Author's note: Thanks for so much positive feedback on the last chapter and throughout the buildup to 100 chapters! I really appreciate how so many have encouraged me along the way. With this chapter and one more in two weeks, we will be done with this arc of the story, which means I'll be spending February preparing for the final arc. Hope you're ready for what's on the way!

GinnyPotter6891 - "Heart-racingly effective" is high praise, indeed! I had some fun writing Harry be overwhelmed by Ginny early in the chapter, even though I knew where things were heading. I'd planned for Ron and Padma to not last nearly this long, but I really grew to appreciate her more and more as I wrote about her character. I hate writing interpersonal conflict / breakups, but I promised myself to split them to make way for some other plans I've got in mind. Sorry for the rough RLM ending of 2024, but there will be good times again in 2025. Just maybe not in this particular chapter… Thanks for encouraging me every step of the way on this absolute marathon of a fic!

Foster-the-Wizards - Thanks for reading and dropping a comment!

Hereforhinny - Your comment about Dumbledore makes sense. My thought was that the headmaster wasn't meaning to be intentional cryptic, but instead attempting to reassure Snape that he had confidence in his capabilities as well as how the man would adjudicate the situation. Instead of telling him what the correct choice should be, Dumbledore wanted Snape to know that he trusted his spy's decision-making. I could still see it being frustrating for Snape, but Dumbledore wasn't refusing to answer simply to be a jerk.

Glad you liked Harry's reflections about the difference between the two dances. When it comes to Ron and Padma, I don't think either are exactly wrong; they're just both teenagers trying to sort out what they want in the middle of an intense war. Young romances usually don't work out perfectly, but I didn't think either of them deserved to get thrown under the bus. They broke up and I think that'll be okay for both of them.

Thanks for dropping so many encouraging comments throughout this story! They mean a lot to me!

Harry and Ginny on top - I'm glad I'm not the only Dumbledore fan here! It may seem like I don't like his character at times, but I think he's fascinating and incredibly fun to write. I didn't want to have him be an omnipotent character who's always good and right, but definitely had no interest in making him #ManipulativeDumbledore or a villain. He's not perfect, but he's trying really hard to do good. I was sad to kill him off, but I'm glad to give him some deep purpose behind his actions. And if you like Albus, you may enjoy this chapter… Thanks for leaving a comment!

Melissa Cox - Glad to have another person who enjoys Dumbledore's characterization as not an angel but not as bad as some consider him. Thanks for dropping your thoughts!

WBurrow2008 - You pose some interesting questions, but the answers may need to wait for a few chapters… No promises about where things are heading next, but we'll definitely get some more time at Hogwarts, though! Thanks for checking in with a comment!

scrappy8 - Appreciate you for providing so much encouragement over the past 100 chapters!

catech - Glad you like cliffhangers, because I might have another for you soon. Thanks for commenting!

Chapter 101

When Harry reemerged from the Pensieve into Dumbledore's office, dripping water from the basin mingled with the tears flowing down his cheeks.

At first, he couldn't bring himself to look at any of the others, but Remus' muffled sob forced his attention to the forlorn man who leaned on Sirius as if all the strength had fled from him. Kingsley had taken a few steps back from the Pensieve but stared at the basin as if trying to understand it for the first time.

Professor Flamel made a soft noise that drew Harry's attention as she indicated the seats in a circle near her. Bill was slumped in one of the nearer chairs, his shoulders sagging as if pressed upon by a great weight. Moody looked out into the early morning darkness, the electric blue of his magical eye reflecting in the pane of glass. Fawkes' perch was empty, and the fiery bird's absence left the room feeling cold. But it was the anguished look on Professor McGonagall that made Harry pause.

During his years at Hogwarts, he had seen many facets of the Deputy Headmistress' persona: the no-nonsense disciplinarian when he'd been caught out of bounds, especially early in his school career; the Quidditch aficionado supporting Gryffindor as passionately as any student; the accomplished duelist, capable of outclassing any other staff member one-on-one during their Advanced Defense sessions, except for the Headmaster; the tactical thinker when devising plans to hunt down and destroy horcruxes; the compassionate mentor, sincerely apologizing after they explored the Chamber of Secrets and supporting Remus through his toughest times. Though Harry thought he knew Professor McGonagall about as well as any student could, he had never seen her so distraught.

Sirius, Remus, Kingsley, and Harry slowly made their way to the circle of chairs. Moody remained by the window, but Harry guessed his magical eye was watching the group as they settled in. McGonagall drew herself up to her full height in her chair, dabbing away tears that seemed unlikely to stop falling anytime soon. Still, she steeled her resolve as she began to speak.

