Heaven and Hell

17th Chapter - The Immortalis Spell

(February 1996)

The previous night's thunderstorm had cleared the atmosphere. On his walk out of Hogwarts, Severus noticed the fresh smell of pine-needles filling the air. During the day, the sun had dried the rain and it looked like it would become quite mild for a February night.

"You should leave now," Professor Dumbledore said to Serena, breaking the broody silence. "It is midnight and we crossed the boundaries of the Hogwarts Apparition barrier a few minutes ago."

Serena inclined her head in an affirmative manner, her lips pressed together in a thin line. Her expression was deadly serious, displaying the tension that Severus felt. The typical warm, bright glow of her eyes was replaced by a look of determined concentration. Harry, who was unusually pale, had kept close to Serena ever since their little group had left the school. None of them had spoken a word on their march down the path that led to Hogsmeade. Only Dumbledore appeared as imperturbable as always.

Severus mulled over their plan for the umpteenth time, still not sure if it would work or if they would meet their end tonight. It wouldn't be an easy task to retrieve Serena's wand (which she undoubtedly would have to hand over), to return it to her, find and free the hostages, and Disapparate with them - especially as they would have to accomplish all this before Voldemort or his Death Eaters realised what was going on. Because if the Death Eaters got a chance to react, if it came to a battle, their small team would be hopelessly outnumbered, with little to no chance of survival.

To make matters worse, Severus wasn't even sure if the Invisibility Cloaks were of use against Lord Voldemort. He had heard rumours that the Dark Lord could see through this disguise. When Severus had informed Dumbledore and Serena about his doubts, they had dismissed him, saying they were just rumours. Serena had insisted that in all probability Voldemort himself had spread these rumours to daunt his enemies. Dumbledore had suggested a compromise: to use the cloaks, but to be careful when they were within sight of Lord Voldemort. But it was still an element of uncertainty that threatened to put the entire plan in jeopardy.

Serena took Harry's hand and gave him a questioning look. Harry briefly nodded and they Disapparated. Dumbledore threw his Invisibility Cloak around his shoulders, so that only his head was still visible, looking as if it was floating in midair. Severus followed suit and concentrated on Serena's bracelet. She was now in the deserted castle, in all likelihood being awaited by a Death Eater. He would establish that she came with Harry and no one else, just as Voldemort had demanded, and then they would move on. As soon as Severus felt that the bracelet had changed its location again, he would follow. But at the moment it stayed where it was.

Dumbledore had liked the idea of the hidden Locating Charm so much that he had cast such a charm on Harry's glasses too. This had two advantages: Albus could Apparate on his own, following Harry. Secondly, in case they brought Harry to somewhere different than Serena, the boy wouldn't get lost.

"They've moved, and quite far," Dumbledore broke the silence again. "I can hardly discern the charm on Harry's glasses." He pulled the Invisibility Cloak above his head, which completely removed him from sight.

Severus checked his perception of the bracelet, startled, because he hadn't noticed it moving again. He still felt the signal clearly and distinctly. This didn't match with Dumbledore's remark. The ominous feeling as if something had gone wrong woke in Severus' stomach. He opened his mouth, but before he could voice his concerns, Dumbledore spoke again.

"Then let's go. Good luck!" The noise of air filling the space where Dumbledore had been a second before announced that the older wizard had left.

Sighing, Severus pulled the cloak over his head, concentrated on the bracelet and, too, Disapparated. When he arrived at his destination, wand drawn for good measure, he noticed immediately that his feeling of something being wrong hadn't been a delusion. He was in the ruins of Voldemort's castle; and he was alone. In front of him, reflecting the pale moonlight, Serena's bracelet lay on the sandy ground.

Severus picked it up and examined it. It was too tight for simply slipping over Serena's hand and getting lost. The clasp wasn't damaged, so it must have been deliberately removed before they went on. The question was why? How likely was it that they had detected the charm on her bracelet, but then missed the one on Harry's glasses despite knowing what to look for?

Whatever the reason was, Severus could ponder it later. First, he had to come up with a way to find them. The plan didn't work with one person less. He thoughtfully rubbed his left arm, wondering if his Dark Mark would be of help. Voldemort had called his Death Eaters about an hour ago; Severus had then felt his Mark burning. He had suggested following the summons and not waiting until midnight, but Dumbledore had objected. The headmaster believed that Voldemort expected such a manoeuvre and that they wouldn't gain any advantage with it - only endanger the hostages' lives. Besides that, Dumbledore was convinced that Voldemort hadn't called the Death Eaters to the place where Jon and Hermione were kept. Voldemort had doubtless summoned the Death Eaters to somewhere else to inform them of the actual meeting place.

