Harry Potter and the Headmaster's Pensieve

Chapter 12 - An Unlikely Ally

Severus Snape hated winter. Despite his typically frosty attitude, he couldn't stand the chill or the snow. At Hogwarts, he was particularly disgusted by all the holiday cheer - it distracted the students and made them (if possible) more idiotic than normal. And Albus...he'd been terrible to deal with, always wandering the halls whistling and encouraging the little beasts. But now, never again would he be forced to hear the headmaster's whistle, see his smile at the bunches of mistletoe. This winter was by far the worst.

The Dark Lord had called on Severus in late October, requesting that he whip up some healing potions, strengthening solutions, and Veritaserum, along with some rather demented poisons used for torture. Severus figured that the Dark Lord was planning on attacking the Order, if he hadn't already, and he felt a surge of pity on those who would have to endure the fruits of his labors. There were whispers of overtaking Azkaban, but luckily for Severus nothing had come of them. Convincing Lucius to work against the Dark Lord would be far more difficult than the rest of his family, and Severus wasn't looking forward to it.

The mid-December afternoon was cold and frosty, the sun shining bleakly through thick gray clouds. Severus had retired to room after a grueling practice in defensive casting with Draco, as he felt the boy needed to know how to defend himself once the final battles began. Severus still planned on keeping him far from any of the danger, but agreed to train him out of sheer boredom. Narcissa had attempted to continue Draco's education, but the boy showed little interest. Severus was able to sneak in lessons on Transfiguration and Charms during their bouts, but it was clear that the boy's main concern was freeing his father and keeping him out of harm's way.

Severus stared out of his window, idly watching what appeared to be a snowflake tumble in the wind. Yet, as it grew closer, he saw that it was a snowy white owl braving the fierce winter winds to get to Malfoy Manor. He had seen that owl before, both at Hogwarts and at the headquarters of the Order of the Phoenix. And he knew exactly to whom the owl belonged.

He dashed downstairs and burst out of the house, snatching at the owl as she flew past him into the house. She let out a shriek of anger as his fingers clutched at her tail feathers, and continued on to the parlor. Draco was sitting with his mother studying French, and the owl fluttered down beside him and shook off the snow and ice that had gathered on her wings. She held out her leg, and Draco removed the scroll attached. He read it, then passed it wordlessly to Snape. He read it over, his eyes growing steadily darker with each word. He crumpled it up and tossed it into the fireplace, muttering statements like "foolish boy" and "impulsive idiot" under his breath.

"Potter apparently needs my help," Snape said quietly to Narcissa. Her cheeks paled, and she instinctively wrapped an arm around Draco.

"Will you go to him?" Draco asked, pulling gently away from his mother.

"Yes, I think so. I swore to Dumbledore to help Potter...I must," Severus said distantly, his eyes on the smoldering flames. Hedwig shook, attracting his attention. He picked her up and waved his wand at her, drying her feathers. She looked at him gratefully.

"I'll send him a message tonight. I would think that he's intelligent enough to not send his owl to me while he's..." Severus trailed off, thinking. He was silent for a moment. "Ah, it appears that Ms. Granger has accomplished the Fidelus Charm. Well, at least he's not completely idiotic. Now, I'd guess that he's with the Weasleys now, as he wouldn't send his owl out if he were...elsewhere. Since they have been housing most of the Order members, they would of course recognize my patronus. I'll wait until the night, then send him the message. It's probably best to wait until after Christmas is over, as I'm sure he'll want to spend that with the only family he has," Severus rambled, more to himself than to the two Malfoys staring at him. He wandered into the main hall, handing the owl off to the house elf that appeared by his side. He then paced the expensive Italian marble for quite some time, pondering what Potter could want with him now.

"He doesn't want revenge...he needs help. Is it a trap? Would he lie? He's capable of it, that's for certain. But why now? Why not before? Would he have the Order with him? He'd promised to not seek revenge, but what of them?" Severus thought to himself, growing concerned. But the boy's plea had seemed sincere...and he never had been a very good liar. Perhaps he would be safe.

