Harry Potter and the Guild of the Night

Chapter 12

Severus Snape swirled the wine around in his glass and stared into the fire. He had chosen not to go down to the Great Hall for dinner this evening, preferring instead to dine in the privacy of his own quarters. This was in part as a relief from the incessant prattling of the children but mostly because he was expecting to be summoned tonight and he had no desire for the summons to come while in the middle of the Great Hall. He had been led to believe by the last communication he had had with that snivelling little rat that the summons would come far earlier in the evening than usual. This had led him to believe that he would indeed be allowed entry into the Dark Lord's inner sanctum. They traditionally met prior to the normal Death Eater gatherings.

He took another sip of the wine and stared moodily into the glass. He was not looking forward to this summoning and in combination with the news that he had to testify at the hearing into the events surrounding Potter's injury, it had had the effect of souring his mood quite considerably. Albus was attempting to ensure that he would only have to testify as a last resort. Whatever was said in the hearing would undoubtedly get out and how he would explain being at Potter's house that night to the Dark Lord was not something he wished to attempt. The explanation that the Headmaster had ordered it would possibly serve but he would likely lose any progress that he had made in worming his way back into the Dark Lord's good graces.

He shifted in his chair and grimaced. Potter; in the last few days his thoughts always seemed to come back to Potter. Much to his own annoyance. His awareness that he had gravely misjudged the boy rankled. He felt perfectly justified in his feelings about James Potter and his little group of sycophants but he wondered exactly when it was that he had started transferring those emotions to James' son. While it was true that he had been less than pleased to hear the news of the imminent arrival of the Boy-Who-Lived, he had, if he recalled correctly, resolved to ignore the little brat as much as he could. Perhaps it had been that first sighting of Potter in the Great Hall, looking so young and scared...and so very much like James. He had not truly been prepared for that. Oh, it was true the boy had his mother's eyes but in every other physical facet he was James' son to the core. Perhaps that is what had done it, perhaps it was then he had assumed that because the boy looked so much like his father, he was going to act like his father.

Pain lanced through his forearm, disrupting his thoughts, and he dropped the wineglass. He swore and grabbed at his Mark until the pain subsided somewhat. He rose slowly from the chair, checked the time and gathered the robe and mask he had draped over the back earlier. He shook his head at being stuck wool gathering for so long and headed for the boundaries of Hogwarts as quickly as he could.

He apparated into a well-lit room, a drawing room by the look. Wormtail scuttled up to him.

"S...Severus, welcome," he whined. "The Master has asked me to escort you. You will not need your mask until later."

Snape nodded and removed his mask. He sneered at the cringing man in front of him and gestured for him to lead. Wormtail led him through the corridors of the house and into a private study. Voldemort sat behind the desk, with Lucius Malfoy sitting in the furthest of the three chairs in front of the desk. The personal belongings in the study indicated to Severus that he was now standing in Malfoy Manor. He walked into the study and kneeled before the Dark Lord.

"Rise, Severus," Voldemort said with a magnanimous wave of his hand, "and be seated."

Severus stood smoothly and sat himself in the chair closest to the door, an old habit he had never bothered to break. Wormtail scurried around him to sit in the middle chair. Severus eyed Lucius with some surprise. Lucius noticed the regard and smiled slyly.

"I still have some influence at the Ministry," he said smoothly, as though no further explanation was needed. Severus raised an eyebrow; it seemed money and influence was still more important to some in the Ministry than truth and the lives of others.

The Dark Lord had been watching this exchange with veiled amusement before settling back in his chair and flicking his fingers towards the three of them. Severus sat back into his seat and diverted his full attention to his Master, knowing that if he did not, the Dark Lord would no longer find things quite so amusing. Lucius quickly followed his lead.

"Severus, Lucius, Wormtail," Voldemort began, "I have chosen the three of you to help me succeed in my victory over Harry Potter. This plan will take some time to come to fruition and will depend greatly on you, my dear Severus." Snape bowed his head in acknowledgment and waited for his Master to continue. "Part you have already set in place. The potions you have provided and will continue to provide will be a key part of the plan. Lucius, you and Wormtail will have one task and one task only." He paused and his eyes became slitted, rage slowly kindling within them. His voice when he spoke again was a malevolent hiss. "Perhaps this time you will not fail."

