Heaven and Hell

19th Chapter - Puzzling the Pieces Together

(February 1996)

When Severus saw Serena leave the stone circle and approach the captives, he started wriggling his fingers again, feeling for the knots. He was dying to free himself and make her pay for her betrayal, even if it was the last thing he did. A cold fury filled him. He wouldn't have been surprised if his bonds broke under the sheer weight of his wrath.

He hadn't trusted Serena, but he had given her the benefit of the doubt. Now he bitterly regretted it. He should have let her die. Twice he had had an opportunity and twice he had saved her life instead. But it wouldn't happen again.

Once more, Severus pulled at his ropes, hoping in vain that they would give way.

"You monster!" he hissed at her when she passed him. "Dumbledore always believed in you, and you murdered him without batting an eyelid! Him and several hundred people at Hogwarts! You'll pay for what you did tonight!"

"I'm curious as to how you would want to make me pay," Serena answered casually, looking him over and arching an eyebrow at the sight of his bonds. Ignoring his dirty look, she stepped past him and undid Jon's ropes with a flick of her wand. "So, Jon, you're free now," she said, in a softer voice. "And you don't have to worry -"

Jon didn't listen to her words. As soon as the ropes vanished, he gave Serena a rough push and dashed off into the darkness. None of the Death Eaters made a move to follow him. They apparently found it more interesting to see how Serena would handle the situation.

"Hey, Jon, wait!" she called worriedly.

"Leave me alone! I hate you!" Jon shouted back, his voice choked with tears.

"Jon, I did all this for you! Come back!"

"No!"

"Imperio!" sounded Voldemort's cold, high-pitched voice before Serena could set off to follow her son.

Jon stopped dead in his tracks.

"Come here to me!" the Dark Lord commanded.

Instantly, Jon turned around and returned to the stone circle. Serena followed him, her eyes apprehensively flitting back and forth between Jon and Voldemort.

Watching this little exchange, Severus almost missed something odd. The Death Eater in front of him scratched his head and then lowered his hand again. He stopped half-way down, holding his arm at a rather uncomfortable angle. Severus wondered why someone would remain in such a strange position, but the Death Eater didn't move again. Suddenly Severus became aware that none of the Death Eaters were moving anymore. They all stood still and stiff, not even occasionally shifting their weight from one leg to the other. Severus turned his head to look at the Death Eaters behind him. It was then that he noticed that he was the only captive left. The spot where Hermione had lain was empty.

"I expect you to teach your son respect and obedience to his Lord," Voldemort was ordering Serena when Severus suddenly felt a hand on his shoulder and then the unpleasant, disorienting feeling of being Apparated away.

He landed on soft grass, next to a few bushes and a street that were vaguely familiar to him. A glance around confirmed that he was outside of Hogsmeade, not far from the spot where they had started their disastrous rescue mission. The ropes that restrained him fell off and Severus leapt to his feet.

"Who's there?" he asked, intently gazing around. But he couldn't see anyone and didn't get an answer either. Only a soft popping sound indicated that whoever had brought him here had left.

He found Hermione lying a few steps away, still out cold. Four wands lay beside her on the ground. Severus recognised his own wand among them and picked it up. He wondered who the invisible rescuer was. Perhaps Hagrid had contacted the Order when they hadn't returned to Hogwarts? But how would they have found them?

Harry suddenly appeared from nowhere and looked as confused as Severus felt. And again a soft pop told them that the mysterious helper was gone immediately after delivering Harry to the meadow.

Severus removed Harry's ropes when he noticed another arrival. A few yards away he recognised Serena, who took a step away from Jon and pointed her wand at him.

"Take care of Miss Granger," he curtly said to Harry, briefly pointing at the three wands on the ground that most likely belonged to the three students, and was gone.

Feeling a fresh upsurge of rage at the sight of Serena, Severus didn't even bother to walk the distance between them. Instead, he Apparated to her side, casting a Stunning Spell at her as soon as he was solid again.

"Don't worry, Jon, I'll fix this -" Severus heard her say, but didn't find out what she intended to do to her son because the spell hit her at that moment.

Caught by surprise, Serena didn't manage to block the hex entirely. She didn't pass out, but the force of the spell knocked her over. Before she could take any counter measure, Severus stepped on her right arm and twisted her wand from her grasp.

"Murderer!" he spat at her, poking the tip of his wand at her throat. "You snake in the grass! How could you kill the greatest wizard the world has ever seen! You'll pay for this - prepare to die!"

"No, Sev, wait," Serena burst out, looking sincerely worried by the furious expression Severus was wearing. "Don't do something you might regret later. I can explain -"

"I don't want to hear your excuses! What you did is inexcusable! Actually, death is too good for you. A Dementor's kiss would be much more appropriate. It's a pity that there's never a Dementor when you need one." Severus narrowed his eyes, adding with a menacing growl, "At least I can make it slow and painful for you."

He straightened up again, aim his wand at her chest. Severus was dying to cast the Cruciatus Curse on her, to force the pain that he felt about Dumbledore's death tenfold upon her. He wondered if the Ministry would overlook his use of an Unforgivable in this special case.

The realisation that Severus was deadly serious about his statement was evident in Serena's eyes. No trace of her former smirks and arrogance was left on her expression when she stared at him, wide eyed.

"Crucio!" Severus shouted.

But the Unforgivable never hit her. The moment Severus opened his mouth, Serena rolled to the side, grabbing the foot that was standing on her wrist with her free hand and giving it a sound jerk. Simultaneously, she kicked the side of his other leg's knee.

Severus lost his balance and tumbled over. The very next second Serena was on him, trying to wrest his wand from him.

"Sev, wait a minute! Listen to me -", she pleaded anxiously.

But Severus didn't listen. The pain in his knee only served to intensify his rage. Severus didn't even try to fight her attempt to disarm him. He simply let go of his wand and closed both hands around her neck. Unable to utter anything, let alone an incantation, Serena dropped the useless wand and used all her strength to pry his fingers away from her neck. Without success; and before long her struggles became slower and weaker for lack of oxygen. Severus rolled around until he straddled her, rendering her totally helpless, and pressed with all his wrath at her larynx.