So they hadn't followed the call; and Severus and Serena had both quietly endured the pain in their arms. After a while it had eased again, and now, an hour later, it wasn't much more than a faint trace of the former throbbing ache. But as long as he could feel it, as long as he could concentrate on it, it would be enough to guide him. The only question was, to which place.

At the end of last school year, when Severus had felt the Dark Lord's call for the first time after thirteen years, he had at first ignored it. A few hours had passed before he had left Hogwarts on Dumbledore's bidding and Disapparated, concentrating on the remnants of a hardly perceptible sting. To his surprise, he hadn't landed at the graveyard, where, according to Harry Potter, Voldemort had touched Wormtail's Mark. Severus had landed in the Riddle House instead, the place where Voldemort and Wormtail had been at that moment, packing in preparation to leave for a new, unknown hiding place.

Severus hadn't been able to convince Voldemort that the whole story about him turning over to Dumbledore's side was just a ploy to get Dumbledore's trust and that his loyalty to the Dark Lord had never wavered. Voldemort hadn't bought Severus' explanation that all actions that seemed to prove his treason had only served the purpose of deluding the headmaster of Hogwarts; and that Severus hadn't been able to leave Hogwarts earlier without rousing Dumbledore's suspicion. Voldemort's response had been that if Severus was truly loyal to him, he would have brought Harry with him, or killed the boy for his master already long ago.

Severus had only just escaped, owing to Wormtail's clumsiness. The Dark Lord's servant had played around with his new silver hand. A spell to test its power had been much stronger than he had expected. Its force had almost knocked him over, making him tumble directly into the line between Severus and Lord Voldemort. This saved Severus from another Cruciatus and gave him the fraction of a second that he needed to Disapparate.

Aching bones, the realisation that he couldn't resume his spying among the ranks of the Death Eaters, and pondering on other ways to follow them around and gather at least some information had occupied his mind too much to actually recognise the implications of this incident. But now he faced the question of what would happen if a Death Eater followed a summons after the Dark Lord had left the scene. Would they arrive at the place where the summons had been issued, or at the place where the Dark Lord had gone to? The fact that Severus had arrived at the Riddle House strongly indicated the latter. But then, the Riddle House hadn't been far away from the graveyard, still within sight of the cemetery, actually.

Nevertheless, it was worth a try.

Severus made sure that the cloak was hiding him completely before he tightened his grip on his wand and Disapparated, leaving it to his Dark Mark to control his course.

When he landed, he found himself standing just outside an ancient stone circle like the one in Stonehenge, but not quite as large. In former times, Druids had built a good number of such circles all over Britain, at places where magic was stronger than usual. The special arrangement of the large blocks served to focus the inherent magic, which made these stone circles into places of great power. Muggle explorers had found out that these circles could be used as a sort of calendar. They were built in such a way, that on special dates such as the summer solstice, the sun, moon and stars created certain patterns of light between the stones. But of course the druids hadn't gone to such efforts to build huge calendars; this was more a useful by-product from the way they arranged the stones to align them with the magic in a most effective manner.

The circle measured about fifteen yards in diameter, bounded by triliths approximately ten feet high. But what Severus deemed more important was the sight of Death Eaters standing between the stones, forming a second boundary to the circle.

So his theory was right, after a summons the Dark Mark led to the place where the Dark Lord was, not where the summons had been performed. Severus wondered if anyone else had found this out before. Most likely not, because what Death Eater would dare answer a call with so much delay that the Dark Lord had significantly changed his location in the meantime? Perhaps even Voldemort didn't know about this effect, otherwise he would have spared himself the summons of his Death Eaters to a different place an hour ago.

The Death Eaters had their wands drawn, aiming at the centre of the circle. Not every space between the stones was occupied, so Severus slipped closer to the circle, looking at what was going on inside through a space between two Death Eaters.

The circle was lit by a strange glow, the source of which Severus couldn't make out. He saw a stone altar in the middle of the circle, and a stone table a few feet in front of it. If Severus still had any doubts that he was at the right place, they were dispelled now. Jon was lying on the table, tied to it with strong ropes. He was awake and looked wide-eyed at his mother. At least he didn't seem to be injured.