"Despite our planning and preparation, we face an uncertain future filled with great challenges. We do not yet know the outcome of Albus' gambit. While we await word of what transpired, perhaps it would be best to consider our group's next steps."

"We don't know what the next steps need to be until we figure out what happened at Malfoy Manor," growled Moody. It was the first time Harry had heard him speak since he'd arrived, and the gruff man's voice was even harsher than usual. "Have you heard from Snape?"

"I have not, but we expected as much," replied McGonagall. "Severus predicted that Voldemort would recall all of his Death Eaters after… After the duel. Albus believed that he would seize the moment to consolidate support, both among any of his followers who might doubt their master's capabilities and possibly potential allies."

"I wouldn't be surprised if Greyback uses it to push some of the wavering pack leaders to come to Voldemort's side," added Remus with frustration in his voice. "Some have been holding out and staying neutral, but losing Dumbledore might be more than they can withstand."

Moody swore vehemently, cutting off Remus.

"I'm not worried about the damned werewolves right now! We just lost our most powerful ally on an idiotic gambit, and we don't even know if it worked!" The scowl on Moody's scarred face deepened as his magical eye darted from person to person. "You may all trust that Albus was right about Snape, but I see through to the mark on his arm. If you're wrong about him-"

"Albus assured us that his trust in Severus was ironclad," countered McGonagall, her voice rising.

"And if he made a mistake?" spat Moody, his expression hard as he glowered at the professor. "What if we offered up Dumbledore on a silver platter and Voldemort knows we're wise to his horcruxes? He'd know which are destroyed, that we're after the snake, and that there's a bit of him attached to Potter!"

As the office descended into an argument, Harry hunched over in his chair. In truth, the thought of Snape relaying their plans to Voldemort had occurred to him when their group added members. Dumbledore had spoken with such certainty that Sirius' hesitations didn't manifest into full objections, but the idea had remained with Harry. It wasn't constant, but the nagging worry cropped up from time to time.

The debate was much more raw and emotional than most of the group's previous discussions. The searing pain of loss sharpened words while fears of an uncertain future raised defenses. A cutting barb from Moody that evoked Harry's precarious place in the plan caused the youngest member of the group to slump further, even as Sirius' angry retort was accompanied by gripping Harry's shoulder.

It was all more than Harry could take. He was exhausted from the tournament (Had he really been competing in the Unity Cup mere hours ago?) and the stress of the Winter's Ball abruptly ending, not to mention the exceedingly late hour.

The cacophony ceased the moment a silver doe bounded into the room. Wide eyes followed the ethereal deer as it moved toward Professor McGonagall, bending its head down to speak a message only she could hear. Once the message was conveyed, the doe dissolved into silvery wisps, leaving the others staring expectantly at the recipient.

With forced calm, McGonagall took out her wand and cast her patronus. The cat swiftly retreated the same way the doe had entered. With her message sent, she regarded the room.

"Severus will be arriving momentarily."

Moody scowled. "And if he shows up alongside Voldemort and an army of Death Eaters?"

"Then I shall perish as the shortest-tenured Headmistress this school has ever known," shot back McGonagall, a burning fury shining from eyes as she rose to stand at her full height. "I shall defend this school and her students to my last."

The former Auror did not shrink back in the face of McGonagall's righteous anger. Instead, the corner of his lips pulled up slightly as he allowed himself a low, mirthless laugh.

"That's a plan I can get behind. Comin' by floo?" asked Moody. McGonagall nodded. "Right then. Kingsley sets our defenses."

Shacklebolt wasted no time wondering whether such preparations were necessary, instead diving right into tactics.

"If it's an all-out attack, our priority is two-fold: we get Harry to safety and buy time for the rest of the students to escape. You two," Kingsley pointed at Bill and McGonagall. "Ready on the left side of the floo. You two," indicating Lupin and Perenelle. "Take the right side. Moody and I will take front and center, with Sirius and Harry behind us, ready to move if this is going to be a fight. You'll raise the alarm while we hold them off."

The group followed orders immediately, even as Kingsley continued giving instructions.

"Hold your spellfire until we know what's happening. Even if Voldemort himself steps through that fireplace, it's a bottleneck and they won't be able to bring reinforcements in quickly. If it is an attack, I want bombardas from either side to reduce that entry point to fine dust."

The office that had just been filled with a nearly explosive argument transformed into an ambush before Harry's eyes. He and Sirius moved near the door as Kingsley levitated the headmaster's desk into the middle of the room to provide cover while the other two contingents fortified their own positions.