When Serena's eyelids fluttered shut, a familiar voice suddenly commanded, "Severus, no! Let her go!"

Startled, Severus released his deathly grip on Serena's throat immediately. If it was the commanding tone that made him obey so quickly or if it was the fact that the voice belonged to the last person he would have expected to hear, he wasn't sure.

He turned around and stared at Albus Dumbledore.

"You're alive," Severus muttered, perplexed. "But I heard your neck break..."

"Well, my neck is something I'm quite attached to; I wouldn't allow it to break that easily," Dumbledore answered, a smile playing at the corners of his mouth.

He motioned Severus to stand up. Severus complied and heaved himself up, carefully avoiding putting weight on his injured leg.

Serena remained momentarily motionless, which brought a concerned look on Dumbledore's face. But after a few seconds a jolt shook her body and she started to greedily gasp for air, coughing and rubbing her throat. Dumbledore offered Serena his hand, which she gratefully took, and helped her to get on her feet.

When he finally inquired about her well-being, Severus angrily butted in, "Headmaster, she attempted to kill you! How can you treat her as if nothing had happened? She betrayed all of us to the Dark Lord! She was willing to sacrifice us to save her own pathetic life! She destroyed Hogwarts! She deserves -"

"Oh, shut up!" Serena interrupted his rant angrily. "You dunderhead almost ruined everything! Would it have hurt you to listen to me for one minute? To let me explain? But nooo, kill first and ask questions later is so much more convenient, isn't it?"

"Watch your mouth, or I'll shut it for you," Severus snapped back with a dangerous snarl in his voice.

"Don't you dare touch me again," Serena hissed, her eyes flashing with anger. Clenching her hands into fists, she looked ready to fly at Severus, totally disregarding the fact that he towered over her by more than a foot.

Dumbledore sharply interjected, "Stop this quarrel! Both of you. And for Merlin's sake, calm down!"

Both of them fell silent, but they didn't stop glaring daggers at each other.

Approaching footsteps announced the arrival of Harry and a reawakened Hermione at the scene. Both of them stopped dead when they recognised the third person. Tears of joy emerged from Hermione's eyes and ran down her still pale cheeks.

"You're alive. Alive! I can't believe it, you're alive," Harry incessantly muttered.

"What happened?" Hermione asked after she had regained enough composure to speak. When her eyes fell on Jon's stock-still figure, she added, concern showing in her voice, "And what's with Jon?"

Jon stood like a dummy at the spot where he had appeared with his mother. The Imperious Curse still controlled him, but for the lack of any order from Voldemort Jon simply waited.

"You haven't broken the curse yet?" Dumbledore asked Serena, examining Jon's blank face.

"He wouldn't let me," Serena grumbled with a sideways nod at Severus, earning another death glare from him.

Dumbledore turned towards Jon and uttered, "Finite Incantatem!"

At first nothing happened. Then, suddenly, Jon collapsed on the grass, gasping. Voldemort's Imperius Curse had held him in a tight grip, not allowing any independent thought. The sudden loss of this absolute control over him was like a shock, and Jon took a minute to recover from it. Finally, he picked himself up again. Completely ignoring his mother's concerned look, Jon reassured Dumbledore that he was all right.

The older wizard cast a look around the group of students and professors, not missing the occasional glances toward Serena, which ranged from coldness to barely restrained hatred.

"We should return to Hogwarts, before the night is over," Dumbledore suggested gently.

"But Hogwarts doesn't exist anymore," Harry said with another sideways glance at Serena. "She destroyed it after she... she almost killed you."

"As you can see, I'm not dead. And I'm sure, Hogwarts isn't destroyed either. Now let's go and check, shall we?" His eyes were twinkling.

Getting ready to set off, Serena bent down to pick up her wand. Severus guessed her intention and stepped on the wooden staff. Serena took a deep breath as if restraining herself from stepping on his foot in return, when Dumbledore interfered once more.

"Severus, please stop your hostility toward Serena. She is on our side, trust me. She never left it, even if it may not seem like that to you."

When Severus didn't move, Dumbledore added, "I promise that I will answer all your questions - I think you have many - in my office over a cup of hot cocoa."

Only his respect for the older wizard, earned over many years, made Severus step aside and allow Serena to take her wand. Quickly, he picked up his own wand, keeping it ready to interfere if Serena made one wrong move. On their way back, while Hermione and Jon gave a quick account of their kidnapping to Dumbledore, Severus aimed his wand at Serena all the time, just in case. When Hogwarts came into view, Severus saw with great relief that it was still standing, but, even then, he didn't lower his caution against Serena.

Upon reaching the castle, they found Minerva McGonagall waiting for them. She gave an audible sigh of relief when they entered the Entrance Hall.

"Headmaster, there you are, at last. Thank Merlin that all of you are back - and in good health, as it appears." She gave the students a small welcome-back-smile. The dirty and dishevelled appearances of Severus and Serena caused her to arch an eyebrow, but she didn't ask for details.

"Cornelius Fudge is here," she continued worriedly. "Apparently, he's been informed of what has happened. Merlin knows how he found out about the abduction; I told him that he must have been taken in by a canard. I wouldn't let him into the dormitories, of course, and I told him you were away on business until tomorrow, but he insisted on staying."

"Very good, Minerva, I will deal with him," Dumbledore said softly.

"But this is not all, Headmaster," she continued, her mouth thinning anxiously. "He threatened that you'll lose your position as Headmaster of Hogwarts if anything has happened to the students. I hope he's calmed down by now; I let him wait in your office for the portraits to keep an eye on him."

"I bet Fudge got a tip-off from Lucius Malfoy. That slimy git doesn't miss an opportunity to undermine the Headmaster's position," Serena growled under her breath.

"Lucius Malfoy?" McGonagall asked sharply. "So you think that he knows about it?"

"Oh, I wouldn't put it past him to have even been involved in the kidnapping itself. At any rate he was there; saw the students with his own eyes."

"Can you prove this? Did anyone else recognise him?"

"He was masked, of course, as was every other Death Eater; he didn't even react when I told him that his son Draco would die, the hardened bastard! But I know that he was there, he wouldn't have dared stay away when Voldemort called. Unfortunately, that won't be enough to get him a one-way ticket to Azkaban."