He spent the evening composing his response to Potter, barely uttering a word to either Malfoy during dinner or tea. He retired early, just as the sun sunk below the horizon. He closed and locked his door, not wanting Narcissa or Draco to possibly discover what his message to Potter said, even accidentally. With the message fully composed in his head, he cracked open his window and sent out a silvery white flash, hoping it would reach the boy while he was alone. Severus watched it disappear, then picked up a book and began idly flipping through the pages, not really reading it at all.

* * *

On the 22^nd of December, Harry was pacing around the room he shared with Ron. Everyone else was downstairs listening to Christmas carols on the wireless, but he was worried about Hedwig. She'd only been gone a day, but he was having second thoughts about sending her to Snape. Harry had seen that he could be a compassionate person, when he had been around his mother, but Harry hadn't ever experienced it firsthand. His face had been so full of loathing when he killed Dumbledore, though...just the memory of it chilled Harry to the bone. Was it safe for him to send his pet to someone who many thought was a cold-blooded murderer? Was it safe for Harry to agree to meet with him at all?

Harry knew, of course, that he had to meet with his old Potions master. If there was anyone at all who could help him, it would be Snape. He only hoped that Snape would agree to help him...that he would be the person he had seen in the pensieve, yet never in person.

A flash of silver-white appeared in the window, snapping Harry out of his reverie. It appeared to be a sleek, translucent bird, perhaps a raven. It tapped its curved beak against the glass, the sound echoing loudly against the walls. Harry hurried to the window and pushed it open, letting the patronus in with a fair amount of snow and wind. It fluttered to the foot of Harry's bed and waited as he struggled with the window. Once it was closed, Harry turned to the opalescent bird expectantly. It fluttered its wings and picked at its feathers, but made no other movement. Harry reached out to touch it, but it jumped from his hand. Unsure of what to do, Harry pulled out his wand and attempted to tap the bird on the head. It took a few tries, as it kept ducking out of Harry's reach, but finally the wand made contact, and the bird transformed into a scroll. Harry picked it up gingerly, unfurling it. He recognized the slanted writing from his old potions book, and a mixture of emotions curled into the pit of his stomach. He had trusted those letters, the way that hand formed those words, but the person who had written them...he'd been anything but trustworthy. Harry took a breath and pushed his emotions away, trying to focus on what the letter said.

You of all people should know how dangerous it is to rely on creatures to pass on your messages...not that I doubt the integrity of your owl, but she could have easily been intercepted by either side, endangering both of us. Your attempts at a cryptic message were rudimentary, and anyone would have been able to figure it out had you told anyone of your lessons earlier this year. I assume that you haven't told anyone of any consequence, or I'd have had Order members at my doorstep in a matter of hours, so we are at least safe in that.

I will meet you on Boxing Day, at noon. Visit your parents...I'm sure they would appreciate the gesture.

-SS

PS - I will hold your owl until our meeting. It's not safe for her to be seen coming to or leaving this house.

Relief washed over Harry as he collapsed onto the bed. Snape was cold, sarcastic and just as demeaning as ever, but there were no traces of evil in his message. Perhaps he was just luring Harry there for his own gain, but it was a risk he had to take. Harry balled up the scroll and tossed it into his trunk, not wanting anyone to find it. He'd explain everything to Ron and Hermione...later. They didn't need to worry themselves about it, and they'd probably enjoy the time away from him. They always seemed on their guard around Harry, always ready to run headlong into whatever Harry asked them to. It wasn't fair to them, Harry decided, and he'd give them a few days without him, and without the dangers that being his friend brought.

