Smoke

Smoke X Wednesday, May 21, 1997

Professor Russell was just walking out of his office, on the way to a late dinner, thinking. Death Eater attacks had slowed almost to a stop. That was good, but someone had finally figured out how to send the dementors out randomly. That meant there were more soulless, more terror. It also likely meant that either the Death Eaters would start equally random attacks or else they were preparing for something big.

"Professor Russell!" Russell turned around, and saw Luna Lovegood frantically running down the corridor.

"What's wrong?"

Luna's words came quickly and breathlessly. "I heard screaming from a boys' toilet and then Professor Snape ran in and then there was more yelling and he brought Draco Malfoy out and he had lots of blood all over and he was still seeping blood and Professor Snape said that if anyone poked their nose into the bathroom they would be serving detentions from now until the end of the year." She took a huge breath and went on, a little slower. "Harry is in that toilet, Professor, and Professor Snape was swearing he'd have Harry expelled and imprisoned. Professor, you have to help him!"

Russell sorted through what she had said and then instantly said, "Come, Miss Lovegood."

Snape had apparently driven all the lingering, curious students away. Russell could hear the Defense Professor's raised voice coming from the boys' toilet. "Go," Russell commanded Luna. "I'll take care of things as best I can." Luna gave Russell a pleading look, and then fled.

Harry stormed out of the toilet a few moments latter. Even had Russell not been disillusioned, he rather doubted Potter would have seen him. He canceled the charm and marched into the lavatory.

"I've got the little bastard now!" he heard Snape chortle as he opened the door. Snape glared at him. "What do you wa. . . ." Russell had said nothing, he had simply kept marching, picking the lighter Snape up and ramming him into the far wall.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?" Russell roared at Snape as Snape hit the wall.

"I am disciplining a dangerous child!" Snape yelled back. "I have him this time, and he will be gone before midnight!"

"Are you crazy?"

"He attacked, he nearly killed, Draco Malfoy!"

"So what? Malfoy doesn't matter, you idiot!"

"Listen to yourself! I will not allow. . . ." Russell rammed Snape's head against the wall, which silenced him for a moment.

"YOU will not allow? This isn't about YOU either. It doesn't matter if Potter cursed Malfoy. . . ."

"It was a Dark, almost Unforgiveable curse. . . ."

"IT WOULDN'T MATTER IF POTTER HAD KICKED YOU IN THE BALLS, CRUCIOED YOU, AND PISSED IN YOUR MOUTH!" Russell tossed Snape to the ground. "Are you really this bloody stupid? Do you really think Dumbledore. . . ."

"I am a Head of House! I can appeal to the Board of Governors on this, and I will!" Snape claimed, sitting up. "Potter has learned what he needs to learn here. He doesn't need to be here, he doesn't need my book. . . ."

"Oh, so THAT'S where he learned a Dark Curse, is it? If Dumbledore or you didn't want him learning it, you could have easily obscured it. He likely would never have found it then."

"I had forgotten it was there," Snape admitted.

"Yell at the boy, give the idiot some detentions, he deserves them."

"But. . . ."

"But what?" Russell said with contempt. "Are you afraid that this will drive Malfoy into making a direct attempt on Dumbledore's life?"

Snape looked at Russell stupidly.

"So, you are an idiot. Just because I never came right out and said that I knew it was Malfoy behind those two pathetic attempts? I'm a poor Legilimens, but even I could read what Bell was to do with the necklace that night, and who used the Imperius on her. And I heard you memory charm her in the Infirmary, so you know it was Malfoy."

"Draco has been given two tasks by the Dark Lord," Snape hissed. "I am sworn to fulfill one of them, or die. I have been trying to get him to tell me the second one, so that I may help him with that. Otherwise, I will have to fulfill the task of killing Dumbledore or die, and you know I don't want to do either!"

"But if you can find out the other task. . . ."

"Then I can substitute that for the killing of the Headmaster. This does NOT help me do that!"

"Neither will trying to get Potter expelled when you know it will fail," Russell pointed out.