The two men in question shivered and quickly fell to their knees, their heads bowed. Snape watched impassively as Voldemort rose sinuously and pulled out his wand. He continued to watch impassively as the Cruciatus curse was cast on the two men. As he did he realised that Potter was undoubtedly experiencing this and he shivered. Voldemort finally tired of his amusement and released the curses. He put his wand away and settled back into his seat. Lucius and Wormtail slowly pulled themselves back into their chairs and tried to minimise their shaking as much as possible.

Voldemort turned his attention to Severus. "How long until the remaining potions are ready, my dear Severus?"

"The veritaserum will take a couple more weeks, Lord. I did not have any left in stock and had only just started the process of brewing more. The other potion you required will not be ready for another two and a half months. I must be careful to keep Dumbledore from knowing what I am brewing. If he knew, he would have no choice but to summarily dismiss me." Severus paused, wondering how far he could push the Dark Lord. "Even having the knowledge to brew the Egeovenenum potion would be sufficient for him, let alone actually doing it."

Voldemort did not seem displeased. "Excellent, Severus. That will give Lucius and Wormtail time to instigate their part." He turned to the two men, who appeared to have recovered most of their composure. "Lucius, have you selected your target?"

"Yes, Lord. I have selected Archibald Croaker. I thought of using the Minister himself but Croaker will be far better. He is an Unspeakable so his presence in the Department of Mysteries will not be questioned. It is his right to be there. He has a wife and two young children that can be used against him and he was friends with Broderick Bode. Apparently, the death of his friend under such...mysterious...circumstances has affected him considerably, according to my source. It should be simple to manipulate him appropriately."

The Dark Lord chuckled and steepled his fingers in front of his face. "Excellent! Set that in motion. I wish for that side of things to be ready the moment Severus' final potion is ready."

Lucius inclined his head in acknowledgement. "That will give me ample time," he said with satisfaction.

"Good," Voldemort hissed. "Set things up with this Croaker such that we may gain access to the Department of Mysteries at the moment of my choosing." Lucius nodded smoothly and the Dark Lord rose from his chair behind the desk. "Lucius, Wormtail, you will join me in the coming Revel. Severus, you are excused. Return to your potions, I do not wish any delays caused by carelessness."

The three men rose and bowed low before their Lord. Lucius Malfoy and Wormtail donned their masks and followed the Dark Lord out of the study. Severus remained bowed until all three had left. He straightened and shuddered as he realised the consequences of the mentioned Revel. He could only be thankful that the Dark Lord had deemed his potions more important then his attendance. The sudden flare of pain in the Dark Mark on his arm drove all other considerations out of his mind. Potter! The boy would surely have witnessed the meeting and suffered with the Cruciatus. Now with the Revel to come, the boy would have to witness the torture and eventual killing of whatever muggles or muggleborn had been chosen to participate. He grimaced and made his way out of the study, knowing that Lucius would have anti-apparition wards on the room. As soon as he was in the corridor, he apparated back to the outskirts of Hogsmeade.

He stripped off his Death Eater robe and mask and loped quickly back up to the castle, heading for the suite that Potter was sharing with Lupin. Taking the chance that the password had not been changed, he muttered "Golden snitch" and breathed a sigh of relief when the portrait opened. He went and opened the door to Potter's room and was startled to find that the boy was not there. He immediately went and knocked on the door to Lupin's room and opened it.

Remus was just sitting up when Snape opened the door and he was forced to squint his eyes against the sudden light. He had no trouble recognising the figure standing in his doorway.

"Severus? What do you want?" he asked in surprise; it was unlike the Potions Master to act so rudely.

"Where is Potter?" Snape demanded.

"He's up in Gryffindor tower with the others," Remus replied, mystified. "Why? What's wrong?"

Before Snape had time to answer, a loud banging came on the outer portrait door and both men heard a muffled voice yelling for Remus. The werewolf leapt out of bed, snatching up his dressing gown and wrapping it around himself. Severus stepped back from the door and allowed him to rush past.

Remus opened the portrait door to find a very breathless Neville, hopping from foot to foot outside. "Remus," he gasped. "Come quick! It's Harry! He just started screaming and grabbing at his scar."

Remus started in surprise and tore off down the corridor towards the Gryffindor tower, Neville hot on his heels. Snape stared after them for a moment and ran in the opposite direction, towards the dungeons.

