Time to Rewrite

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Time To Rewrite

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Chapter 1: Snape Raises The Stakes

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As the students noisily gathered their belongings and returned the cooled cauldrons to their rightful places, Harry felt his knees suddenly weaken. He lunged desperately for the desk at which he had been working and exhaled loudly, squeezing his eyelids shut. No. No. Just breathe. Everything's fine. He rested against the sharp edge of the wooden bench, his fingers fanning out on the hard surface, head bobbed slightly, and waited for his breathing to assume its normal rate. What was happening? This was the third time in as many days that he had had to take a few moments to steady himself. That's a lie, his brain wickedly taunted. You've been like this for weeks.... "Shut up," Harry growled softly to no one in particular.

A loud voice barked from the front of the classroom, diverting whatever attention may have been drawn towards the struggling Gryffindor. The booming command captured the students' attention immediately. "Three feet of parchment detailing the properties of dried Devil's Snare and its interactions with the Befuddlement Draught by next lesson!"

The class groaned. The rumours about the NEWT workload really hadn't been exaggerated after all.

"Three feet," Snape reiterated coldly. "Not one" - his scornful gaze flicked over Neville - "and not fifteen either" he sneered, darting a mocking glance in Hermione's direction. A few Slytherins snickered.

Hermione visibly reddened and mumbled something into her schoolbag as she cleared her notes from the desk at the front of the class, where she had been moved after attempting to correct Ron's somewhat angry-looking potion earlier in the lesson. Snape's eyes suddenly narrowed as he saw Harry let out a silent gasp at the back of the room. The Headmaster had instructed Professors Snape and McGonagall to keep a close watch on the Gryffindor's behaviour, and much as Snape had disliked keeping more of an eye on the boy than was absolutely necessary, he had nevertheless kept track and reported his findings dutifully.

"Sarky git," Ron grumbled in a low voice as he fumbled for his belongings, still stinging from the Professor's comment to Hermione. His cheeks flamed. He always took it extra personally when it was Hermione who was being insulted. "Why doesn't he pick on someone his own size?" Ron's attention was suddenly diverted by the sound of a strangled groan from the boy across the desk from him. He immediately dropped what he was doing. "Hey - Harry!" He rounded on his best friend in alarm. "Harry!"

Harry was gripping his forehead and leaning over the desk. His breath was escaping him in ragged gasps. "Here - sit down!" Ron pulled out a stool and started fanning him wildly with his opened Potions textbook. A few pages dislodged and fluttered free of the spine due to the vigorous flapping.

"I'm fine - I'm - " Harry collapsed onto the stool gratefully and rested his throbbing forehead on the cool wooden surface of the desk. Severus darted an alarmed glance in Harry's direction and quickly whipped his gaze away, lest any students should follow his line of sight and realise what had made his face momentarily whiten. He quickly addressed the class to avoid any attention being directed towards the boy and motioned to the class to exit the dungeon before he started deducting points.

Harry, oblivious to his surroundings, slowly felt the panic subside as his breathing gradually steadied. He rubbed his hands over his eyes. "Really, Ron, just give me a minute, I'll be - arrgh - " Harry winced again and doubled up as a bolt of white light flashed across his vision and exploded, shooting tiny sparks in all directions.

Snape ushered the remaining stragglers out into the corridor before anyone had a chance to register what was happening.

Unaware of the Potions Master's actions, Ron remained by Harry's side. Hermione rushed towards the two of them as she noticed the ghostly look on Harry's face. He exhaled loudly and hung his head, visibly weakened by the effort of holding himself upright. Hermione bit her lip, her features twisted with concern. "Harry - "

"No!" Harry retorted, without looking at her. He clenched his teeth, holding his head in his hands. "I'm fine."

"You're obviously not fine!" Hermione pleaded. She winced as she took in the dark circles under his eyes and the manner in which his robes hung off his thinning frame. This had gone on for too long and she wasn't prepared to accept any more of his feeble explanations. "Please, Harry - "

"Just drop it!" Harry inhaled shakily and closed his eyes once more.

"Let us take you to Madam Pomfrey, please!" Her voice rose slightly as she pleaded with the stubborn wizard before her. "It could be something serious, you've been like this for weeks - "

"I said I'm FINE!"

Harry struggled to his feet - his limbs felt so heavy - and clumsily crashed his books into his schoolbag. He flung it over his shoulder, ignoring the pounding in his ears and the odd tingling feeling in his fingers. He stumbled towards the back of the classroom.

He barely made it to the door before he collapsed.

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"Chocolate frog?"

He couldn't quite place the voice, nor properly comprehend the words, but he instinctively turned towards the sound. His brain fought for control but his body argued, wanting only to rest. He blinked dazedly several times as the world slowly swam into focus.

Lupin gave Harry a half smile as the boy rubbed his eyes with the back of a clumsy hand. The Gryffindor groaned a little as the images before him bled into one another. Slowly, very slowly, the blurred objects separated to form -

The hospital wing.

"What - ?"