The room lit up as green flames flashed within the fireplace. With eight wands trained on the spot, Severus Snape tentatively stepped out of the fire. The man looked utterly spent from his ordeal: sweat dripping down his face, hands shaking from exertion, and a face painted with a mixture of anguish and fury as he surveyed the array of witches and wizards awaiting his arrival. Keeping his wand hand aloft where the others could see it, he reached his other hand into a pocket within his cloak.

From within, he pulled out a small wooden chest. Despite his inhospitable welcome, he stepped forward into the center of the room and placed it upon the headmaster's desk, limping slightly as he moved. It produced a loud, heavy thump as if it were much larger than it appeared. The scowling potions master took a deep, ragged breath before addressing the room.

"It is done."

~RLM~

After dropping the chest, Snape refused to say anything other than a few quick words to confirm his identity. The Slytherin refused to make eye contact with any of the assembled group but made especially certain not to look anywhere in Harry's vicinity.

Though Harry was certain that all the others felt the same hunger for answers that gnawed at his mind, none seemed willing to be the first to ask the first question. Snape was doubled over, one hand on his knee and the other supporting himself by leaning on the headmaster's desk. After what felt like an interminable amount of time, Moody broke the uncomfortable silence.

"Care to tell us what happened?" growled the former Auror, his biological eye on Snape's face, even though his magical eye was still focused on the man's forearm.

For an instant, Harry thought Snape might pull out his wand and attack Moody, such was the look of fury on the Slytherin's face. Instead, he pulled a thin, silvery thread of memory from his temple, depositing it with disgust into the Pensieve. He scowled at the group as he swept for the exit. Moody's shout for him to stop was completely ignored, punctuated by the slam of the doors behind him.

Moody looked liable to chase the professor down and force him to answer questions but was cut off before he could make pursuit.

"Leave him, Mad-Eye," warned Sirius. There was none of his usual levity in his voice. Moody's eye followed Snape's retreat, even through the stone of the castle walls. "Let's see what he left us. If it doesn't have the answers we need, I'll help you break down his door and drag him up here to sort everything out."

Before Moody could argue the point further, McGonagall rose from her seat and moved toward the Pensieve, indicating that Perenelle and Bill follow her. She gave the former Auror an expectant look as she positioned herself above the basin. Moody scowled and swore angrily, but joined the three professors at the Pensieve while the others waited warily.

Despite the overwhelming curiosity threatening to overtake him, Harry held his tongue. Instead, he helped Remus move furniture back where it belonged while Sirius and Kingsley spoke quietly to each other. When the first group returned with shell-shocked expressions, the remaining four wasted no time in plunging into the Pensieve.

Harry fell deeper and deeper into the memory until his feet landed in the corridor outside of Dumbledore's office. The gargoyle had just sprung to the side as Snape and Draco Malfoy began to climb the spiral staircase. Sirius, Remus, Kingsley, and Harry followed the memories of the two Slytherins. Though he knew that the echoes of the memory could not hear him, Harry still kept as quiet as possible as he crept behind them.

"The headmaster will not lay a hand on you," intoned the memory of Snape in a quiet voice, as he and Draco gathered outside the headmaster's doors. "It is imperative that you not activate the portkey until I have securely grasped him."

Harry watched as the boy's shallow breaths quickened, his eyes wild with a mix of terror and anticipation. Malfoy's face was pale as he fumbled with an object wrapped in cloth. It looked as if he might vomit at any second.

Without hesitation, Snape grabbed a handful of Draco's robes, flung open the doors to the office, and began forcefully dragging his student forward. Inside, Dumbledore stood from behind his desk to greet his two guests.

"Good evening, Severus. May I ask the occasion for bringing young Mr. Malfoy to see me?"

Harry winced at the sound of Dumbledore's voice. Even amid this ruse, the aged man exuded genuine care and kindness that stabbed at Harry like a knife. The headmaster stood next to his desk, having just closed the top drawer from which Professor McGonagall would retrieve his final message. Dumbledore stepped into the middle of the room, with Snape still gripping a fist full of Draco's robes.

"This one," Snape sneered as he yanked Draco by the shoulder to arrest his movement. "has knowledge concerning the attempt on your life earlier this term, though he has yet to divulge which students were involved in the plot. Though I have my suspicions, it may be worth expending a few drops of Veritaserum to confirm."

The act Snape put on was masterful, so much so that Harry thought the fear on Draco's face could be real.

"I am unwilling to begin with such tactics, Severus," replied Dumbledore quietly. "Perhaps they will be necessary, but I prefer to try a different tact."