When Remus crawled through the entrance hole, he found Harry lying curled up on the floor, sobbing with pain and clutching at his scar. Ginny was sitting on the floor as well; she had Harry's head and shoulders in her lap and her arms around him. She was rocking him gently backwards and forwards, murmuring soothing words. The other teens were watching with worry and concern in their eyes. All but Harry and Ginny looked up at Remus' entry.

"Hermione, what happened?" Remus asked quietly.

Hermione swallowed and dashed away her tears. "We were just talking, Remus, and all of a sudden he grabbed at his scar. Then he just started screaming." Her eyes filled with tears again and when Ron came up beside her and put his arm around her shoulder, she turned to him and started weeping. Ron looked startled and then carefully put both arms around the sobbing girl.

Remus walked over and knelt down beside Ginny. He placed a hand on her shoulder and she looked up, her eyes full of fear and worry.

"How long has he been like this?" he asked her, hoping to get a clearer answer.

"About ten minutes," she said calmly. "We waited for a few minutes before coming to get you. Ron and Hermione said that the pain usually goes away fairly quickly. He was pretty quiet as first but when he started screaming, we thought we'd better get you."

Remus opened his mouth to reply but was interrupted by the entry of Professor Snape through the entrance hole. Snape had a couple of potion bottles in his hand. He ignored the surprised teens and headed directly towards Harry. His eyes flicked over the young couple sitting on the floor. He went to one knee and handed one of the bottles to Ginny.

"Pour this down his throat," he ordered and grabbed Harry's head. He prised the boy's jaw open and Ginny quickly uncorked the bottle and poured the contents into Harry's mouth. Snape pushed Harry's jaw shut again and stroked his throat to trigger his swallowing reflex. He settled back and watched the boy intently. After a few seconds, Harry relaxed and slumped into Ginny's arms, though tremors still ran through his body.

"Now this one," Snape said and handed the other bottle to Ginny. Again he prised Harry's jaw open and again Ginny poured the potion down his throat. Snape settled back to watch once more.

After about a minute, Harry relaxed a little further. Snape gestured sharply to Remus. "Let's put him on one of the couches, it will be more comfortable," he said.

Remus nodded and the two men lifted the semi-conscious boy off the floor and settled him on the nearest couch. Remus walked over to a cupboard against one wall and took a blanket out of it. He turned back and placed the blanket over Harry.

Ginny slowly rose from the floor, stretched her legs out and then walked over to the couch. She lifted Harry's head slightly and settled herself down. She shifted until Harry was resting comfortably against her. Remus watched this with a gentle and amused smile, remembering how many times he had seen James and Lily in a similar position. He then turned to Snape.

"You know what's happening to him," he said matter-of-factly.

Snape sighed and nodded. He collapsed into a chair opposite the couch. The teens were all surprised by his actions. They had never seen their Potions teacher act like this and settled themselves around the couch that Harry was lying on, watching Snape carefully. Remus sat on the arm of the couch and raised an eyebrow at Snape.

"The Dark Lord is holding a Revel tonight," Snape said flatly.

Remus winced and then looked confused. "What does this have to do with Harry?" he said and then gasped. Ron and Hermione's eyes widened.

"He's feeling that?" Hermione asked quietly. She hesitated for a long time and then asked with trepidation. "What would he be seeing?"

Snape turned to look at her, his face dark and forbidding. "You do not want to know, Miss Granger," he said tightly. "Mr Potter told me the other night that he feels it when the Dark Lord casts the Unforgivable curses and possibly others." He swept the assembled teens with a sharp glance. "Is this new?"

"I...I think so," Ron said, after a few moments thought. "He's always known when Vol..." He glanced at the Potions Master. "Er, You-Know-Who was really happy or angry or anything and he's had those visions but I can't remember him actually feeling the pain of You-Know-Who's curses." Ron grimaced. "Unless he didn't tell us."

Remus frowned. "It could be something new. Severus, you said that he told you about this the other night?" Snape nodded and Remus thought for a moment. "Albus mentioned that You-Know-You possessed Harry for a brief period during the...fracas in the Department of Mysteries. It may be that possession changed the nature of the link. We'll have to speak to Albus tomorrow."

Remus nodded to himself and then looked up at the Potions Master again. "What did you give him?"

