Fidelitas

Chapter One

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'What on earth is going on?!'

A loud crash resounded around the Slytherin dormitory as the students were jolted unceremoniously into wakefulness.

Draco Malfoy sat up in bed for a fraction of a second before jumping in action. He yanked on his clothes as the others rushed to follow his example. As they ran towards the common room, the tense atmosphere was pierced by a woman's scream.

Professor McGonagall.

Many stopped in their tracks, but Draco rushed outside, up the stairs and towards the Great Hall from where the scream had come. He was followed by a handful of other Slytherin seniors, some scared, others looking expectant. They were joined by the Gryffindor seventh years and some Ravenclaws. There was no sign of any teachers.

The students arrived at the Great Hall and stopped in their tracks. The five tables lay in pieces strewn around the room as the enchanted ceiling bore testament to the late hour and the inclement weather. But the storm outside was nothing compared to the battle that raged within.

In the very middle of the room, Lord Voldemort and Albus Dumbledore were engaged in a duel. Every so often spells bounced off the wizards' shields and the students had to run for cover. Wands swished through the air, emitting bright light and occasional sparks as neither seemed to need to speak a spell aloud.

Lord Voldemort was winning.

A single beam of red light from Voldemort's wand pierced through Dumbledore's defenses and hit him squarely on his chest. The dim blue shield around the Headmaster flickered and died as he was thrown backwards and onto the floor.

Voldemort laughed.

'Petrificus totalus!'

Albus was pinned to the floor. Many of the students shrieked in disbelief but Voldemort did not even notice their presence in the room.

'And to think they said that I was afraid of you . . . '

Voldemort walked lazily up to Dumbledore, twirling his wand in his hand.

'You have grown old, headmaster,' drawled Voldemort, 'Old and weak. And soon to be dead. So many years you have tormented me, and now I can finally take my revenge! But not before you give me the information I need! Tell me now, so I may take pity on you, where is Harry Potter? Speak!'

Voldemort flicked his wand toward Dumbledore's face and muttered a spell.

'You ask such peculiar questions, Tom.' said Albus, his demeanor suggesting that conversations with deranged yet very powerful wizards bent on killing all muggles and muggle-borns was an everyday occurrence. 'How would I know where to find young Harry?'

'Do not be droll with me!! How dare you! I could kill you right now if I wished it!'

'Ah, Tom, you always did take everything personally,' sighed Albus. 'However, I'm afraid it is out of the question for me to tell you where Harry is. I do apologize.'

'For the last time Albus, tell me where he is, and perhaps I shall kill you painlessly!'

'Why so impatient Tom? When the time comes, Harry himself will find you.'

'Do you think he can defeat me? Preposterous! I am the greatest wizard of all time! I defeated you! Harry Potter is a mere boy. I shall kill him in a matter of seconds...'

'We shall see, Tom,' said Albus, looking serious for the first time. 'But this is hardly a good day for you, is it? First, you can't find Harry, then you fail to kill me . . .'

'Oh, I'm not going to fail, headmaster . . .'

'Wrong again, Tom.'

'I am not wrong!! Ava-'

A jet of blue light hit Voldemort's wand and it flew out of his hands. He turned around.

'You?!'

The Order had arrived led by Severus Snape.

Ten wands were aimed at Voldemort, but it was too late. Jets of light crisscrossed each other and ricocheted off the walls. Lord Voldemort had disapparated.

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'The wards around the school are being repaired. The break was only large enough to admit one person, which explains the absence of the Death Eaters. All the teachers have been resuscitated although we are not entirely sure how they were cursed to begin with. It is clear though that Minerva was able to counter it. She was probably trying to find out what had happened when she . . . '

Severus stopped, unsure whether to continue or not.

The Headmaster was in the hospital wing; his wounds had been attended to, but his magical energy had been drained drastically. He would be unable to move for days. As he lay listening to Snape's report, he was looking at Minerva's lifeless body in the adjacent bed. If only she had not found me . . .

'As per your request Headmaster, all students have been sent back home for the moment. As you know, some of the older students were present during your duel. But thankfully they are all unhurt. Arrangements are being made for Professor McGonagall's funeral. That's all. I need to help with the wards, Albus. I'll come back when I'm done.'

Severus waited for some sign of acknowledgement, but there were none. He sighed inwardly and left, lost in thought, not knowing whether Albus had even heard him.

The resistance was in a quandary. Now that Severus had been found out, they had lost their only spy. Dumbledore's defeat had created many doubts. Even the muggles had started to notice the increasing death toll. The absence of Harry Potter did nothing to allay fears. Severus himself was perfectly aware that Potter was training for his inevitable showdown with You-Know-Who, but only Albus knew where. As far as Severus could see, in order to defeat the Dark Lord, the Order would need nothing less than a miracle.

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