Serena let out a frustrated sigh, and McGonagall gave her an inquiring look.

"Thank you, Minerva," Dumbledore chimed in. "Let's see what Minister Fudge wants, then, shall we?" He ascended the stairs to the second floor, closely followed by McGonagall and the rest of the group.

Before Dumbledore opened the door to his office, he turned around. "I will talk to the Minister," he insisted, casting a solemn glance at the people behind him. "I do not wish for any of you to slip one word about the events that took place tonight. You don't know all facts yet and I don't want you to communicate any unfounded distrust to Minister Fudge. After he is gone, I will explain everything to you."

His gaze lingered a bit longer on Serena and Severus. "Please, do something about your appearance," he added. "With your current looks, you don't need to say anything to make the Minister suspicious."

Severus cast a Cleaning Spell on himself, watching Serena doing the same. After giving their hair and clothing a quick remake, Severus snapped at Serena, "And cover your neck, for Merlin's sake!"

"Why?" Serena irritably asked, new anger raising her voice. "If you want to hint that my outfit is indecently revealing -"

"He doesn't," Jon interrupted her before Fudge could hear her. His expression suddenly became shocked upon realising that he had defended Snape. "Erm, there are strangulation marks showing," Jon explained quietly.

"Oh," Serena uttered and turned her collar up. Casting Severus a reproachful glare, for he was the cause of those marks, she snarled, albeit with less volume, "Better?"

Severus nodded, glowering back. Her glares were wasted on him; he didn't feel guilty in the slightest. Before he could say anything, though, Dumbledore opened the door to his office and Severus bit back his answer.

Fudge had indeed waited in the office all night. Unable to stay awake, however, he had fallen asleep in a chair. When they entered the office, he woke with a start, burbling, "Oh, Professor Dumbledore... there you are... very well... must have fallen asleep... so late..."

Upon noticing that Dumbledore wasn't alone, Fudge fell silent. Mouth agape, he stared at the students as if they were trolls. He obviously hadn't expected to see them.

"Good morning, Minister Fudge," Dumbledore greeted him politely. "Professor McGonagall informed me of your wish to speak to some of my students. I'm sorry for making you wait the whole night, but if you had informed me of your visit beforehand, we could have made an appointment at a more convenient time." Dumbledore went around his desk and sat down in his chair, gesturing Harry, Hermione and Jon to step closer. "However, here they are."

When Fudge remained silent, Dumbledore added, "May I ask you to keep your conversation brief? I'm sure you understand the importance of sufficient sleep for the successful development of a teenager."

The sight of these three Gryffindors had obviously foiled Fudge's reason for coming to Hogwarts. Stammering, he desperately struggled to find the right words now that his prepared speech was useless.

"Very well... it's good to see you... three. Nothing could be further from my mind than to prevent you from sleeping... You have to understand, when I heard that rather unsettling news - I had to see for myself if you were well... it's my job, after all..."

He trailed off, looking extremely uncomfortable. The grim looks that Severus and Serena exchanged, spreading a chill over the entire office, didn't help to lessen his uneasiness at all.

"Is there anything else I can do for you?" Dumbledore asked, now a hint of coolness in his voice.

Fudge instantly shook his head. "I don't think so. I better go now... It's really late..."

"Yes, indeed it is. Bring my kindest regards to Madam Bones."

Fudge nodded absentmindedly, scrutinising Severus and Serena. Aware of Fudge's attention, they did their best to keep a blank face.

"Professor McGonagall would love to see you to the door," Dumbledore said pleasantly. "Good bye, Minister."

"Good bye, Professor." Fudge cast a quick glance around. "Very well, good bye to all of you." Then he turned and hurriedly followed McGonagall out of the headmaster's office.

Fudge was hardly gone when Harry blurted out, "Why didn't you tell him what happened? Last year he didn't believe that Voldemort's back. Now we are six eyewitnesses - he would have had to believe it."

"He didn't believe you; and neither Professor Snape nor I could convince him last year. He wouldn't have believed Serena or two students who are close friends with you, any more than yourself, Harry," Dumbledore answered calmly.

"And he doesn't trust Fudge," Serena added, full of contempt for the current Minister for Magic. "Very understandable, neither would I. He acts a bit too blind to be believable. I'm quite sure that Voldemort's gathering allies at the Ministry again - and I wouldn't be surprised if Fudge was one of them."

"You should know it, you're closer to the Dark Lord than anyone else in this office," Severus growled.

"Severus, why don't you have a seat, and a cup of cocoa? In fact, why don't we all," Dumbledore interjected calmly before Serena and Severus could launch into another dispute. He motioned towards his desk, in front of which five chairs appeared, followed by a tray with six steaming mugs.

As soon as everyone had taken a seat and a mug, Severus voiced again what had occupied his mind ever since Dumbledore had prevented him from killing Serena on the spot. "With all due respect, Headmaster, I don't understand how you can defend this traitorous witch after all she did tonight. After she attempted to kill you!"

"Serena didn't make an attempt on my life. She only pretended to follow Lord Voldemort's orders." Noticing Severus' sceptic expression, Dumbledore reached into his pocket and produced a small pebble of the likes that Serena had used to keep the black book open. He pressed it and the cracking sound that they had heard earlier on reverberated through the office.

"That pebble is charmed to sound like a breaking neck!" Jon burst out in surprise. "I suppose, this was all planned then?"

Dumbledore confirmed Jon's assumption with a nod. "Yes, it was. But perhaps I should start at the beginning. Last night, Serena came to me, telling me that she highly doubted the success of our plan. She also told me that Lord Voldemort's ability to see through Invisibility Cloaks was more than just a rumour. And she presented a new plan to me, a brilliant idea, I have to say."

Dumbledore took a long swig of his cocoa. Severus made an effort not to scowl at the headmaster. Dumbledore certainly knew that his listeners were dying of curiosity and revelled in keeping them waiting a little longer.