"A muscle relaxant and a pain-reducing potion," Snape replied. "There is nothing else that can be done. The Revel is unlikely to last too much longer."

Remus stared at Snape for a long moment, looking as though he would like to ask a thousand questions but he chose to sit back and wait for Harry to recover.

After about 10 minutes, Harry began to shift slightly. Ginny's arms tightened around him.

"Harry?" she asked. "Are you okay?"

Harry moaned quietly and his eyes opened, staring blindly up towards the ceiling. "Ginny?" he whispered.

"Yes, Harry?" she said.

"Get Remus, Dumbledore and...and Snape, if he's back," he whispered and swallowed.

Remus got up and kneeled beside the couch. "Harry, I'm already here and so is Professor Snape."

"Dumbledore?" Harry whispered.

"I'll go and get him," Neville offered, looking relieved to have something to do. He quickly crawled through the entrance hole and they could hear him running up the corridor. The rest sat there and alternated between looking at each other and Harry.

"Professor Snape?" Harry whispered. "What potions did you give me?"

"A muscle relaxant and a pain-reducing potion," Snape replied.

"Thank you. They helped," Harry said and brought one hand up and laid it over Ginny's. The Weasley boys looked at their sister and Harry and then beamed at each other. Their reaction earlier had been exactly as Ginny had predicted and by now they had all settled on being thrilled underneath their worry.

Fairly shortly they heard the sounds of rapid footsteps outside the portrait and then Professor Dumbledore and Neville were crawling into the room. Neville collapsed on the floor, breathing heavily, while the Headmaster walked calmly over to the couch Harry was lying on. Remus quickly pulled a chair close for him and Dumbledore sat down. He looked at Ginny with a twinkle in his eye and she smiled shyly back at him.

"Now, Harry," Dumbledore said calmly, "you seem to be in quite an enviable situation right now." Harry laughed softly and Ginny blushed. "What did you need to tell me?"

"I had a vision. Voldemort was having a...a party of some kind. I don't know what else to call it," Harry said quietly.

"He calls it a...Revel," Snape said tightly.

Harry snorted. "A Revel. Right, of course. He...they killed some people. Muggles, I think. A family; husband, wife, two children. But that's not what I needed to tell you," Harry paused and took a deep breath. "I could...feel the curses. The Cruciatus and one other that I didn't quite catch the name of. It...it ripped the man apart." The other teens in the room gasped in horror. As Harry continued, his voice began to slur a little. "He cast...the Killing Curse. Merlin, that hurt. Fel' like someone hit me 'round the head with a sledgehammer. Prob'ly would have been worse if Pr'fessor Snape hadn't given me those potions."

Harry slumped back in Ginny's arms and breathed heavily, almost asleep. Dumbledore leaned forward and patted their joined hands.

"Thank you, my boy," he said with concern. "Now get some rest." He turned to Remus. "I think under the circumstances it might be best if Harry spent the night here in the tower. If you would take him up to the dormitory and settle him in? Would you children like to go with him, please?"

The teens stood as Remus spelled Harry with Mobilicorpus and moved to take him upstairs. He paused though when Ron went to stand in front of the Headmaster, his face set.

"Professor Dumbledore?" he asked firmly. "I...We want to know what's happening. Not so we can interfere or do anything stupid." Snape snorted and Ron gave a half-grin. "I know we have before but not this time. We need to know to make sure we don't do anything stupid. We're involved in this now, sir, whether you or we like it or not. I think the others will agree with me when I say that we won't tell anyone else anything that we hear tonight. You know Harry told us about the prophecy and we'll be damned if we're going to let Harry face any of this alone. I know he wants to protect us but this is our decision. We're involved, as much as anyone else who is in the Order because we are Harry's friends and the only way to make us uninvolved would be for us to stop being his friends." Ron paused and there was uncharacteristic steely glint in his eyes. "And that is not going to happen."

Dumbledore considered the determined young man standing in front of him and was just about to answer when he was interrupted.

"Mr Weasley has a point, Albus," Professor Snape said dryly, much to the utter shock of the teens. They all looked at each other and then back at their professor, wondering if they had heard him correctly. "You will undoubtedly inform Mr Potter of what I have to tell you and he will inevitably tell his friends," he continued archly. "Why not circumvent this and make sure that their information is accurate."