Christmas was a delightful affair, the food and festivities leaving Harry is a contented stupor as he listened drowsily to Fred and George as they went on about their new inventions, or eavesdropping on Lupin and Tonks and they whispered about how the Order was faring against the Death Eaters. Ron and Hermione were nestled together in a corner beside the highly decorated tree, Ron's arm slung over her shoulders as she admired a gleaming bracelet on her wrist. Their happiness only added to Harry's contentment, and Harry knew that only one thing could have made him happier - the presence of the youngest Weasley nestled in his arms. He had seen her only once on Christmas, when they awkwardly exchanged gifts just after breakfast. She had seemed overwhelmed by his gift, but had shyly asked him to put the necklace on her. When his fingers brushed against her neck she had shivered, and Harry had to fight the urge to pull her to him and kiss her. She smiled sadly at him, then disappeared into her room, not to be seen again. She had given him a sack of Honeydukes best candy wrapped in a velvet sack, held in the beak of a stuffed Hippogryph. Ginny had mumbled on about how it wasn't much, but Harry thought it was brilliant nonetheless. It meant more to him than any other gift he received.

Harry fell into a restless sleep once everyone turned in, uneasy about the pending meeting with Snape. He woke early, the pale rays of sunlight pulling him from his slumber long before any of his friends would be awake. He dressed and packed quietly, not wanting to disturb Ron as he slept. He wrote out a letter to Ron and Hermione, explaining that he was returning to Godric's Hollow to figure out the next horcrux, and that he would call for them when he was ready. He figured that they would enjoy the time alone, if their behavior the night before was any indication. Once packed, he made his way downstairs, and was surprised to find Mrs. Weasley sitting in the kitchen.

"Hello Harry, dear," she said, smiling at him. Her eyes flickered from his trunk to his traveling clothes, and her smile faltered slightly. "Leaving us already?"

"I...well, there are some things I need to do, so I can fulfill my promise to Dumbledore," Harry told her. "It's not that I haven't enjoyed my time here, Mrs. Weasley...I just really need to do this," he added. She smiled sadly.

"Of course, dear. We've been amazed that you've stayed this long, truthfully. Just let me make you a bit of breakfast before you leave," she said, motioning for him to sit. Harry never could turn down any of Mrs. Weasley's meals, and sent her a grateful look as she began heating up the stove and cracking eggs into a glass bowl. In moments Harry had a plateful of eggs, sausage and biscuits, along with a glass of pumpkin juice and a steaming mug of hot cocoa in front of him. He dug in hungrily, despite the heavy meal from the day before. Once his plate was clear and his glasses empty, he brought them to the sink and reached for his trunk. Mrs. Weasley placed her hand on his arm.

"When will we see you again?" she asked, here eyes shining with tears.

"Hopefully not too long," Harry told her, finding that he honestly hoped those words to be true. "There's only a few...a few things I need to do left, and then I think I can join the Order..." Harry said carefully, trying his best not to reveal anything. Mrs. Weasley nodded.

"You take care of yourself, dear. We'll be waiting," she replied, patting his arm. Harry smiled weakly at her, then grasped the handle of his trunk and apparated to Godric's Hollow.

The frigid air blowing in from the ocean nearly froze Harry to the bone as he appeared on the unkempt front lawn of his parent's house. He still had a few hours until his meeting with Snape, but he wanted to be prepared. Hurrying into the house, he locked the door and put up some protective wards, then opened his trunk and pulled out the pensieve. He thought of every horcrux they had found, and placed every memory pertaining to them into the swirling contents of the bowl. He didn't want Snape discovering anything about the task Dumbledore had set for him, and while he knew that his Occlumency skills were top-notch, he didn't want to take the risk. Once his mind was relieved of the memories, he moved the pensieve to the table and paced the length of the living room, unsure of what to do with himself for the next few hours. He started unpacking his trunk, placing his books neatly on the table and organizing them for when his friends returned. He then saw Hufflepuff's cup lying innocently in the corner of his trunk, and he wrapped his hand in one of Mrs. Weasley's sweaters before retrieving it. He placed it alongside the books, eyeing it warily. He was still unsure of how to go about destroying it, but didn't want to try anything without a second opinion.