Serena was kneeling in front of Lord Voldemort and the both of them were currently watching a plump Death Eater drag Harry Potter towards the other side of the circle with his silvery right hand. He fixed the boy with ropes to one of the triliths, right next to Hermione Granger who was also tied to an upright stone. She was uncannily pale, but also awake and apparently unhurt.

Earlier on, they had agreed to assign a student to each of them beforehand to avoid unnecessary confusion later. Dumbledore would take Harry because he had a bearing on him. Serena was responsible for saving Jon because she most likely would be closest to him. This left Miss Granger to Severus. Now that he knew where she was, he hurried around the circle to keep ready in her vicinity. Dumbledore, who had arrived before Severus, hopefully knew who kept Serena's wand. Severus couldn't ask him, because he didn't know where Dumbledore was and, of course, he couldn't see him.

A check of the ropes that held Miss Granger in place revealed that they would easily be undone. He considered giving the girl a sign that help was near, but decided against it. What if he startled her and then she unintentionally gave him away? Instead he watched for a sign from Dumbledore.

After Wormtail was finished tying Harry up, Voldemort ordered with a slight nod in Serena's direction, "And now tie her to the altar. I want her to have the best view of the show."

Though Severus was a couple of yards away and the Dark Lord had only spoken quietly, Severus could make out every single word. The acoustics in the stone circle were so excellent that he could even hear Voldemort's rattling breathing. Severus had a good idea as to what Voldemort meant with 'show'. He would torture Jon and eventually kill him, and force Serena to watch it.

Wormtail hauled Serena to her feet and began to drag her over to the altar, but she tore away from his grip, prostrating herself at Voldemort's feet.

"Please, wait a moment! Listen to me, please!" she pleaded.

Voldemort gave Wormtail a wink, telling him to leave her alone, and condescendingly asked, "Listen to you? What would you have to say that is of any importance to me?"

"Please, don't hurt my son. I know what I did was wrong, but I came to make up for it."

"Of course you'll make up for it. You'll watch your last relatives die and then you'll follow them. I think that the entertainment this spectacle will provide will compensate my disappointment upon discovering your betrayal." Voldemort gave a short, hollow growl.

"Oh please, my Lord, forgive me. I beg you, spare my son. I'll return to your service - I still can be extremely useful for your cause."

"Indeed? What makes you think I'd want you? And why should I allow you to serve me, just to have you attempt to overthrow me again?"

"I won't repeat my mistake. I was young and naïve, but I know better now. If I still wanted your position, I'd have had fourteen years to take it when it was vacant. But after you disappeared, I saw everything you had achieved dissolve into nothing in a truly short time. I saw many of your followers being sent to Azkaban to rot there forever. I saw the others who went free becoming esteemed members of the wizarding community and no one successfully attempting to continue your work."

Serena cast a swift look at the Death Eaters lining the stone circle. "I realised that you aren't replaceable. It's your name that people don't dare speaking aloud; it's your sign in the sky that terrifies all witches and wizards beyond imagination. I learned my lesson; I know that I can't replace you. But I can be your most valuable servant, and by Merlin, I will if you let me. All I ask you in return is to spare my son."

"You would do anything to save him, wouldn't you? Such as telling me what you think I'd like to hear. Do you really believe it is so easy to gain my forgiveness? - No," Voldemort answered his own question, "you aren't that naïve. You have something up your sleeve. And I'll find out what."

He stretched his arm out to Wormtail and gave him a demanding wave. The Death Eater rummaged hastily about his pockets and finally produced a small vial that contained a clear liquid.

Voldemort took the vial and held it at eye level. Rolling it between his thumb and index finger, he watched the clear liquid swirl. "Veritaserum - it looks so innocent and harmless, and yet it is such a powerful potion. Not to forget useful. I make a point of always having some of it at my disposal." Changing his almost casual tone into a sharp hissing one, he commanded Serena, "Open your mouth."

Serena obediently followed his order and swallowed a few drops of the potion.

Severus silently cursed. While it had been a good idea to play for time, to tell Voldemort lies that were that obvious was not so smart. She had managed to arouse his suspicion and now the serum would force her to give away their plan. This would ruin the element of surprise and therefore the whole rescue operation. Severus moved closer to Hermione, aiming his wand at the ropes that restrained her, in case they had to leave rather abruptly. At that moment, he felt a hand on his shoulder. He spun around but couldn't see anyone.