"Harry!" Hermione, returning from the far end of the ward with a cup of water, rushed to his side, her face a mixture of fear and relief. Thank goodness...."

"What?" Harry repeated stupidly.

"You collapsed!" Hermione continued, a fresh load of tears welling in her eyes..

"Out cold for fourteen hours, mate," a voice added helpfully, from somewhere in the region of the foot of the bed. Ah. Ron. Although the red-haired boy had attempted to sound cheery, his voice rang rather hollowly. Harry took a while to register his words.

Fourteen?

"Where - ?"

"Hospital Wing," Lupin confirmed, chewing thoughtfully on a piece of the proffered chocolate.

"What - ?"

"We've already been over that part," Ron frowned. He turned to Madam Pomfrey, who had appeared to give her patient the once-over with her wand. "Are you sure there wasn't any damage - ?"

"Shut up Ron!" Hermione snapped, giving him a steely glare. She turned back to Harry. "I'm so glad you're awake, we've been worried sick!" Her pale complexion confirmed her words. Come to think of it, everyone seemed to be rather the worse for wear. Lupin had dark circles around his eyes, and even Ron was looking quite tired. It was then that he noticed Professor Dumbledore standing a little to the left of Lupin, an arm resting on the window ledge and a worried, slightly preoccupied expression on his face. The first streams of sunlight heralding the newly approaching day traced the lines on the aging Headmaster's face. Harry squinted a little. Even in his drowsy state he could have sworn that there were more worry lines than there had been a few weeks ago, when he had last seen the Headmaster.

Harry jerked his head up to greet them and quickly regretted the sudden movement. The mere effort made him quite dizzy. He gasped as a spasm of pain ignited at the base of his skull and groaned, letting his head loll back onto his pillow.

"Harry!" Hermione's voice rose unsteadily when she didn't get a response. "Harry!" She started to shake his arm.

Madam Pomfrey bristled. "I think it would be best if you all let him rest for a while," she suggested curtly, but the glint in her eye made it quite clear that she wasn't 'suggesting' anything at all. It was an order.

Hermione was reluctant to leave. "But - "

"Now."

Poppy waved her wand once over Harry's limp form in a 'figure-of-eight' motion and a stream of pink light shot out and glided towards his forehead. She held her wand still for a moment and muttered a few words until his eyelids slowly fluttered to a close, indicating that he had fallen into a light sleep.

Hermione and Ron reluctantly left the bedside and exited the wing, Ron grumbling under his breath about stupid hospital rules. Lupin stared sadly at Harry for a long time, his elbows on his knees, mentally running over the conversation that he had shared with Dumbledore the previous evening, shortly after Harry had been admitted. The early morning sunshine danced lightly over Harry's bedcovers and only seemed to accentuate his hollow cheeks and translucent skin even further. Sighing heavily, Lupin too excused himself, giving Albus a pointed look before he turned to leave. "I think it's time, Albus," he whispered.

Dumbledore nodded sadly. He had hope that it wouldn't come to this. His tired gaze rested on the frail boy before him and he flinched at the sight of his deathly complexion, paler even than the hospital sheets. The old wizard sighed. Even though all the signs in the past month had pointed to this, it was still difficult to believe.

He replied softly to the werewolf's retreating figure. "Alas, you're right, Remus."

Harry had been visibly weakening for nearly a month now. It had started with non-specific symptoms - a dizzy spell after Quidditch practice, increased tiredness during the day, the odd tingling feeling.... But now this. Albus had hoped that it wouldn't progress so quickly, that somehow he had calculated the events incorrectly, that given enough time he would be able to find an alternative solution. But it seemed as though time was running out. He couldn't bear to think of what he was about to ask of Harry.

"I'm so sorry, Harry." Albus felt a tear trickle down his wizened cheek. "If there was any other way...."

It was with a heavy heart that he nodded to Madam Pomfrey and left Harry's bedside.

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The wind whipped through the clearing in the remote location where the Death Eaters had been summoned, and the early frost of the dull October morning chilled the already icy atmosphere. It was barely ten minutes into the meeting and already conflict had arisen between two of the group. Severus Snape glared coldly at the haughty wizard who had just dared to question his loyalties and hissed at the insufferable man.

"Remember who you are talking to, Lucius!"

The words were pure ice, and the venom with which they were coated did not escape the notice of the pureblood wizard. The wind howled amidst the figures standing in the clearing and punctuated the words. The stench of the rotting earth beneath them was momentarily forgotten in the light of this sudden outburst.

Lucius smirked and raised an eyebrow arrogantly. He stepped forward from his place in the circle of Death-Eaters and fixed his gaze on Snape. He then lifted an elegant long-fingered hand and lowered his heavy black hood, as if daring the Potions Professor to do the same.

"I think we are all aware, Severus," he hissed, "of your continued pledge to serve the Order of the Phoenix and that Muggle-loving traitor!" He spat the last few words as if the very taste of the syllables was unbearable.