At eleven o'clock, Harry grabbed his wand and invisibility cloak, then made his way to the church graveyard. He wanted to spend some time with his parents alone, before he met with Snape. He was still unsure of how Snape would react, whether or not he would help him or just lead him to his demise. He wrapped himself in the invisibility cloak, just as much for warmth as the protection it granted, and sat between the two graves. He felt a glimmer of the tranquility he had experienced before while sitting with his parents, but the ball of tension that had settled in the pit of his stomach seemed to override the calm peacefulness of the icy graveyard.

Despite his nerves, he found himself drifting off in the serene silence, his head resting against his father's headstone. It was only the sound of footsteps, treading softly towards him on the icy grass, that snapped him back to reality. His eyes traveled up - a pair of black leather boots, dark corduroy trousers, a thick black sweater...then, the face of his Potions professor. A surge of hatred battled with the flash of hope that shot through Harry's gut on seeing him there, apparently alone. Snape stood, oblivious to Harry's presence, a foot away from Lily's tombstone. He placed one gloved hand on it, reading the inscription, then set a yellow rose atop the cold marble. Harry felt as if he were invading on a very personal moment, worried that Snape would be furious at him for seeing what he had done. Snape took a few steps back, then cleared his throat.

"Potter, show yourself," he said, his voice impassive. Harry nearly jumped out of his skin as Snape's voice cut through the silence, and he scrambled up, pulling the cloak off. His hand clutched his wand beneath his sweater, but he didn't dare pull it out. Snape raised an eyebrow, clearly surprised at Harry's hiding spot, but said nothing.

"Thank you for coming, sir," Harry said after a moment of silence.

"Can we expect any surprises?" Snape asked, his eyes drifting over Harry's shoulder.

"Can we, sir?" Harry challenged, staring into his dark eyes. Snape met his gaze instantly, and nearly imperceptibly shook his head. Relief washed over Harry, glad to know that his trust in Snape was not misplaced. The older man was scanning the area once again, looking perhaps for Ron and Hermione or members of the Order. Seemingly satisfied, he turned back to Harry.

"Let's go into the church. It should be fairly empty on a Friday," he said, turning on his heel and walking towards the entrance of the church. Harry followed him hesitantly, still unsure of whether or not he could trust his old Potions master. Snape pulled open the heavy wooden door and strode inside, but Harry stopped and watched it close. It had just occurred to him that, were Snape planning an attack on him, the church would be a perfect place for an ambush. Death Eaters wouldn't care about the sanctity of a church, especially one run by Muggles. Harry slid his wand out of his sweater, his eyes boring into the solid wood door. It creaked open, and Snape's hooked nose appeared from the other side.

"Potter, you asked me to come here. I have a very busy schedule, and I don't have time for your games," he said coldly, glaring. He pushed the door open a bit wider, ushering Harry in. Harry stepped cautiously into the church, and found it blissfully empty. He heard the door close with a resounding thud, and turned to Snape.

"I...I wasn't sure if I could trust you, sir," Harry explained.

"Nor should you have. I am not sure if I can trust you, but you seem to be alone, and it was you who asked for this meeting to occur. Now, what is it you wanted?" Snape said warily, his eyes never leaving Harry as he settled into the closest pew. Harry followed, taking a seat in the pew directly across from Snape.

"Sir...firstly, thank you for sending Draco. I...I couldn't have learned Occlumency otherwise, and I know how important it is," Harry stuttered, not used to thanking Snape for anything. He looked up, and saw the slightest image of a smirk on Snape's face.

"Surely that's not why you risked both of our lives, not to mention the life of your owl, by sending me a letter?" Snape said snidely, disregarding Harry's comment.

"I'm not sure how much Dumbledore told you about...about last year, and what he was teaching me," Harry started after a moment. "But he has me - "

"Was it supposed to remain a secret?" Snape cut in sharply, his eyes snapping to Harry's.

"Er, yes...but..." Harry started, breaking the eye contact. He knew that his Occlumency skills were top-notch, but he didn't want to risk it.