Finally Dumbledore continued, "Serena did not really return to Lord Voldemort's service tonight, she just pretended to. She did not actually kill me, and of course these explosive cauldrons do not exist either. After Lord Voldemort believed me dead, he paid no attention to me anymore, and hence I could use one of the Invisibility Cloaks to move freely among the Death Eaters. Of course, Lord Voldemort still would have seen me, so Serena provided enough distraction for him. And you all splendidly joined in the play. Severus, how you hissed at Serena, threatening her - no one could have done this more convincingly. And Jon - running away from the Death Eaters, so that Voldemort doesn't look at them - excellent!" Dumbledore's eyes sparkled with delight.

"In the meantime I petrified one Death Eater after another. Since they all stood motionless, nobody noticed the change. And then I brought you away, beginning with Hermione and Severus. Lord Voldemort couldn't see you two vanish because the Death Eaters obstructed his view. I took Harry from the stone altar as the last one because his disappearance wouldn't go unnoticed. But by this time it was already too late for Lord Voldemort to do anything."

"Yeah," Serena cut in. "I kept an eye on Harry all the time and when he disappeared, I knew that all of you were safe." The memory warmed her mood, and she began to smile. "It was quite funny to see the Dark Lord yelling at his frozen Death Eaters to find the escapees; and they didn't react. I swear he stamped his foot like a peevish child, furious about so much disobedience, seething with rage. The ideal moment to Disapparate with Jon."

Serena fell silent again, giving the others time to take in the news.

A few seconds later, Harry asked Dumbledore, "But, Professor, did you really have to cast the Immortalis Spell? When Hogwarts wasn't truly endangered, why did you make Voldemort immortal?"

Another cheerful twinkle appeared in Dumbledore's eyes. "It was a brilliant idea, wasn't it?" he answered. "If there is one thing that Lord Voldemort cannot resist, it is immortality - the perfect bait to keep him from killing any of us immediately. Serena proved her purported loyalty to him, got her wand back and had a reason to be near Jon. Additionally, I regained my wand and my freedom of movement, which I needed to save you."

"And the benefit of this plan - saving two kidnapped students' lives - outweighs the price of giving the Dark Lord immortality and enabling him to kill countless more people due to his near-invincibility," Severus growled, unmistakable sarcasm marking his tone.

Serena rolled her eyes, as if Severus had missed something obvious, but he couldn't see what this should be. He also found her grin, which grew broader by each second, highly inappropriate. An invincible Voldemort was not cause for amusement.

"Oh, really, Sev, how stupid do you think we are?"

Noticing the student's expressions light up in reaction to the way Serena addressed him, Severus made sure to give each of them a glare that stuck any comment in their throats.

Meanwhile, Serena raised her palms in a deprecatory gesture and added, "No, don't answer. Of course he isn't immortal. Professor Dumbledore and I stayed up all night to adapt this spell to our requirements. I have no idea if the original spell would actually have worked, but our version certainly didn't. At least not in the way that Voldemort had expected. Fortunately, he doesn't speak Celtic well enough to understand the incantation and notice that Professor Dumbledore said something completely different from what was written in the book. The spell concentrated Voldemort's magical power and vital energy, rendering him merely invulnerable - and even this only for a very limited period of time."

She turned to the left where Harry sat and reassuringly patted his shoulder. "Don't worry, Harry, your soul hasn't been harmed either."

Harry gave her a strange look, and Severus could easily guess what was going on in the boy's mind. On the one hand, Harry wanted so badly to believe that Serena was telling the truth and that his soul was unharmed, but on the other hand he wasn't sure if he could believe her. After all that had happened tonight, he had no idea if he could trust her or not. Finally, Harry gave Dumbledore a quizzical look and the headmaster nodded in confirmation. Only then, did Harry visibly relax and discard the somewhat haunted expression that he had worn since they had returned from the stone circle.

Meanwhile, Serena continued her account. "The spell boosted Voldemort's metabolism. But no gain without pain." She smiled. "Soon he'll find out that this short high will be followed by a long low. He'll feel weak and sick. The spell tapped and concentrated his own life force to make him temporarily invulnerable. In a short while, he'll have used up all his energy and he'll be burned out for quite a while."

Severus released the breath that he had unwittingly been holding. So the Dark Lord wasn't immortal, after all. This made the whole operation a bit less stupid, but he was still convinced that this plan had major weak points and wasn't better than their original, more straightforward plan.

"So you cheated on him," Severus said. "But how could you know that he wouldn't test his alleged immortality a bit more thoroughly?"

"We didn't. Truth be told, I would've been delighted if he had asked someone to try the Killing Curse on him. While he was immune against some cuts, he wouldn't have survived an Avada Kedavra." Serena sighed. "But you can't have everything..."

"But doesn't he still have the book?" Hermione chimed in. "With this book, won't he be able to perform the original Immortalis Spell sometime later, when he has recovered from last night?"

The amused twinkle in Dumbledore's eyes grew more intense when he shook his head.

"Lord Voldemort probably thinks so," he answered, "but he is very much mistaken. To prevent the book from falling into the wrong hands, Serena didn't take it with her in the first place. It is still at Hogwarts."

In corroboration of his statement, Dumbledore opened a drawer in his desk and took a black book out of it that looked exactly like the one that Serena had presented Voldemort with.

"What Voldemort has," Serena explained, "is a fine piece of magic that Professor Dumbledore created. A Leprechaun owed him a favour and provided Professor Dumbledore with some of their gold, you know, their special sort that dissolves into nothing after a while. Professor Dumbledore transfigured it into an exact copy of this tome. In a few hours, the false book will disappear into the blue and Voldemort won't get a look-in. And he'll boil with rage. If he still has the strength for it."

To break the following silence, Serena rolled up the left sleeve of her robe and said, "Look, it's already fading."

The students craned their necks to look at Serena's arm. The Dark Mark on it was pale, much paler than when they had seen it in the Three Broomsticks. They could almost watch it fading.

Severus checked his own mark and found that it also had grown fainter. In fact, the Mark hadn't been this pale since before the Dark Lord's resurrection.

"So you were on our side all the time," Jon voiced his conclusion from the revelations, but still in an amazed tone as if he needed to hear it in order to believe it. "I'm sorry that I shouted at you, Mum."

A warm smile spread over Serena's face, lending a happy glow to her eyes. "No offence taken," she said mildly.

"I don't hate you either, I think," Harry chimed in, but sounded as if he was still in the process of convincing himself of this fact.