Dumbledore looked at Snape with a twinkle in his eye and a smile playing around his lips. Snape scowled and crossed his arms, glaring around the room as though daring them to comment on his unusual suggestion.

The Headmaster nodded. "What a good suggestion, Severus," he said with amusement. "Let us then see if we can wake Harry. You might as well tell this tale only once."

An intrigued Remus nodded and moved Harry back to the couch, where Ginny was still sitting. He settled the young man back down and Ginny shook him gently.

"Harry?" she said. "Do you think you can wake up a little?"

"Mmmhmmm," Harry murmured and shifted slightly. He opened his eyes a fraction to let everyone know he really was awake. "Wasn't really asleep. Just dozing."

Ginny grinned. "Well, don't start dozing again. The Headmaster and Professor Snape need to talk to all of us."

Harry took a deep breath and opened his eyes wider. He sat up a little further. "Okay," he said a brightly as he could. "See, I'm awake, really!"

There were chuckles from many in the room and the Headmaster leaned forward slightly.

"Harry, can you give us a more detailed explanation of what happened?" he asked gently.

"Okay," Harry said agreeably and frowned in concentration. "I got a really sharp flare of pain in my scar and I could sense that Voldemort was really pleased. Not pleased-happy but pleased-smug. Then I could see what was happened from his point of view. He was in what looked like a ballroom or something and all the Death Eaters started appearing. He turned and spoke to the two Death Eaters next to him and..." Harry gasped and growled. "I could only hear the voices but I know that one of those next to him was Wormtail and the other was Lucius Malfoy!"

"How is that possible?" Hermione said angrily. "He was captured. Isn't he supposed to be in Azkaban?"

"It seems his influence in the Ministry has seen him released, Miss Granger," Snape said with a sneer that for once wasn't directed at her. "Money apparently can buy anything."

There were disgusted and exasperated looks and remarks from all those in the room though Harry just looked angry.

"Anyway," Harry continued, "Voldemort asked them to bring in the entertainment and they left the room. He welcomed all of the Death Eaters, said some rubbish about how they were going to take over the world and then welcomed them all to the Revel. That was when Malfoy and Wormtail came back in with a family. I think they were muggles." Harry swallowed and started to look distressed. "He...they all tortured that family. Voldemort did most of it. They...they all seemed to think it was some kind of game."

Snape sighed and slowly closed his eyes. "They do think its fun, Mr Potter, hence the reason it is called a Revel," he said with a surprising lack of acidity. The teens looked at him with surprise that gradually began to fade into horror as they realised that in his role of spy, he may have had to participate in such things.

"You weren't there," Harry said calmly.

"No," Snape agreed. "My...distaste...for such things is well known. The Dark Lord insisted I return to my potions, though nobody would have expected me there unless ordered."

"Isn't that a bit of a cop out?" asked Ron angrily.

"And what precisely would you have me do, Mr Weasley?" Snape asked sharply. "Rush in and do something stupidly Gryffindor as to stage a rescue attempt? And get both myself and those muggles killed?"

Ron opened his mouth to argue but then quickly shut it and looked a little shame-faced. "I'm sorry, Professor, I...I didn't think about that," he said quietly.

Snape raised an eyebrow in surprise but nodded in acceptance. "Mr Potter, I think it pointless and cruel to ask you to relive the Revel," he said abruptly. "It was undoubtedly brutal and disgusting and best forgotten as soon as possible." He leaned forward, his face intent. "Was the Revel all you saw, Mr Potter? From the moment of the summoning by the Dark Lord?"

Harry nodded and looked confused. "Well, there was a moment a bit earlier when I felt some pain but that went away pretty quickly so I didn't think anything of it. Why?"

Snape leaned back and steepled his fingers in front of his face. "The Dark Lord issued two summons tonight," he said calmly. "The first was earlier in the evening, probably when you felt that first jab of pain; the second was the general summons to all Death Eaters for the Revel." He paused and swept the teenagers in the room with a withering glare. "I trust that anything I tell you tonight will not become a subject for general discussion."

The teens winced at the glare, all of the Gryffindors in particular had seen it before and it did not bode well for those who were disobedient.

"Ickle Ronniekins was right, Professor," Fred said, ducking a cushion thrown by his younger brother.