"At least I can get that book back from Potter," Snape said.

"He won't bring that book," Russell said. "He knows that book is worth keeping."

"If he doesn't I'll. . . ."

"You'll give him a hard time, and then let it go."

Snape stood up straight. "You are presuming a great deal, John. Don't try my temper."

Russell glared right back. "And don't you try mine, either. This has been a difficult year for both of us, and my temper is also frayed. I haven't lost my temper in a very long time. I would regret if you were the cause of my losing it again."

Snape sent a Legilimency prope into Russell. What he got back came as a shock. It wasn't a verbal answer, or even Russell's Occlumency defense, it was a vision of a raging monster, more horrible in some ways than the werewolf that had nearly infected him, as horrible as the worst he had seen as a Death Eater. It was frightening to know that this monster of anger and rage dwelt in the heart of his acquaintance, a man he had thought until the previous summer to be relatively mild-mannered.

"I am mild-mannered," Russell snarled, reading Snape in return. "You of all people should know we all have a beast inside them. Mine is merely more potent than most. Do not try my temper, Severus." He looked up. "Potter should be here in a few minutes. I'll be over in the corner, disillusioned."

Snape took the time to rearrange his robes.

"I trust that met with your approval?" Snape fleered. "Or do you think I was too hard on the poor boy by making him miss his Quidditch game?"

"That was fine," Russell said. "Why would I mind your improving the odds of Ravenclaw winning the Cup?"

Snape was left speechless for a moment. Russell carried on, "While you couldn't use Legilimency on Potter this time because he was avoiding your eyes, I could. Think about this -- Malfoy was about to use the Cruciatus on Potter. Potter defended himself with a poorly thought-out response, but under the circumstances, a perfectly legal one. While the staff will still support your punishment as a charade, you had best inform them of why Potter was hexing Malfoy. It will sound better coming from you."

"But. . . ."

"But what? But you are determined to save Malfoy, even if, by all rights, HE should be the one expelled? You are such a hypocrite, Severus."

"I will not tolerate much more of your interference, John," Snape warned.

"Severus, we are about equal in raw power. I have about twenty-five years more experience than you do. I may not know all the Dark curses you do, but then, I doubt if you know all the ones I know, either. In a straight duel, Dumbledore and little old Flitwick could probably take either of us, but in a real, dirty fight, don't think your little Death Eating torture sessions or your attacks on helpless, untrained civilians and children would help you all that much. How many wizards have you killed when they weren't already helpless, Severus? One? Two? Any? No, I thought not. I have fourteen such kills now."

"Oh, you count the Flint boys?"

"I do," Russell said. "The older one was sitting in a trap he had built for me, and the younger was in combat."

"I don't know what to think about you sometimes," Snape said, turning to go to the Staff Room. "Sometimes I wish you didn't exist, and other times I wish there were a lot more wizards like you."

Thursday, May 22, 1997

Russell looked up from the stack of papers on his classroom desk. His Fifth and Seventh year students were starting to get nervous, as their exams would start in two weeks. "Yes, Miss Granger?"

"May I speak with you privately, Professor?"

"Of course, come in." When she had done so, Russell cast a quick privacy spell. "What may I do for you?"

"I just wanted to thank you," Hermione said simply.

"For what?"

"Luna told me she went for you last night. I'm sure that Professor Snape and Harry would have, well, let's just say that things could have gone much worse than they did," Hermione said frankly.

"In the end, the results would have ended up much the same had I not intervened," Russell replied. "However, the process might have been much more unpleasant."

"Yes, sir. And thank you for watching out for Harry. I hope the Headmaster allows me to tell him how much help you have been this year."

"I believe it likely he will allow it during the summer vacation," Russell agreed. "Was there something else?"

"I did think someone should mention that Malfoy was about to use an Unforgivable on Harry," Hermione said firmly. "It wasn't all Harry's fault."

"No, it wasn't," Russell agreed. "However, there was no proof of Malfoy's intentions."