"Not yet," he heard Dumbledore's whisper. "Lord Voldemort still has Serena's wand, if we leave now, we leave her and Jon to certain death. I'll go get her wand now, don't start anything until I return."

The light pressure on Severus' shoulder vanished and Severus assumed that Dumbledore had left him to enter the stone circle. He stepped to Hermione's side, keeping a watchful eye on the goings-on in the centre.

The time for the Veritaserum to take effect passed, but instead of asking Serena a question, Voldemort suddenly pointed his wand at Jon and cast a Cruciatus Curse. The boy began to violently twitch, although his ropes were tied so fast that they prevented any movement. His screams pierced the air, intensified by the excellent acoustics.

Serena opened her eyes wide in shock, and cried, desperately pulling at the hem of Voldemort's robe, "No! Please, stop it! Do with me what you want, but please, leave Jon alone! I beseech you!"

Voldemort ignored her pleading and spoke with a threatening growl towards a place vaguely behind Serena, "I won't lift this curse until you drop those ridiculous cloaks and surrender to my Death Eaters. I mean both of you, Albus Dumbledore and Severus Snape!"

Surprised, as far as this could be told of hooded figures with masks, the Death Eaters turned towards the empty spot that Voldemort had spoken to. They watched an elderly wizard with a long white beard, a purple cloak and half-moon glasses appear from nowhere. Upon recognising Albus Dumbledore, they pointed their wands at him. The usual twinkle in his eyes was missing when Dumbledore handed his wand over to a Death Eater who had stepped up to him.

One second later, Jon suddenly stopped screaming and began to choke instead.

"Oh no, he must have swallowed his tongue!" Serena shrieked, positively panicking. Her eyes flitted frantically all over the place, trying to make out the second invisible infiltrator. "Sev, drop that cloak, or Jon'll die!"

Cursing under his breath, Severus removed his Invisibility Cloak. Several Death Eaters grabbed him and tied him and Dumbledore to two stones near Granger and Potter. The tight bonds cut painfully into Severus' flesh, constantly reminding him that their plan had failed.

After both had surrendered themselves, Voldemort lifted the Cruciatus Curse and gave Wormtail a sign that he should help Jon. A flick with Wormtail's silver hand freed Jon's throat and Jon greedily gasped for air.

"So, you brought reinforcements," the Dark Lord spoke again to Serena. "This was a stupid move. You should have told them that Invisibility Cloaks cannot fool me."

Severus frowned. So it was true, Voldemort was able to see through such cloaks. His comment sounded as if he was sure that Serena knew it. But why didn't Serena warn them then? And worse, why had she claimed the contrary - that this was nothing but a rumour?

"Now tell me, what was your plan?" Voldemort demanded.

"Well, our plan looked like this: Albus and Severus follow me, hidden under Invisibility Cloaks. Albus somehow slips my wand back to me and then each of us grab one of the students and we Disapparate. But of course I was aware that this plan would never work out, because you can still see them when they're invisible."

"So you knew it!" Severus shouted, furious. "Why did you lie to us? Why did you sabotage our plan?"

Serena's voice was totally devoid of emotion when she answered. Severus wondered if this was due to the Veritaserum, which somewhat muffled the drinker's emotions, or if Serena was just showing her true character, which didn't care for them at all.

"Because I wanted Albus to come with me and be caught. I didn't need you; you shouldn't have followed me. That's why I left my bracelet behind. But since you've found us, you'll die now as well. Bad luck for you."

"This sounds as if you have a different plan than your friends," Voldemort cut in. "Tell me."

"Well, it's my son's life that's at stake - I tend to be most careful if his well-being is involved. I'm aware that even if we had successfully freed Jon, you wouldn't stop coming after him, and after me."

"You are perfectly right." Voldemort's hideous face distorted to something that was probably meant to be a malicious grin.

"I believe that there's only one way to permanently protect Jon from your wrath. This would be to gain your forgiveness."

"I'm agog to hear how you planned to contrive this."

"I brought you Harry. You could satisfy your thirst for revenge with him, he's a Potter, a relative of mine, after all. If you want to punish a traitor, well, Severus is now also yours. And I got Albus Dumbledore here, your arch enemy."

Serena's voice had assumed a tone as cold as ice, and her eyes were lacking any of its usual warmth and sympathy. Severus felt a strange mix of triumph and disappointment. He hadn't trusted her, and he had been right. But her betrayal would be their death, which put a damper on his emotions.