Hermione finally added, her gaze alternating between Serena and Dumbledore, "Thank you for saving us."

Suddenly, Severus found himself the focus of general attention. Everyone seemed to expect him to endorse the statements of the previous speakers. But he stayed silent, keeping his expression as dark as it was.

"Well, what's with you?" Serena asked, provocatively arching an eyebrow at him. "Won't you admit that you were wrong about me? Won't you finally discard your distrust of me? And apologise to me like someone with good manners would?"

Severus shook his head. "No, certainly not."

Serena looked offended. Even Dumbledore frowned.

"Darn pigheadedness! Why not?" she inquired.

"Because I don't believe a word of it. What everyone here seems to have forgotten is that the Dark Lord administered Veritaserum to you. You expressed your wish to return to His service. You also said that you don't care about anyone but Jon and wouldn't be bothered by our deaths. Don't tell me that you lied. You were under Veritaserum, and no one can lie then."

"That's not quite accurate," Serena objected. Before Severus could start to give a list of reasons why it was biologically impossible to defy the effect of Veritaserum, she quickly continued, "Of course I cannot resist it, but I managed to neutralise its effect, and so I was able to lie."

Serena cast a quizzical look at Dumbledore. After a moment's hesitation, he nodded and Serena continued.

"What I'm going to tell you now, mustn't leave this room. Is this clear?"

The students nodded eagerly. Severus gave his assent too; he was agog to hear what a story she would serve up.

But instead of starting her explanation, Serena asked Severus, "Do you remember when we blew up the Potions tower?"

Severus scowled at her as his answer. Of course he would never forget that day. Serena had made a lot of blunders in Potions, but this had been the culmination of all her mishaps. He was miffed that after all these years, Serena still tried to blame him for the accident, at least partially. "Of course I remember. And it was you, not us, who let the cauldron boil too long despite being told otherwise."

"Ah well, it was my fault then." Serena sighed and then looked at the three students. "For those of you who don't know the full story, I should reiterate what happened. It was in my fifth year at Hogwarts. OWL tests were coming up and I was sure to fail Potions, abysmal as I was at that horrible subject. I got permission to use the Potions classroom, which was in a small tower on the south side at that time, for additional practising. And who would be better than Sev, the best Potions student Hogwarts had, as my tutor? So I talked him into helping me. Unfortunately, the cauldron blew up after finishing the Veritaserum, taking the whole Potions tower with it."

"Veritaserum?" Hermione blurted out, academic interest brightening her eyes. "You learned to make Veritaserum? Will we learn this too?" When she noticed Harry's exasperated look, she added a bit sheepishly, "It isn't in the Potions textbook, that's why I'm asking."

"You won't learn it," Severus curtly informed her, grateful for this fact. He wouldn't have wanted to have someone like Neville Longbottom try something that contained Erumpent Horn fluid. Feeling at least as annoyed by her disruption as Harry looked, Severus added, "If we could continue -"

But he was cut short by Jon who started whispering to Hermione at the same time as Severus began to speak.

"I can show it to you, if you like. We did Veritaserum at the Potions club at Warwick's last year. The brewing's a bit dangerous, but nothing you couldn't manage."

"That would be great!" Hermione smiled, but the smile vanished as soon as she looked up and noticed Severus' sour expression.

"I still wonder if it was coincidence that the Ministry of Magic requested the removal of Veritaserum from the syllabus shortly after this incident," Dumbledore jovially added. "Or if it was because of the new regulations in dealing with the potion."

Serena pulled a wry face. "So you noticed it too. And I'd thought -"

Severus audibly cleared his throat. "If it wouldn't cause you too much trouble, could we return to the actual topic some time before dawn?"

"Okay, okay," Serena drawled and then put on a pensive expression. "Well, where was I? Ah, yes, what happened was that we tested the potion, of course before everything exploded, but it didn't work, I was still able to lie. When Sev asked me after the big bang if I was hurt, I said no, which wasn't true. And Professor Dumbledore asked what had happened, and I told him that Sev had blown up the tower, even though it was my fault. I lied, although I didn't actually want to. When I wondered about this later, I remembered that I had added frog toes to the cauldron instead of salamander toes."

"Frog toes!" Severus snapped in exasperation, regarding Serena with the same look that was usually reserved for Neville Longbottom. "No wonder that the serum didn't work. I never told you to add frog toes!"

"Sorry, but I always had difficulties telling one from the other. Well, you know the effect of frog toes. Even I know it by now."

"Frog toes reverse the effect of most potions..." Suddenly Severus understood. "Instead of a Truth Serum you brewed a potion that forced you to lie!"

"Exactly. Five points to the sour Potions Master. I had saved some of the potion, having hoped to make Veritaserum. Anyway, I kept it because I thought that a serum that makes you lie could be just as useful. Part of our punishment was to help Professor Godpot, our Potions professor, to set up a new Potions classroom and lab down in the dungeons. One afternoon I was busy putting bottles that had survived the catastrophe into a new cupboard. I found that one of them contained Veritaserum and I couldn't resist it. I tested it together with my potion. And the result was exactly what I had surmised: they cancelled each other out. I was neither under duress to tell the truth nor to lie."

"You found an antidote to Veritaserum," Severus stated, shaking his head in incredulity.

How ironic, he thought, that of all people the woman who had absolutely no grip on Potions whatsoever discovered something that the best Potions geniuses hadn't found yet. But then, no one with even a basic understanding of Potions would attempt to combine frog toes and Erumpent Horn liquid, an essential ingredient for Veritaserum. Erumpents didn't get along with frogs in real life, and strangely enough, the same applied for parts of them combined as potions ingredients. Severus couldn't name any potion off the top of his head that would consist of ingredients from both animals. The antidote to Veritaserum was apparently the exception that proved the rule.

"You never breathed a word of it. Why not?" he asked Serena.

"At first I simply didn't want you to occupy your thoughts with this subject and perhaps hit on the idea that Veritaserum would be a great thing to use for getting back at Jim and his friends. So I didn't mention anything that had to do with it."