Snape visibly whitened, his nostrils flaring, as a few whispers darted around the small gathering. A multitude of scathing replies fought their way to the surface of his brain, begging to be hurled at the arrogant blonde to wipe that smirk off those sharp, haughty features - but instead Snape pressed his lips together tightly, biting back a cruel retort.

Lucius evidently gained some unseen power from this act of self-constraint on Severus' part, and continued with his taunting.

"All these years you've had that little brat right in the palm of your hand, and what have you done?" he demanded, his eyes blazing. "Nothing!"

Snape's shoulders shook slightly as he resolutely fixed his hardened gaze to the ground at his feet, and out of the corner of his eye Lucius could see The Dark Lord sit up and take notice. A hush descended upon the circle as the Death Eaters wondered just how far Lucius would take this verbal attack.

"Countless opportunities to finish off the boy and make it look like an accident, and you've never even tried, let alone succeeded!"

Snape snorted loudly, his silent seething forgotten. "Don't be ridiculous, Malfoy!" he snapped impatiently. "Dumbledore has at least twelve different wards on the boy. Any curse besides an outright Avada Kedavra at close range would literally bounce off him!"

This wasn't enough for Lucius, and he rounded on the dark-haired man, his heavy cloak slicing through the cold air. "You're protecting him! You were never truly with us, Snape!"

"My allegiance is as it has ever been," Snape replied coldly, his gaze flicking briefly to The Dark Lord.

"Prove it!" Lucius cried, squaring his shoulders.

Snape's lips curled disdainfully at this public display, and he turned to face the seething wizard, taking in the flushed face and wild expression. "There is only one wizard here to whom I answer, Lucius," he articulated clearly, his voice even. The Professor smirked. "And it is not you."

The silence that followed was pierced only by Lucius' heavy breathing, and Severus prematurely claimed a silent victory. The exchange was seemingly over, until a cold, high voice at the centre of the circle penetrated the stillness, echoing Lucius' demand.

"Prove it!"

There was a collective intake of breath from the group.

Lucius' eyes widened in triumph. He had not even dared to hope that The Dark Lord would second his argument. Snape's gaze darted to Lord Voldemort, his features successfully concealing his rising panic. He cleared his throat, stalling for time. "My Lord?"

"You heard."

Everyone waited expectantly, not daring to breathe. Lucius could barely contain his glee and was hardly a step away from rubbing his hands together in delight.

Severus stiffened slightly and stepped forward from his place in the circle.

"My Lord - "

"I will be very disappointed if I find that you have betrayed me, Severus."

Snape shifted slightly but didn't look away.

"What new information do you bring me from the school?"

Snape winced inwardly. Damn Lucius. If not for his ill-timed outburst, Snape might have been able to maintain a low profile this meeting and buy himself more time before having to bring forth information to The Dark Lord. He inwardly cursed the pureblood wizard. That fool never learnt to keep his mouth shut.

"Well?" Voldemort prompted.

Lucius smirked to himself. Let's see you talk your way out of this one....

Snape closed his eyes, regretting what he was about to say. "Dumbledore has arranged something," he voiced clearly.

He paused to let this information sink in and suddenly jolted a little, realising how he could perhaps teach that confounded Malfoy a lesson. He cleared his throat before continuing.

"In fact, it will allow one of the members of our side a chance to prove themselves truly worthy of your cause...."

His gaze flicked lazily towards Lucius, who had resumed his position in the circle. The blonde wizard stiffened, his eyes blazing angrily. What was he up to...?

"Go on...." the high voice prompted.

Snape continued. "It cannot fail." His lips curled into an evil smirk. "And I'm sure Lucius will be more than honoured."

The whites of Lucius' eyes rapidly grew in size as he took an angry step towards the calm man and whipped out his wand in fury.

"What are you playing at, Snape?" he roared. "Don't think for one second that I'll take part in any of your half-baked schemes!" His chest rose and fell as his knuckles whitened with the strength of his grip.

Severus arched an eyebrow in mock surprise and smirked infuriatingly at the furious wizard. "My dear Lucius," he replied languidly, "I didn't mean you." He stared coldly at the man for several seconds, taking in the narrowed eyes and traces of panic on the aristocratic features, before hitting the seething wizard with the full force of his next words.

"I was talking about Draco."

The colour drained instantly from Lucius' face and he advanced threateningly upon the smirking man, raising his wand as he did so. He could hardly contain his anger.

"You!"

"ENOUGH!" Voldemort snapped. "Return to your position and lower your wand."

Lucius showed no signs of backing down.

"AT ONCE!" It wasn't an order so much as a threat.

Lucius stopped in his tracks. He battled inwardly, shooting a ferocious glare at Snape before reluctantly retreating to his recently vacated position between McNair and Goyle, his chest heaving. All kinds of murderous thoughts flew around his brain and he felt his breath catch in his throat. It was all he could do to not hex Snape right there and then.

But Voldemort wasn't interested in Lucius' thoughts on the matter. He was far more interested in determining if there was any substance behind Snape's claim. All eyes immediately flew towards the Potions Master as The Dark Lord's piercing tones rang out.

"Explain...."

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