"You're willing to sacrifice your friends for your son's life." Voldemort snorted. "But you forget that they are already at my mercy, and you and your son as well. I feel compelled to say thank you for bringing them to me, but nothing else. You have to give me a bit more if you want me to forgive you. Quite a bit more."

"Oh, I will. They're more or less a useful by-product of my actual gift for you - something you want more than anything else."

"And that is?"

"Immortality."

"You want to give me Immortality? How should this work?"

"I'm sure you've heard of the Immortalis Spell, haven't you?"

Voldemort gave Serena a leery, but highly interested look. "The Immortalis Spell. Interesting that you mention it. During my travels and my quest for immortality I did indeed come across the legend of this spell. I tried to find it, but it doesn't exist. If it ever had been a real spell, it's been irretrievably lost in the course of time."

"No, it isn't. If you give me your word that my unfortunate mistake is forgiven and that Jon comes to no harm, then I'll give you everything you need to perform the spell."

Severus watched Serena with unconcealed loathing. How could she do that? It was natural for a mother to protect her son, but the future of the entire wizarding world was too high a price to pay for it. Giving immortality to Voldemort would render him practically invincible. And how could Serena think that the Dark Lord would spare her and her son? He would never trust her again, and as soon as she lost her usefulness for him, Voldemort would kill her off without any warning.

Refusing to resign to his role as powerless watcher, Severus stretched and flexed his fingers, trying to loosen a knot in the ropes that bound him.

At the same time, Voldemort scrutinised Serena, apparently considering her offer. He didn't take long to come to a decision. "If you indeed manage to fulfil my greatest desire, you shall be forgiven. As soon as I'm immortal, you may return to my service. And you are free to take your son with you. But the other captives will die."

Serena bowed again, kissing the hem of Voldemort's robe. "Thank you very much, my Lord. You won't regret your decision. Speaking of the others - you may handle them as you wish, I don't care about them."

"Now give me the spell!" Voldemort impatiently urged her, tugging at her shoulder as a sign that she should get up.

Back on her feet, Serena said, "Of course, Master. They say Salazar Slytherin himself created this spell. He was as disinclined to meet his Maker as you, and he did a lot of research to prevent it. His studies revealed many interesting things, and his most important discovery became the basis of the Immortalis Spell. Every human being has a mortal body, but an immortal soul. And Slytherin found out that both - mortality and immortality - were just properties that could be exchanged. And this is exactly what the Immortalis Spell does - it takes the ability to live forever from a soul and transfers it to a body."

"This much I know already. The question is, how to perform this transfer, and what good does it do me if my body becomes immortal, but my soul mortal?"

"Well, Slytherin didn't take his own soul as donor of the immortality. He used another unlucky victim for his purpose, switching the immortality of the other person's soul with the mortality of his own body. So his body became immortal, while his own soul stayed immortal all the time."

Voldemort suddenly uttered a staccato of short guttural noises that Severus, after a moment of confusion, identified as laughing. "You almost convinced me, your creativity is quite exceptional. If you hadn't mentioned Slytherin, I'd have believed you, honestly."

A bewildered frown appeared on Serena's forehead.

"I don't understand, my Lord. What do you doubt about Slytherin?" she asked, casting the Dark Lord a look as innocent as if she didn't even know the concept of lying. Which could even be true under the influence of the Veritaserum, Severus mused.

"If he had been successful, he wouldn't have died. He would still be living among us. Your story was entertaining, but nothing but humbug. Nice play for time, but now it's over." In spite of just having had a hearty laugh, Voldemort's voice was as callous and cold as ever. He waved Wormtail to continue his interrupted task.

Seeing Wormtail reach for her arm, Serena hurriedly carried on, "Have you never read Hogwarts, A History? Have you never noticed that it lists dates of the deaths of the other three founders, but not of Salazar Slytherin? No one knows when he died, nor where his grave is located. And I tell you why: because there's no date of his death, and no grave. For all we know, he could still be walking among us, unrecognised, and waiting for an opportune moment to take over the world, or return to Hogwarts, or whatever he likes. We don't know his plans, after all."

Unmoved, Wormtail headed for the altar, dragging Serena along. When Voldemort didn't stop him, she added frantically, "I'm not making up stories! You know that Veritaserum doesn't wear off that fast!"

Her last sentence seemed to strike a chord. Voldemort raised his hand, causing Wormtail to stop dead in his tracks and Serena to fall silent. "You still haven't told me the spell and how to perform it," he replied, still appearing doubtful.