Serena took a deep breath, twisting a loose strand of her hair between her fingers. "When I became a spy, it came in handy to be immune against Veritaserum. I hollowed out one of my molars and filled the cavity with some of my potion. When Voldemort caught me stealing his Pensieve and forced Veritaserum down my throat, I bit my hollow tooth and swallowed the antidote before I answered his questions; and tonight I did the same."

"You see, Severus, there was an explanation other than the obvious one," Dumbledore said, referring to their conversation in the infirmary three months ago. Severus had insisted on Serena's deceitfulness because she had admitted under Veritaserum to have ambitions of taking over Voldemort's position.

Severus nodded, grudgingly admitting that Dumbledore had been right. Serena cast both of them curious looks, not knowing what the headmaster was talking about.

"So you needed the Erumpent Horn fluid for brewing the antidote, not to blow up Hogwarts," Severus said, slightly changing the topic. "I'm surprised that you managed to make it, especially as this was what you intended to do in the first place."

Serena furrowed her brows, not missing the rather obvious criticism of her non-existent potion skills, but she didn't complain. "I didn't brew it personally, I asked Professor Dumbledore for help. Since he knew our plan, it was advisable to equip him with the potion as well, just in case Voldemort questioned him."

"It was quite reassuring to see that I'm still able to brew a decent potion after all these years." Dumbledore's mild expression sobered when he cast a serious glance all around him. "Don't forget that you promised not to tell anyone about it. The Ministry of Magic still uses Veritaserum to interrogate criminals, and if they all stock up with the antidote now..."

He trailed off, leaving it to his listeners to envisage the ramifications of a widely known antidote to Veritaserum.

A few moments later, he added in an apologetic tone, "Please forgive us for not informing you of the amendments to the original plan. This has nothing to do with trust or lack thereof. But it was much more convincing if your shock at my death and your anger at Serena were genuine. It also minimised the chances of Lord Voldemort discovering our intentions by interrogating you."

Harry nodded in understanding, but Severus couldn't help but feel irked about not being let in on the true plan. He found it all right to leave Harry in the dark, but himself? He had already proved that he was able to fool the Dark Lord, and this more than once. Yet they hadn't told him anything. On the contrary, they had tried to exclude him entirely.

"Instead of dropping your bracelet, you two could just have told me that you didn't need me," Severus said, a bit of his annoyance shining through.

"Professor Dumbledore had nothing to do with that, it was my decision to leave you behind," Serena answered.

"And why did you decide this? Didn't you believe me capable of helping you?"

"Your presence wasn't necessary. So why risk your life?"

"It's my life, after all, so it should also be my decision if I want to risk it. Anyway, since when does it bother you if I'm in danger or not?"

"Oh, just forget it, okay?" Serena snapped irritably.

Severus narrowed his eyes in suspicion. She was dodging his question. He knew her well enough by now to realise that she always did this when she was hiding something. Determined to find out what, he answered, "No, I won't. What are you keeping from me?"

Serena shifted uncomfortably in her seat. "It doesn't matter; you found us anyway. It's no use crying over spilt milk."

Severus scrutinised her uncommunicative expression. He surely wouldn't let her off the hook that easily.

"What's up with you, for Merlin's sake?"

Serena bit her lower lip, staring defiantly at him, but she didn't say a word.

"Serena!" Severus admonished her. "If you don't answer, I'm compelled to assume that my distrust in you is warranted, after all."

Serena rolled her eyes, giving a despairing sigh. "My goodness, if you must know it, well, I didn't want you to come with us because... because..." She sighed again, looking grim. She straightened up slightly, as if bracing herself for her next words. "Because I cared for you, okay? Despite your being a grumpy old bat, I found myself unwilling to unnecessarily expose you to danger, dammit! - Now are you satisfied?"

Serena pulled an exasperated face, but her eyes didn't meet his gaze. Severus had been convinced that nothing about Serena would surprise him anymore, and yet he was dumbfounded by her revelation. She cared for him. In spite of all their quarrels she still had at least some positive feelings for him, and didn't want him to be harmed.

Severus cursed inwardly. She had said cared - past tense. After his attempt to strangle her, she had probably changed her mind, reversed her feelings to the contrary.

"Well, since all questions seem to be answered now, how about calling it a day - or rather night?" Serena asked, looking at everyone except Severus. Her cheerful voice sounded quite artificial.

Harry nodded, yawning. "I wholeheartedly second that."

But Dumbledore shook his head. "I'm sorry to keep you from your well-deserved sleep any longer, but there's something else I have to tell you, something that even Serena doesn't know. Jon and Hermione, however, you may leave if you like, because it doesn't concern you."

"But it concerns Harry?" Hermione asked.

"Yes, it does."

"Then we would prefer to stay, if you don't mind," Jon chimed in, promoted by Hermione's eager nodding. Jon hadn't said much during the meeting, just sat on his chair, his head resting on an arm that was propped on the armrest. With his heavily hooded eyes, he had given the impression that he was just about to drift off into the arms of Morpheus, but apparently he had attentively followed the conversation.

"I expected such an answer, and you may stay with Harry," Dumbledore said mildly. Then his gaze wandered to the black tome on his desk, and again his expression became solemn.

"This book," he began, "contains nothing but Dark magic. And yet it can be used for good. Whoever wrote it apparently possessed the powers of divination. In fact, this person tells us how to defeat Lord Voldemort. How Harry will do it, to be precise. But see for yourself."

Dumbledore opened the book and showed them a richly illustrated page close to the end. Decorated with pictures and ornate patterns, it made the onlookers gasp. A single, loose page with the same content served as bookmark.

Taking this piece of parchment out of the book, the headmaster explained, "This page is from the copy. I tore it out because I didn't want Lord Voldemort to stumble across it. Missing pages aren't that uncommon with ancient books, so if he had noticed it, it wouldn't have aroused his suspicion."

Severus snatched the single page from Dumbledore's desk and leaned back in his chair to study the sheet, while the other four crowded together to peer at the original book.

The middle of the page was devoted to an incantation, once more composed in the Celtic language. Two pictures, one at the top and one at the bottom, illustrated the spell's effect.