"Why does he seem to get away with almost everything?" Hermione complained.

"I wish I could reassure you, but to tell you the truth, I've often made the same complaint. Still, your friend used a very Dark spell. I hope that missing the Quidditch game drives that home a bit to him."

Hermione nodded her understanding.

"He made two other errors," Russell added. Hermione looked up at him. "He used a spell he didn't understand, and he used a spell with too many syllables. Generally, you should never use a spell in a fight that has more than three syllables or one you don't know the consequences of."

Hermione's jaw fell open, then she said, "That's so simple, but no one ever mentioned it before."

"You'll all learn, if not this summer, then next year. Now, go tutor some Fifth years or something. I have to get these marked for tomorrow."

"Yes, sir."

Friday, June 13, 1997

The next three and a half weeks swept past, as academics again took the forefront in the minds of most of the population of Hogwarts. Russell had few chances to talk with Granger or Lovegood, to observe Potter or Malfoy, or to question Dumbledore or Snape. He only had to go on three missions for the Order, none of which had any results.

Almost all the O.W.L.s and N.E.W.T.s were over by the afternoon of June 13, only a few were left for the following Monday. Although he was not phobic about 'Friday the 13th', Russell woke up feeling apprehensive and the feeling grew all day. He even resorted to using the Tarot cards in the afternoon, but the results were unclear, except they all predicted trouble in some form. Feeling a bit foolish, Russell added some items to his pockets he usually only carried when out in the field.

After dinner, Russell made his way to the smoking room, but decided he was not in the mood for enjoying a nice pipe or savor a good cigar. He opened the humidor containing his miscellaneous cigars, and dug down to the bottom, pulling out two small Italian cigars. These were strong and almost nasty.

They matched his mood, as he smoked and paced, trying to work out what was bothering him. It was just a few minutes before 9:00 when he felt a message from Hermione Granger on the Message Stone he had given her the previous autumn.

The only other time she had sent for him, she had distraught about the antics of Ron Weasley. This time, however, she was terrified. Russell tossed down the second cigar butt and hurried to find Granger, passing a rather drunk Professor Trelawney on the steps of the tower.

He found Granger, along with the two Weasleys, Longbottom, and Lovegood. He listened to Granger's explanation of what Potter had told her, and their plan to watch the Room of Requirement. "Good," he said, "Go. I'll check in with Professor McGonagall. Whenever the Headmaster leaves, she brings in some Order members and notifies a staff member." He thought. "Tonight would be Professor Flitwick on the first watch. So, go on. I'll tell them I stationed you at the Room of Requirement, and if anyone tries to move you, hex 'em unless they have a password." He turned to Hermione. "You choose the password."

"'Harry Triumphant'," Hermione said firmly.

"Good enough. Go, already!" The students went. Russell went to track down McGonagall.

He found her some twenty minutes later, taking a turn around the castle. "Ah, John. Good evening. The Headmaster had to take one his little trips. . . ."

"This wasn't a 'little trip', Minerva. He and Harry Potter are on their way to strike a major blow against Voldemort."

McGonagall looked shocked. "Are you certain?"

"Yes. In addition, Potter had information that Malfoy might try something tonight, which the Headmaster partially discounted, being anxious to get away on the mission. Potter believes Malfoy has been plotting something in the so-called Room of Requirement. I have set five of his friends to watch the room. They will not leave without the password."

"Which is?"

"'Harry Triumphant'."

"Understandable. Very well. I will continue to patrol inside. When I run into Filius, I will send him for Severus. Remus, Nymphadora, and Bill Weasley should be here shortly as well. I will send someone out to join you in an hour or so. They will use the same password."

"Fine," Russell said, turning.

"John, what's wrong?"

"I don't know," he replied. "For some reason, I've felt anxious all day."

"Let's hope nothing happens here."

"Let's hope," he agreed.

Some forty minutes later, Russell stopped in his tracks, afraid, really afraid for the first time in many many years.

The Dark Mark was just appearing over the Astronomy Tower.

The Battle of Hogwarts had started.