"I was just about to do so." Serena shrugged off Wormtail's hand and reached into her robes. She produced a small, black book, which looked more like a dollhouse's accessory than an actual spell book. Holding it out to the Dark Lord, she asked, "Could you resize it, please? I can't without my wand."

Voldemort used an Enlargement Spell to bring the book back to its original size. When Dumbledore recognised the ancient tome, he thundered, "No, Serena! Don't do that! This book is evil! You mustn't give it to him under any circumstances!"

Serena winced when she heard Dumbledore's furious voice, but didn't answer nor look at him.

Voldemort recognised the title too. "I've heard of this book, and I've searched for it for years. Where did you find it?" He cautiously, almost affectionately, stroked the spine with his long, spidery fingers as if it was a precious, long-lost treasure.

"It was at Hogwarts. Very well hidden, I must say."

"And for good reason," Dumbledore cut in. "Serena, don't give it to him! Rather destroy it!"

Still ignoring the headmaster, Serena opened the book at a marked page. "Here, my Lord. Here's a detailed description of how the ritual is executed, and the exact wording of the spell."

Voldemort took the book and started to read. His red eyes glowed with excitement. Five minutes later he finally tore his gaze from the old pages. "It says that dragon blood is needed."

Again, Serena reached into her robes, taking out a bottle filled with thick, red liquid. "I know, and I brought some with me," she said, casting a sideways glance at Severus.

Severus scowled in return. So that was what she had needed the dragon blood for. No wonder she had refused to tell him about her intentions. He made a mental note to never again help her out with potions ingredients. Then he remembered that in all probability he wouldn't live to see the morning, which ruled out the possibility of Serena ever asking him for ingredients again.

"And the soul must be of a close relative. I don't have any relatives. At least no living ones."

"Why, but you have. It's Harry's blood that runs in your veins. This makes you both related - in an odd way, but it'll do. Harry's soul is exactly what you need."

Upon hearing these words, Harry uncomfortably gulped and paled even more. His eyes were filled with pure terror while he stared disbelievingly at Serena.

"And what happens to him after the spell has been performed?" Voldemort asked.

"Harry's soul will become mortal. When he dies, his soul will die with him. But the thought that Harry will never enter the kingdom of Heaven wouldn't trouble you, would it?"

Voldemort once again showed his demonic grin, shaking his head.

"This is a very powerful spell," he remarked. "And extremely difficult. Nothing that the average wizard can successfully perform. I can't do it since the spell cannot be cast upon oneself. Do you really think you could manage it?"

"Of course not, that's far beyond my abilities. But after you, my Lord, Professor Dumbledore is the most powerful wizard currently alive. He should be able to pull it off - the stone circle should support his powers sufficiently. If I ask him nicely -" Serena cast a derisive grin at Dumbledore, "- I'm sure he'll do us the favour."

"Never!" Dumbledore pressed out between clenched teeth.

"I could use the Imperius Curse and force him to do it," Voldemort mused. "But I have the distinct feeling that this curse wouldn't work with him."

"That doesn't make any difference," Serena retorted, speaking more to Dumbledore than Voldemort. "I did a bit of potion brewing this afternoon. You certainly know that all I can produce are highly explosive potions. I've filled several cauldrons with my concoction and distributed them all over Hogwarts. Professor, if you refuse to cast this spell then I'll kindle fire under these cauldrons. Our Potions Master will surely confirm that it isn't a good idea to heat Erumpent Horn liquid."

Severus didn't answer, contenting himself with glaring daggers at Serena. During the last minutes, he had been able to wriggle his left arm far enough sideways to reach a knot, but it wasn't easy to undo it behind his back and with only one hand. The last thing he currently needed was Serena's or anyone else's attention.

"If these cauldrons blow up, it will be a lot more than a little tower that falls off," Serena continued, turning back to Dumbledore. "Hogwarts will become a big heap of rubble, with a great number of dead bodies beneath it. And you better not rely on stability enhancing charms that aren't there anymore."

"But why, Serena?" Dumbledore cast her a furious look, one that reminded Severus of the end of the Triwizard Tournament when Dumbledore had given Barty Crouch Jr. exactly the same look. "I don't recognise you. I trusted you, against better advice, and so do you repay my confidence in you? Are you really willing to kill hundreds of innocent children to save your and Jon's lives?"