The upper picture showed three figures. One was surrounded by a bright halo that reminded Severus instantly of a sun. The second didn't have a halo, but a yellowish, zigzagged line on its head - a symbolised flash. Both stood close together, and the person with the flash pointed its wand at the right side of the picture. There stood the third figure, painted in black, hooded, and about twice the size of the others. It looked as if it was just about to descend on its opponents. The background was dark and dreary, lending a gloomy atmosphere to the whole picture.

The book was so ancient that the figures in the picture didn't even move. Hence the need for the second image that showed the result of performing the charm.

Again, there were the three figures, but this time the dark one was smaller, not even half the size of the other two. It cowered defeated in a corner, its wand lying broken before it. The background of this picture was bright and colourful, radiating a hopeful and elated mood.

These images struck a cord with Severus, but he couldn't quite remember what it was until Hermione blurted out, "The prophecy! This is about the prophecy!"

"Indeed, there is too much similarity for it to be coincidence," Serena assented.

At this hint, Severus' memory provided him with the reminiscences of a Death Eater meeting in the Dark Lord's castle, half an eternity ago. In the middle of a speech from Lucius Malfoy, Bellatrix Lestrange suddenly stood up and started muttering something about a killed Sun, a surviving Flash, and the defeat of the Darkness. The Dark Lord got all fussy about it, dismissing the other Death Eaters from the meeting. Serena had been there too, and had heard the prophecy as well. Soon after, Severus had forgotten about it, but Serena apparently had not.

He racked his brain, trying to remember Bellatrix' exact words.

"May I help your memory along, Severus?" Dumbledore asked gently, extending a piece of parchment to him.

Severus took it and while he scanned the two verses, a discussion about the prediction's meaning started between the others. They all agreed on the identities of the Flash and the Darkness, but Hermione didn't seem to share the opinion of her fellow students about the Sun.

"How come you all know about this prophecy anyway?" Severus asked, putting the prophecy text back on Dumbledore's desk. "Did I miss an article in the Quibbler or something?"

"I told them. I wasn't quite capable of keeping it from them," Serena informed him, shrugging her shoulders in an it's-not-my-fault-I-couldn't-help-it manner.

"So Darkness means the Dark Lord, and the Flash is supposed to be Harry Potter," Severus summarised their debate. "But who's the Sun?"

"That's the one-million-galleon-question," Jon said.

"We have a theory that it's one of these people that Serena saved," Harry added, "but we don't know who exactly."

Hermione sat in her chair, fidgeting and shifting from one edge to the other all the time. As soon as Harry took a breath, she interjected, "And I say it again, you're wrong."

Professor Dumbledore regarded her with an interested look. "Please tell us what you believe," he asked her.

"With all due respect, Sir, I think that you're the Sun, Professor."

Meeting only uncomprehending gazes except from Dumbledore, she explained, "I thought of this at the stone circle. When Professor Dumbledore cast the spell, he glowed as bright as daylight - like a sun, actually. I couldn't even directly look at him. And all the lines about the Sun in the prophecy do fit."

Eager to prove her point, she took the parchment with the prophecy from the desk and directed their attention to the first reference of the Sun: The Sun breaks the Darkness for a day.

"Due to the spell that Professor Dumbledore cast, Voldemort is so weak now that he's practically right out of it for at least a day or so. And here, at the end, see -"

She marked the line The Sun will die in torture and pain.

"- We thought that Professor Potter had killed Professor Dumbledore."

"But I don't think that breaking one's neck would be painful," Jon objected.

"He was under the Cruciatus Curse just before that. And only because he didn't scream doesn't mean that it wasn't painful, I suppose." Hermione looked at Dumbledore, unconsciously biting her lower lip. "Or was it, Sir?"

"It was indeed an experience I could do without," Dumbledore answered. "But please, continue your reasoning. You aren't finished yet, I take it?"

Hermione nodded, pointing at the third and fourth lines.
But if both unite, together they'll drive
The Darkness forever away.

"Professor Dumbledore has helped Harry a lot already, but today he did the most important thing: he cast the spell that made Voldemort weak. Now Harry has a chance to come near enough to cast his spell and defeat Voldemort for good, now that Voldemort can barely defend himself."

Hermione shut her mouth, searching for a sign that the others had understood her reasoning and would concur with her.

"Hermione, this is brilliant," Jon exclaimed. Harry nodded, albeit somewhat hesitantly.

"I couldn't have explained it better," Dumbledore said, causing a smile to appear on Hermione's face.

Severus admitted that the girl had a point, but stayed silent. He would need a lot more to happen before he would openly praise a Gryffindor, especially a Know-It-All like Granger was.

"What is this charm actually doing? Does it shrink Voldemort until we can lock him up in a cigar box?" Harry inquired with a glimpse at the illustrations.

"The size is only symbolic, Harry. The pictures are merely saying that Lord Voldemort, strong, dangerous and powerful before, will be deprived of his powers and will become practically harmless."

"I don't understand everything, but the incantation says something about the transfer of power, and here, this means brothers and this forever," Hermione said.

"You can read this?" Jon asked, highly impressed.

"We analysed Celtic texts in Ancient Runes a few weeks ago," Hermione explained. "If I had my dictionary, I could probably translate the whole thing. But basically, it looks like the spell takes someone's powers and puts them somewhere else."

"In fact, this spell transfers the magical power from one person to another," Dumbledore explained, "So the magical abilities of the receiver will increase, while the donor will lose them."

"I see," Harry said, understanding of the point of using this spell dawning on his face. "This will weaken Voldemort until he isn't a danger for the wizarding world anymore. But I still don't get it why I have to perform this charm. I'm not even sure if I can manage this. Why couldn't you do it, Professor Dumbledore? Just because the picture shows it this way?"

Dumbledore shook his head. "This word that Hermione translated as brothers can also be understood in the somewhat wider term relatives. And this is exactly why you, Harry, are the only one who can successfully cast this charm."

Hermione slapped her forehead. "Of course, how could I forget, in this context it's more likely to mean relatives in general other than just brothers."

"Quite right. This charm works best between related people - people of the same blood to be precise. See, our ability to do magic is bound to our blood, and this ability seems to recognise where it belongs to. So when magical power is transferred from one person to another, it doesn't stay there, but returns to its original owner after a rather short while. The effect of this charm can only be made permanent if blood-related people are involved. Then the magic can settle itself in the other person's blood and stay there."