The headmaster stepped closer to the two of them, well within arm's reach for Snape. The elderly man peered into Draco's eyes with a sad smile on his lips.

"I would like to offer you a chance to change sides, Draco. Despite the lies that Voldemort has told you, the path he offers leads only to suffering. Our side can offer protection, concealment, and the chance at a better future than that which your current master envisions. Instead of merely a servant to a Dark Lord, you could be your own man and forge your own destiny. That path is still available to you if you possess the ambition to become more than a follower and the cunning to enact such a gambit."

For a few short moments, Harry thought the proud boy was actually considering the possibility, but the indecision on his face soon hardened into defiance. He thrust his hand into the cloth to touch the portkey at the same time as Snape's hand darted forward to firmly grasp the headmaster's arm. As the office faded out of view for Harry, he watched Dumbledore's shoulders sag in disappointment. The man had somehow held out hope for Draco's redemption, against all odds.

The world around Harry rematerialized with a flash of red light. The three memories and four interlopers appeared in a great banquet room that dwarfed anything in Longbottom Manor. Columns lined the walls on either side, with polished white marble floor underfoot. A long, ornate table stretched through the middle of the room, its myriad of chairs empty. On the far side of the room stood Voldemort, with a half dozen followers standing between him and the newcomers.

Before Harry could even register what the red light had been, Draco collapsed to the floor. In an instant, Snape stooped to the ground after him, only for a wave of Dumbledore's wand to send both tumbling across the smooth marble. Their momentum skidded them to a stop near a doorway on the side of the grand hall. The surroundings grew hazier, but Harry figured that Snape must have remained conscious if the memory continued.

Behind Voldemort and his followers, a massive black serpent lay coiled on the floor. The appearance of three new people via portkey and the sound of spellfire stirred the serpent from its slumber. Slowly, dangerously, it began to slither nearer to its master. With revulsion, Harry watched as the creature yawned its great mouth unsettlingly wide, sharp fangs on full display as it glided across the floor.

"It seems we have an uninvited guest."

Voldemort's words echoed slightly in the huge room, dripping with venomous intent. His red eyes narrowed as the beginnings of a predatory smile began to form. In front of him, Harry could pick out Bellatrix and Rodolphus Lestrange alongside Barty Crouch, Jr. He identified Avery and Dolohov from their fight in the Department of Mysteries. He'd never seen the last man before, but Harry instantly recognized him as Fenrir Greyback, even before Lupin let out an involuntary growl of anger.

"Uninvited?" questioned Dumbledore, taking a step toward Voldemort and his assembled followers. "I believe you coerced one of my students to extend me this invitation, Tom."

Harry watched the pale face of Voldemort contort in anger, but he recomposed himself at once.

"Perhaps that is the case, old man. Would you prefer 'unwelcome?' I would hate for your final moments to be marred by imprecise language."

Striding forward towards his enemies, Dumbledore waved his free hand to the side, away from Snape and Draco. The table and chairs careened across the floor haphazardly, splintering against the columns, filling the room with the sounds of wood breaking asunder and clattering onto the floor. The casual display of power visibly unsettled a few of Voldemort's followers, though Harry could see the hungry look of desperation on Bellatrix's face remain unwavering.

"It is your time that is coming to an end, Tom. I have stood by and allowed the Ministry and my Order to oppose you for far too long. How poetic that your cowardly plan to use a child to bring me to you was precisely the opening I required. You have summoned me to a place in which I am unfettered by fear of harming innocents."

Though Harry had not noticed any sonorus cast, Dumbledore's voice grew in volume and intensity until it seemed to press in from all sides. Power crackled as he came to a stop opposite his enemies, who had all drawn their wands but looked unsure of what to do next. Dumbledore's furious blue eyes swept to each of them before resettling upon Voldemort.

"I offer a final opportunity for absolution," called out Dumbledore, the sound of his voice crashing down upon them. "Flee now or suffer the same fate as your master."

Harry thought it was a testament to how greatly Voldemort's followers feared their leader that none turned tail and ran in the face of Dumbledore's power. Avery, in particular, looked liable to flee at a moment's notice. Though Voldemort's look of assurance dipped slightly when his enemy claimed to have allowed himself to be captured, he maintained his demeanor as he walked forward past his lieutenants.

"Now, now… There's no need for all of that!" said Voldemort with a wave of his hand. "My reason for summoning you is simple: our previous duel was not properly concluded. Tonight, we have a chance to settle our differences, once and for all!"

"On that, we are agreed," replied the headmaster, brandishing his wand with a flourish.