Serena hesitated only a second before nodding. "Sure. Jon's all that matters. Ah, well," Serena turned around and spoke to a particular Death Eater, "It's a pity that your son will also be killed, Lucius. Not that I'd feel sorry for him..." When he didn't react, Serena shrugged with her shoulders and returned her attention to Dumbledore. "So, what's your answer?"

"Can you guarantee that the students won't be harmed if I do what you want?"

"Actually not," Serena answered and then bit her lower lip, annoyed, grumbling something that sounded like "Damn Veritaserum!" In a normal voice, she added, "I mean, I don't plan to blow Hogwarts up as long as I don't need to, but it's not really in my power to prevent it." She looked at Voldemort when she said these words. Her expression told clearly that she wouldn't intervene if the Dark Lord decided to break her promise.

Lord Voldemort stepped towards Dumbledore. "You want a guarantee? I can guarantee that Hogwarts will go down if you refuse to comply," he snarled. "And if you try anything funny, Hogwarts will also become a huge graveyard. Your beloved students will only survive this night if I become immortal."

Dumbledore briefly closed his eyes. "I actually don't have much of a choice, do I?"

Serena and Voldemort shook their heads in unison. Dumbledore sighed. "Then I'll do it," he growled, clenching his teeth.

"Great," Serena said, patting Dumbledore's shoulder. The headmaster cast her a look that could have killed, and Serena's hand jerked back as if she had burned it on his robe. Avoiding his livid eyes, she backed away from him, muttering to Voldemort, "I'll begin with the preparations, then."

* * *

The preparations took almost an hour. With the exception of Albus Dumbledore and Harry Potter, the captives were removed from their stones and gathered outside the stone circle. Severus cursed his bad luck - he had already loosened the first knot, when a Death Eater freed him from the trilith and led him away to join Hermione and Jon. Severus found himself being roughly set down on the grass with renewed bonds, and the new knots nowhere near his hands. Facing the stone circle, he could only helplessly watch what was going on there. The Death Eaters formed a circle around them, closely guarding the hostages.

Voldemort sent Wormtail to get Harry. The Death Eater positioned the boy upright in front of the altar, thoroughly tying him to the rock so that Harry couldn't move anything save his head.

Serena placed the black book on the altar, using pebbles to keep it open at the right page. Then she opened the bottle containing dragon blood and drew a red circle around the altar on the ground. On the top of the stone table, she drew a dragon blood pentagram and connected it with the red circle by a thick, bloody line. At last, she wrote ancient runes with the rest of the blood all over the altar and the triliths around the circle. These runes would focus the magical power floating around the stone circle and help Dumbledore to cast the Immortalis Spell.

After picking up the Invisibility Cloaks, which still lay where they had been dropped to the ground, and putting them out of the way beside the stone altar, Serena gave a sign that she was finished and the ritual could begin.

Three Death Eaters untied Dumbledore and escorted him to the stone altar. After reminding him of the gruesome fate that awaited hundreds of innocent students at Hogwarts if he didn't obey the Dark Lord's commands, they released their grips on him, gave him his wand back and hurriedly left the stone circle.

Serena withdrew to the boundary of the circle as well. The Death Eaters guarded her, but contented themselves with keeping their wands trained at her instead of tying her up. Voldemort inspected the scene and, apparently satisfied with what he saw, he laid down on the stone table. After positioning himself so that his head, hands and feet matched the points of the pentagram, he ordered Dumbledore to begin.

From his place in the midst of the Death Eaters, Severus had a clear view of the altar, with Harry in front of it and Dumbledore behind it on a little raised platform. The headmaster gravely gazed at the book in front of him, looking as if he carried the weight of the whole world on his shoulders.

Severus could easily imagine the questions that tormented the elder wizard: How could they ever defeat Voldemort after making him immortal? Was it even possible? Was it worth losing a battle against the darkness to save a few hundred lives? Even if the loss of this one battle perhaps meant the loss of the war? Severus didn't think so, but he knew that Dumbledore treasured every living being and was willing to take more trouble than most to save even a single life.

Dumbledore straightened up slightly and after a last despairing sigh, he began to recite the spell. The incantation was Celtic, a language more powerful for spells than Latin. While he spoke, the sky clouded more and more. Clear and starry before, it became overcast with heavy, black clouds exactly above the stone circle. Lightning flashed between the clouds and the wind picked up noticeably.

The glow that had lit the inside of the circle gradually diminished. The darker it became, the more clearly they could see that Dumbledore was glowing in a steadily brightening, ghostly white light instead.