Dumbledore leaned back in his chair, his eyes becoming slightly unfocused, as though he watched memories with his inner eye.

"When I read Bellatrix' prophecy, I instantly remembered the illustrations in this book. From that day on, I was convinced that this charm would be our means to end the war. But I didn't know how to make the effect lasting. There was no close relative of Lord Voldemort, so no one could cast the spell. But last year at his rebirth he unwittingly solved this problem for us."

Harry's face suddenly lit up. "Then it wasn't my imagination! When I told you how Voldemort had taken my blood for his new body, I saw a short flicker of triumph in your eyes, but as it was gone again so quickly, I wasn't sure if I really had seen it."

"You're a good observer, Harry. I tried not to let my emotions show; I didn't want you to be burdened with this knowledge. You had enough to cope with at that time. Besides, I had no idea who the Sun was back then. But it was such good news that I didn't quite succeed in hiding my reaction. It's not only that you are now blood-related to Lord Voldemort. You and he share practically the exact same blood. This should enable you to take over all of his magical power, up to the point where he won't be able to perform any magic anymore."

"So I will make Voldemort a Muggle?" Harry asked in amazement.

"In principle, yes."

Severus suddenly wondered if the universe would also be able to exist without the plentiful ironies of life, or if it would bore itself to death then. The wizard who despised Muggles more than any other wizard would become one himself. What an end of a career as an evil overlord.

"When I transfer Voldemort's powers to me, does this mean I'll become as powerful as he is now? And as dark as he is?" Harry asked, looking a bit frightened by this prospect.

Dumbledore gave Harry a serious look. "Yes and no. You will get his magical abilities and become an extremely powerful wizard. But power is neither light nor dark; it's completely up to you how you use it. Great power means great responsibility, but I have faith in you that you'll do the right thing with it."

Harry gulped, looking not half as confident of his own faculties as Dumbledore appeared. After a while he nodded, though. "When am I supposed to cast the spell?"

"In a few hours, around noon, Lord Voldemort will reach his lowest point. That would be the best time to strike. If any Death Eaters noticed the fading of the mark and sought him out to see what's up, he'll have sent them away again by then."

"Do you know this or do you assume it?" Severus asked.

"Partly - partly. I know that Wormtail is with him, I saw him for myself. Knowing Lord Voldemort and his pride, I think it is safe to assume that he doesn't want to be seen by his Death Eaters in this weak state. So he won't have any of them around except Wormtail. I'm also quite sure that he doesn't expect us. He believes himself safe in Little Hangleton, because he made his quarters unplottable."

"Little Hangleton?" Severus shook his head in disbelief. That couldn't be right. After Jon and Hermione's kidnapping, they had thoroughly checked Riddle Manor. It was deserted and there had been no trace of anyone having been there for months.

Dumbledore noticed Severus' doubtful expression and explained, "He's not at the Riddle House as you apparently suppose. Tom Riddle's mother was a witch who also lived in Little Hangleton. He set his new residence in her old hut."

A clever move, Severus thought. After the Dark Lord had left the Riddle House, Severus would have searched for him everywhere but Little Hangleton. The few people who knew that the Dark Lord was back and weren't his minions, thought along the same lines - all except for Dumbledore, apparently.

"How did you find it out? I mean, what made you look in Little Hangleton?" Severus asked.

Dumbledore's eyes twinkled again. "I was very sure that Lord Voldemort wouldn't leave the black book behind, so I enhanced it with one of your ingenious concealed Locating Charms. After I left Harry at the meadow outside of Hogsmeade, I followed the book."

When no one posed any more questions, Dumbledore handed the single page from the book's copy to Harry.

"Harry, I want you to learn this incantation. I suggest writing it down on another parchment, as this one will dissolve in a few hours, just as the rest of the book. Since Hermione is familiar with the Celtic language, she could help you to get the pronunciation right."

"I'll do my best," Hermione promised.

"We'll meet in the Entrance Hall at noon. Severus, Serena, would you come with us? Someone needs to take care of Wormtail."

Serena nodded instantly. "Of course I'll come. I wouldn't want to miss this."

"I'll be in the Entrance Hall at twelve sharp," Severus stated.

Harry opened his mouth, apparently to say something, but no words came out. Instead, another hearty yawn forced his jaws wide open.

With a glance at the wall clock, Dumbledore said, "It's past four in the morning - high time to go to sleep. Jon, Hermione, as we have Valentine's Day and the afternoon lessons are skipped anyway, you are excused from school today. But you would do me a great favour if you went to see Madam Pomfrey after getting some rest to ensure that you won't suffer any after-effects of your abduction. Harry, you don't have to attend lessons either, and I will see you in the Entrance Hall at twelve o'clock, all right?"

Harry nodded, stifling another yawn.

"Severus, Serena, I understand that you also must be tired, but I can't exempt you from giving morning lessons. All I can offer is to release you from duty during the ball tonight. So you can leave early and catch up on lost sleep then."

When they filed out of Dumbledore's office, Serena muttered, groaning, "Great, my first class starts in about three hours. How am I supposed to teach then? The times when I was young and celebrated all night without tiring are long gone by."

"Poor old, infirm woman, perhaps I should cover for you? My first lesson starts in the second unit," Severus teased her. The taunt hadn't been as casual as it sounded, and with a bit of anxiety, Severus waited for Serena's reaction. Would she take it lightly, like a joke, or would she glare at him, still in a huff because of his rather extreme response to her alleged betrayal?

Serena cast him a horrified look. "For Merlin's sake, no! I can't do that to the poor children, not again!" Then she grinned, adding as an afterthought, "I think, I'll let them read their textbooks and charm my eyes to look like they're open."

Jon laughed. "That won't work, Mum. I'm sure they'd wonder why their professor would snore like a lumberjack."

"Watch your tongue, my friend, or I'll hit on the idea to take you to my first lesson for demonstration purposes," Serena mockingly threatened her son. "And I promise you won't get a chance to even think about snoring."

Jon's grin vanished immediately, not sure if she was perhaps serious about this. Quickly, he hurried after Harry and Hermione towards Gryffindor Tower, where soft snug beds waited for them.