's office. He blinked a few times and rubbed his eyes, wondering whether something had gone wrong. Looking back at the headmaster's desk, he saw Professor Dumbledore in his chair facing Professor Snape, who stood in the fading light of one of the windows. The circle of chairs they had left behind and the four who had viewed the memory first were no longer there, with all but one chair returned to their usual positions. Realization dawned on Harry that they were viewing a memory set in the very office they had just left.
Kingsley and Remus moved forward on the left to listen to the conversation between the headmaster and his spy, while Sirius approached from the right. Harry stepped a bit toward Sirius so that he could see both the Potions Master and Dumbledore.
Snape's expression was dour, even more so than Harry thought he usually looked. Something Dumbledore had said just before the memory materialized seemed to have set him off.
"The Dark Lord's warding of Malfoy Manor remains intact. He is certain that it is impenetrable, even for a phoenix."
"That is to be expected," replied Dumbledore calmly. "My pressing concern is your ability to safely escape with young Draco and the serpent once the battle commences. Despite his professed desire to reap the reward of delivering me to his master, he would be in far too great of danger if allowed to remain nearby. You must bring him to safety so he is uninjured in the duel to follow and does not end up as a hostage."
"You believe the Dark Lord would think to use the boy as a hostage to hold you at bay?" scoffed Snape derisively.
"I doubt it would enter his mind that I would value Draco's life so highly," admitted Dumbledore softly. "But you know as well as I that such a gambit would be successful. I would not go through with this necessary action if young Mr. Malfoy were threatened."
"Such unwarranted charity spent on the boy plotting to kill you, yet you spare no thought for your own skin?"
"Draco may yet still choose a better path than that which he currently walks. By removing him, you secure him that opportunity while ensuring my task can be completed."
"And if I must choose between securing the snake or Draco?"
Harry felt his own heart pounding in his chest as the headmaster steepled his fingers.
"I believe you are fully capable of doing both, Severus, though I trust your judgment should the need arise to make difficult decisions."
Over the first few years of Harry's time at Hogwarts, there were few people whom Harry disliked as much as Severus Snape. Even after less excruciating Potions classes, grueling yet useful Occlumency lessons, and numerous hours in Advanced Defense, the man could cause a knot in Harry's stomach with a sneer or a cutting word.
But staring at the pained expression on Snape's face, Harry felt a sense of the agonized obligation the man was experiencing. Anger and a hint of betrayal swam in Snape's eyes as he stared unblinkingly at Dumbledore, who gazed back serenely. They stared at each other for long moments, neither giving an inch.
Finally, with a scowl of frustration, Snape swore and turned away toward a window.
"The Dark Lord may be surrounded by any number of his Death Eaters when you arrive, but the Lestranges, Avery, Dolohov, and Crouch are most likely," he counted off in quick succession. "Greyback is not expected for another two days, though he is unpredictable. "
Dumbledore nodded solemnly but looked unsatisfied. "I need to know if any other beings will be on the premises. Any who my presence might endanger."
"Narcissa tries to keep her distance during such meetings," replied Snape, his voice dripping with frustration. "The Malfoys have a new house-elf they call Mabby who will be at the ready in case the Dark Lord calls and the only two prisoners were given over to Greyback at the last full moon."
Dumbledore gazed at Snape with piercing blue eyes. "And you are confident that there will be no others? None who might be mistakenly killed by a duel between myself and Tom?"
"Yes."
"Very well," said Dumbledore as he stood from his chair. "I will prepare myself for what must be done while you collect Draco. I will expect you both in a quarter hour's time."
Harry's eyes darted from the look of disbelief on Snape's face to the similar expressions plastered upon the others watching the memory. The professor started to say something else to Dumbledore, but the headmaster had already begun fiddling with one of the trinkets on a nearby shelf. With more pain than Harry had ever thought the professor could possibly feel, Snape turned away and swept out of the room. Before the door closed, Albus whispered something softly to himself.
The headmaster's shoulders sagged immensely as he tinkered with the weights on the trinket. Twice Harry heard a sniffle and watched from behind as the man, who suddenly seemed so elderly, swiped away the tears that trickled down his cheeks and into his long, white beard.
When he finished whatever adjustments he had been making, he turned around and faced the middle of the room. With red eyes and trembling hands, Albus Dumbledore slowly began to speak.
"My friends, thank you for joining me. I wish to relay information that I trust you will use well. As you have no doubt guessed, the time has now come for our gambit to secure the horcrux within Nagini.
"Though I do not believe this night's actions will be enough to defeat Voldemort, I sincerely hope that I can provide the opportunity for you to delve into the unknown waters of removing a horcrux from a living being. Once the sliver of soul within the snake and within Harry are excised, Voldemort will be mortal once more. I think it likely that the loss of his snake will be overshadowed by his victory over me."
A choked sob from Remus was accompanied by a low gasp of breath from Kingsley. A full understanding was still eluding Harry as he watched the headmaster continue as Sirius' grip on his shoulder tightened. Though the memory of Dumbledore had been speaking to an empty room, Harry felt like the aged man's bright blue eyes were searching through time and space to meet his green ones. With a sad smile, the headmaster continued.
"Though these words may ring hollow after so much time has elapsed and without being made in person, I must apologize for my failings over the summer." Dumbledore gathered himself and took a deep breath before plunging ahead. "For choosing to cast an Unforgivable and convincing you all to go along with my plan. For the pressure I exerted on Remus to coerce him into searching additional vaults, despite knowing full well why we ought not. For the lies to Kingsley that led to the splintering of our group. For the hardships you have endured because of my actions. For these and more, I am deeply sorry."
With a dawning realization, Harry knew that this was goodbye. The sorrow drowning Dumbledore's blue eyes was unmistakable. Harry covered his mouth with his hand as hot tears began to burn his eyes.
"My greatest hope is that this group will succeed in the task before you and that my actions tonight will aid you along the way. Imperfect as I am, I hope you each know that my love for you has never wavered and that I am exceedingly proud of you all."
Albus Dumbledore wiped his eyes one last time. His lip quivered slightly as he gave his best attempt at a parting smile. Through the tears, Harry thought there was almost a hint of the twinkling in his eyes.
"Goodbye, my friends. May you build a world in which love has room to grow."