Even at this distance Severus could see Harry shaking. Wide-eyed, the boy stared at the sky. His lips moved as if he prayed that one of the flashes would come down and hit Voldemort to put an end to this unholy rite.

Not only the glow, but also Dumbledore's voice increased with every word he spoke until it resounded in an enormous volume that clearly drowned out the rolling thunder above their heads. When he finally finished the recitation, it seemed as if the world was momentarily holding its breath. Nothing and no one moved, the wind was gone, no flash lit the black clouds - time itself appeared to be frozen. But this lasted only for the length of a heartbeat, and then all hell broke loose.

The white light surrounding Dumbledore was so blinding that the wizard inside it wasn't visible anymore - if anyone could still have directly looked at him. The brightness seemed to have reached a limit that it couldn't surpass, and so it exploded into the circle. Beams of light shot out, engulfed Harry and then raced on to vanish in Voldemort's twitching body.

Severus got the impression that he heard Voldemort scream through the roaring noise of the revived thunderstorm. He fervently hoped that something had gone wrong, perhaps even with Dumbledore's intention.

The end of the world lasted for about a minute and stopped as abruptly as it had begun. The thunderstorm died down, the sky cleared up again, and Dumbledore wasn't bathed in a blaze of lights anymore. In comparison with the noise level before, the sudden silence was downright deafening.

Wormtail was the first to shake off the paralysis that had befallen all those present. He scurried to the stone table, asking anxiously, "Master? Did it work? Are you all right?"

Voldemort slowly sat up. His red eyes glowed ablaze. He cast a triumphant gaze around and then jumped off the table with the grace and the agility of a teenager.

"It seems so, my faithful servant," he answered and then made a motion to Serena to come nearer. "I feel incredible energy running through my veins. I feel power and life; I feel immortal!"

Severus felt a strange throbbing in his left arm and noticed the Death Eaters hastily rolling up their sleeves. The Dark Mark on their arms was clearly visible. It hadn't been that distinct for years, not even when the Dark Lord had regained a new body the previous year.

Voldemort produced a dagger from his robe to check his new-won immortality. In a swift move he slashed one of his wrists open, keeping his wand ready to close the wound immediately if the spell hadn't worked. But his caution was unnecessary, he didn't spill one drop of his blood. The cut closed on its own accord. Encouraged by this result, Voldemort stabbed himself in his abdomen. Again, the wound closed almost immediately.

"It worked - I'm immortal!" he burst out. His eyes fell upon Dumbledore, who heavily leaned on the altar, recovering from the exhausting ritual.

"You did it right, indeed. Some reward should be in order. Crucio!"

Dumbledore collapsed on the ground, doubling up and sharply gasping for air. But no sound came over his lips. He wouldn't allow his enemy this satisfaction, Severus thought, impressed with Dumbledore's self-control.

"You're no fun, old man," Voldemort spat, disgruntled, when he finally lifted the curse.

"He fulfilled his task, so you won't need him any longer, will you?" Serena cut in, casting Voldemort a meaningful look.

"No, I don't," Voldemort agreed. "Kill him, and I will take you back into my service."

Serena briefly nodded and went over to Dumbledore, who was kneeling beside the altar, worn out from the ritual and aching all over from the Cruciatus Curse. Without any warning, she stepped beside him, seized his head with both hands and turned it sideways with a sharp jerk. A loud cracking noise made the captives wince.

Severus blinked, stunned, but the horrible picture in front of him didn't change. He heard Jon making retching noises, fighting the sudden urge to throw up. Hermione gave a short groan of disbelief before her eyes rolled back into her head and her body grew limp. Harry, who hadn't been able to see what was going on behind him, almost dislocated his neck in the attempt to look around.

Serena let the lifeless body heedlessly drop to the ground and returned to Voldemort.

"Serena, I am pleased with you. You did me a great service. You redeemed yourself to me. I will keep my promise; your misdeed shall be forgiven." Voldemort gave her wand back to her. "And now destroy Hogwarts. There shan't be one stone left standing on another. It would be a shame to let such an excellent opportunity pass."

"As you wish, my Lord," Serena answered, inclining her head. She stretched her wand into the air, speaking an incantation. A small flame emerged from the tip of her wand and ascended into the sky, flying away. "Pathetic school," Serena added mockingly, watching the flame disappear behind the horizon, in the direction where Hogwarts was. "As soon as the headmaster's gone, everything breaks down."

She cast a questioning look at Voldemort, and he gave her a curt nod. "Your son is also free. You may untie him now."