The Snake and the Eagle

Prologue

It was a quite peaceful summer, in spite of the past events of the last school year. Lord Voldemort's body and powers had recently been restored, and Death Eater attacks were increasing in frequency. No one was safe, neither Muggles nor wizards. Hogwarts was void of its usual noisy population of students, who were spending time with their families at home. Likewise, most staff members also decided to spend some time at home, though a few remained. In fact, the caretaker and his cat, actually lived at Hogwarts all year. Summer was Filch's favourite season, as the students were gone, enabling him to enjoy the peaceful silence of the empty corridors. His days were disturbed only by Peeves' occasional pranks: the poltergeist became more annoying than usual due to boredom and lack of his favourite victims, students.

There were six teachers in total who had chosen to dwell at Hogwarts for the duration of the summer in order to reorganise Hogwarts' defences against enemy attacks, including Severus Snape, who felt it was the best alternative to the gloomy, lonely, almost empty Snape Hall. There was no one there waiting for him, unless one counted the faithful family house-elves. Hagrid left Hogwarts for a couple of weeks to spend some time with his beloved Madame Maxime, enjoying France's beauty and trying to borrow from her a couple of the Beauxbatons's giant Abraxan flying horses for next term's Care of Magical Creatures classes. He was sure that both Dumbledore and Hermione would be pleased to see some harmless-no-student-eating-creatures for a change.

The Order of the Phoenix had temporarily moved its headquarters from Number 12 Grimmauld Place to Hogwarts itself, as nobody had the heart to enter Blacks' House after Sirius untimely death. Meetings were held almost every weekend. Some members were used to spending several days there too, as there were lots of empty rooms at hand and the house-elves's cooking was simply delicious. However, the following week the rest of the staff members would be returning to start preparing their lessons for the coming school year and once they were back, the castle would no longer be a safe place for the Order, and it would have to move back to Grimmauld Place or find another unplotable place to use.

It was nearly mid-August when the last meeting took place. That night, nearly all the Order members were present. Unfortunately for Harry Potter and his friends, Mrs Weasley had once again forbidden them to join. Harry was spending his last summer days at the Burrow with the Weasleys, doing his homework for the start of his sixth year. It was true that Lord Voldemort was now stronger, but school was still one of Harry's main preoccupations. Until Voldemort came out of hiding, there was nothing else for Harry to apply his mind to but homework. Meanwhile at Hogwarts an Order meeting was about to begin. Dumbledore got to his feet and gravely informed his friends and colleagues of the situation so far.

"Voldemort is still in hiding somewhere, whether in Britain or elsewhere, we do not know for certain," Dumbledore spoke slowly and caught the attention of the Order members gathered at the High Table in the Great Hall, "all we can do is keep vigil for any sign useful to track Voldemort and his followers down. Alas, there have been a few more attacks and we've always arrived too late to do anything useful." He lowered his eyes to the floor, feeling the weight of his helplessness deep inside his old heart. A glint of rage flashed across his blue eyes. He couldn't stand his own incapacity to stop that cursed, bloody, mad wizard. Though it was no use at all to keep dwelling on what had not been done; it was time to gather all their strengths and fight to prevent new attacks.

"Severus..." Dumbledore said suddenly to the Potions Master.

"Yes, Headmaster?^" Snape said, annoyed at being snapped out of his own stream of thoughts.

"I'm afraid a very hard time is waiting for you. We still need you as a spy, as well as a potions brewer.

"I'm ready to do whatever you tell me, of course," Snape said sternly, trying to suppress a cold shiver that ran along his spine at the thought of the danger of his double role. He wasn't afraid of it. He would have given his life as long as it helped to kill Voldemort once and for all. But, the prospect of facing the Dark Lord again made him ill.

"I need you to prepare an adequate supply of Wolfsbane Potion for Remus. We're all equally valuable to our cause, and he needs to be always prepared for action," Dumbledore said in a serious voice.

"It will be done, headmaster. I am going to replenish our storage supplies as soon as possible," Snape assured him, glaring maliciously at the werewolf.

"Before this meeting ends," Dumbledore noted, "I have to inform you that Professor Flitwick will be temporarily leaving his position at Hogwarts, this year. He will join a group of researchers working to create more powerful wards to protect the castle. They will also be studying the Unforgivable Curses in hopes of finding a way to block them."

"But, who will teach Charms, Albus?" Professor McGonagall asked, concerned.

"We'll interview the candidates together, Minerva," Professor Flitwick suggested with a kind smile, trying to calm down the anxious Deputy Headmistress. The meeting was adjourned and the members of the Order retired for a good night's sleep.