"We're in this for the long haul," George continued, grabbing the cushion and throwing it back at Ron. "Harry's kind of our little brother now in more ways than one and our family sticks together."

"Well said," Fred complimented his twin.

"Thank you," George replied with a bow. "Anyway I think I can speak for all of us when I say that we won't blab."

Snape gave the two of them an exasperated glare, thankful that at least he would no longer have to deal with these two Weasleys anymore but finally nodded in acknowledgement.

"That pain you felt earlier in the evening was a private summoning, Mr Potter," Snape said. "Wormtail, Lucius Malfoy and I were summoned to a meeting." Snape turned to face the Headmaster. "Albus, the Dark Lord has given Lucius instructions to compromise Archibald Croaker. I do not know his exact purpose but he wishes to be able to obtain access to the Department of Mysteries whenever he wishes."

Both the Headmaster and Harry frowned at this.

"But why?" asked Harry. "The prophecy is gone so he can't be after that." He stopped, wondering if he'd just made a fool of himself.

"There are any number of things held in the Department of Mysteries that he might be interested in," said Dumbledore calmly, "but nothing that I can think of that might be that important. Severus, did he give any indication of what he may be after?"

Snape thought for a moment then shook his head. "No, but whatever is happening, it requires the potions I am brewing. They are clearly not for Lucius to use. Whatever he wants to do in the Department of Mysteries, it will start when that final potion I am brewing is ready in two and half months."

"Well, that gives us a little time," the Headmaster said with relief. "I shall speak with Kingsley, he will know what we can do about Croaker. In the mean time, Severus, do you have any theories as to why Harry saw the Revel but not the meeting?"

Snape frowned. "I have been thinking about that since it became clear that Mr Potter had not seen the meeting. The only thing I can put it down to is that fact that Lucius' study is heavily warded. Though that is not much of an explanation when you consider how heavily warded Hogwarts is and particularly when you consider that the Dark Lord cast two Cruciatus curses during the meeting."

"Most curious," said Dumbledore thoughtfully. "How are Harry's Occlumency lessons progressing?"

"Satisfactorily," Snape replied. "He is capable of detecting my presence and expelling me from his mind. He is still not able to prevent me from entering but the small amount of time it takes to detect and expel me makes that inability negligible. I suspect he will be able to deny others access to his mind completely before the new school year starts."

"And yet he is still getting the visions from Voldemort," Dumbledore mused. "Clearly something has changed in the nature of the link. Harry, are you able to tell the difference between the visions and your own thoughts?"

"Yes," Harry said slowly. "They feel different, as though they're being imposed on me from outside and they feel real, if that makes any sense. Like they're really happening." He paused for a long moment. "I don't think I would be fooled by that vision of S...Sirius if I had it now."

Dumbledore nodded. "Do you think you could block or expel those visions?"

"I...I don't know," Harry said thoughtfully. "I haven't tried. It usually hurts so much that it's hard to concentrate. I could try next time."

"Yes, it might be wise to do so," the Headmaster said and then stood. "Now children, unless anybody has any urgent questions I think it might be best to let Harry get some rest. Harry, do you think you could make it back to the suite or would you like to stay here?"

"I don't think I could walk much past the Fat Lady's portrait," Harry said wearily. "I think I'd better stay here."

"Very well. Remus if you would help Harry upstairs and then could you join Severus and I in my office."

Remus nodded and Dumbledore and Snape left the common room. Remus pulled Harry to his feet and helped him up the stairs, closely followed by the other teens. When they got up to the Gryffindor's dorm he settled Harry onto his bed.

"I'll be alright from here, Remus," Harry said with a small smile.

"Are you sure?" Remus asked and when Harry nodded and the others assured him, he left the room and headed downstairs.

There was a long silence and then Ron spoke up. "Alright, who was that and what has he done with Professor Snape?"

The eight teenagers laughed, successfully breaking the tension that the explanations downstairs had built up.

"I think that was Professor Snape treating us like adults," Harry said laughing. "When I went down to see him, he decided to do that though he did say if I started acting like a child again, he would very quickly return to treating me like one. Maybe he decided to extend that to all of you too."

There were a lot of serious looks around the room as the realisation of what they were getting into settled on them.

"Maybe you ought to tell us what was said in that meeting, Harry," Hermione asked.

Harry nodded and began to speak.