"Then you should keep it as such. I knew that Dumbledore was teaching you things about the Dark Lord, but nothing more," Snape replied. Harry swallowed, trying to think of a good way of phrasing his request that would not reveal his promise to Dumbledore.

"Sir," Harry began tentatively, "did Vold-, er, You-Know-Who ever ask you to protect anything for him? To take something of his and put it somewhere safe, and perhaps devise some sort of protection for it?"

Snape stared at Harry, bewildered. Whatever he was expecting, it had not been that. He glanced around the church, checking to make sure they were completely alone, then returned his gaze to Harry. The boy was watching him intensely, a mixture of eagerness and distrust written clearly on his face. Snape leaned toward him.

"How much time do you have today?" he asked. Harry appeared shocked by the question.

"I have all day," he replied. Snape stood, walking up the aisle, past the altar and to the small storeroom just past the risers for the choir. He tapped his wand against the knob and the door swung open. He motioned for Harry to join him, then closed and sealed the door once they were both inside. Harry muttered "Lumos," and the storeroom was immediately filled with pale golden light. A stack of folding chairs was visible behind a row of heavy velvet robes, and Harry pulled two out and passed one to Snape. They sat down, and Harry looked at Snape expectantly.

"Perhaps a year after I was initiated into the Death Eaters, the Dark Lord started handpicking a group of elite followers - the most loyal, the brightest, what have you. On my last recollection, he had chosen four of us, and set us all with the task of concealing important artifacts...we were not supposed to share the details of our tasks with anyone, but news of three of them reached my ears. One was given to Bellatrix Lestrange, another to Lucius Malfoy, and the third was given to Regulus Black," Snape began.

"And the fourth?" Harry piped in.

"I received the fourth. We were given specific instructions on where to hide them, but from what I recall, Regulus was also told exactly how to conceal his, as he was young and not terribly bright. He was eager to please the Dark Lord, though, and willing to sacrifice almost anything for our cause, or so it seemed. The rest of us, Lucius, Bellatrix and I, were told to come up with our own methods of protection," Snape continued.

"Do you, er, know what the other artifacts were?" Harry asked, trying not to seem too eager or to give his mission away. Snape studied him for a moment before speaking.

"Bellatrix was given a cup, and Regulus a locket. From what I understand, Lucius was given some sort of book, but I was never able to verify that," Snape said.

Harry couldn't believe his luck. All of his searching, his pouring through book after book and sifting through Dumbledore's memories had been nothing compared to the wealth of information that sat before him. He was sure that Snape would know exactly where the final horcrux was hidden, and how to retrieve it.

"What were you given?" Harry asked.

"A pair of opera glasses. Horribly gaudy things, covered in filigree and sapphires. They were broken, too - there was something blocking the lenses. Seemed more like trash to me than anything else, but the Dark Lord was quite protective of them - which is why he entrusted them to his most loyal, I suppose," Snape said.

"And where did You-Know-Who tell you to hide them?" Harry said insistently, leaning forward. Snape thought for a moment, recalling the location. It seemed so strange, that Dumbledore would have Potter hunting down the trinkets now, when he should be focusing more on finding ways to destroy the Dark Lord.

"This...does have to do with defeating the Dark Lord, I assume," Snape prompted cautiously.

"It has everything to do with it!" Harry exclaimed, nearly jumping out of his seat. He was torn between telling Snape everything he had done so far and regretting what he had already said. He took a deep breath, settling back onto his seat. Snape stared at him curiously.

"The Dark Lord requested that I conceal it in the ruins of an orphanage in central London," Snape told him after a moment.

Harry nearly jumped out of his seat in excitement. Now, of course, the final hiding place seemed so obvious, as the orphanage was the last place left untouched from Voldemort's childhood, and it certainly held significance, as it was where he first realized that he had magical powers.

"Do you remember what kind of protections you put up?" Harry plowed on eagerly. Snape cradled his chin in one slender hand, his eyes clouded as he dug through his memory.

"Yes, in a fashion. I can't go into each one now, as my memory isn't exactly clear. But it consists of a series of logic puzzles, accentuated with magic, of course. If you bring Ms. Granger with you, you should be able to manage it. I take it that is what you will be doing?" Snape said after a moment of thought.

"Logic puzzles? Yes, we'll be trying to get the artifact..." Harry replied, his voice trailing off. Hermione had told him that most wizards didn't have an ounce of logic in them...and, hadn't Snape's protection for the Sorcerer's stone been a logic puzzle, too?

"Sir...do you know how we would go about destroying the artifact?" Harry asked.

"Destroying it? Well, I'd imagine it couldn't be very difficult...the Dark Lord wouldn't have wanted them so carefully protected if they weren't easy to destroy," Snape said. "Why do you-"

"I can't tell you. It would...give too much away, and if anyone found out, it could really endanger my mission" Harry jumped in, preparing to block off his thoughts once again. Snape nodded, and said no more. Harry stood and paced the length of the storeroom, reviewing all of the information that he had just obtained.

"Was there anything else?" Snape asked, standing

.

"No, I think that's....wait. Where is Vold-, er, You-Know-Who keeping Nagini?" Harry replied, the thought of the final horcrux drifting into his mind. He looked up hopefully, meeting Snape's dark eyes.

"An interesting question, Potter. If you had asked me where the Dark Lord was hiding, I would not have been able to tell you. But Nagini is being kept in Lestrange Manor, tended to by Peter Pettigrew. The Manor is located in Greater Evenbrook, a small Wizarding community just north of London. If you go there, be careful, as there are more dangers than just the snake in that house," Snape told him. Harry nodded, and walked to the door. Tapping the knob with his wand, the door swung open again, revealing the bleak, empty church. They hurried to the exit, and left the church before anyone would realize that they had been there. They returned to the frosty graveyard, both gravitating towards Harry's parents' graves.

"Thank you for the help, sir," Harry said quietly as they walked.

"I promised Dumbledore I would help you in whatever you needed," Snape said coolly. The sound of the Headmaster's name coming from Snape's mouth angered Harry, and he turned on him.

"Yes, and you always keep your promises to him," Harry said acidly. Snape stopped in his tracks, his eyes colder than the icy air surrounding the pair.

"I did what was required of me. It is time for you to do the same. You know what your destiny is, and the Wizarding community is expecting you to live up to it," Snape replied, just as acidly. Harry sneered at him, but Snape disapparated before he had the chance to respond. Frustrated, Harry tried to push his anger aside and concentrate on all of the information he had just received. He realized that he shouldn't have been as angry with Snape as he was - Snape had just told him where the final horcruxes were located, and he should be grateful. Harry rushed back to the house, eager to place the memory of his meeting with Snape in the pensieve and get away from the gnawing guilt he felt at lashing out as his old potions master. He had been nothing but helpful, helping him with Occlumency, showing him the memories, and now coming to help him with his hunt for the horcruxes...perhaps it wasn't Dumbledore that had misjudged Snape's loyalty, but Harry.

Harry waved his wand at the front door, pulling it open and escaping from the cold. He saw Hedwig perched on the side of his trunk, picking out of a bag of owl treats. She looked up at him with innocent amber eyes as he entered.

"Hedwig!" he exclaimed, and she fluttered over to his shoulder, nipping at his ear affectionately. He refilled her food and water, and she eagerly dug into her awaiting meal. Harry pulled out the pensieve and placed the memory of his meeting with Snape in it, planning to rewatch it later and see if Snape could have been lying. As he carefully repacked the pensieve, his eyes caught a glint of gold from Hufflepuff's cup. Harry reached for it, Snape's words echoing in his head. If it had been so carefully protected, it shouldn't take much to destroy it...

"Reducto!" Harry shouted, his wand pointed directly at the cup. It shattered into thousands of tiny pieces as a black whisp of smoke rose into the air. It curled around itself, as it trying to remain whole and solid, but disappeared mere moments after being released.