Trinity

Katling

Story Summary:
Harry now knows what he has to do - find and destroy the Horcruxes and Voldemort. Ron and Hermione refuse to leave his side and they choose to become something that the Dark Lord will fear...the Trinity.

Chapter 19

Chapter Summary:
The Trinity and the teachers lie in wait for Draco and Snape. Nott meets them and gives them his answer then the trap is sprung. Unfortunately the Slytherins are ready for this and manage to escape. Harry then makes a discovery that shocks him to the core.
Posted:
09/24/2005
Hits:
1,561


Chapter 19

Harry stood in the middle of the dorm room and adjusted the collar of his duelling robes, making sure the Trinity symbol was securely fastened. He looked up as Ron strode into the room and nodded.

"Ready?"

Ron nodded and Harry grabbed his invisibility cloak. The two boys headed downstairs where they found Hermione waiting for them in the common room. Their fellow Gryffindors were giving them some odd and rather apprehensive looks but Harry ignored them and headed for the entrance hole, Ron and Hermione moving to flank him on either side.

They walked down to the Entrance Hall silently. They'd spent several hours closeted away with Moody, Remus, Minerva and Filius the previous night establishing what they were going to do. Tonks had unfortunately not been able to get away from the Ministry and Aberforth had declined as he suspected he might get a few interesting people into the pub that night. They knew what they had to do but they had found that as the day wore on their nerves had become more and more tightly strung. They arrived in the Entrance Hall and found Moody and Minerva already there.

"We're just waiting for Remus and Filius," Minerva said, stating the obvious in such a way that made the trio realise that their teachers were just as nervous as they were.

Remus came clattering down the stairs at the same time that Filius rushed up to them, looking excited and surprisingly dangerous. It was that look that reminded Harry that Filius Flitwick had once been a duelling champion.

Moody nodded at the new arrivals then, with a short jerk of his head, led them outside and down towards the gates. It was just after seven pm and they wanted to be in position well before eight. They had to assume that Draco and anyone who came with him would arrive early. When they reached the gates, Moody stopped them.

"Get to your positions and remember the plan," he barked. He then levelled a glare at Harry. "All of it."

Harry grimaced and nodded. Minerva and Remus headed towards some trees on one side of the gates while Moody and Filius took shelter on the other. Both sets of teachers used several wardings to make themselves essentially invisible. Harry shook out his invisibility cloak and threw it over himself and Ron and Hermione and they made their way out of the gates and to a sheltered position not far away that Moody had found the previous night.

"We're getting too big for all three of us to hide under here," Hermione muttered as they settled in to wait.

"That's Ron's fault," Harry whispered with a quick grin.

"Very funny," Ron grumbled as he got himself as comfortable as he could. "Does Nott know what we're doing tonight?"

"He knows we've got something planned but not the specifics," Harry replied quietly. "It's better that he doesn't know exactly what's going to happen. Means his reactions will be more natural. Besides we're not really going to get things underway until he's leaving."

Ron nodded and the trio fell silent as they waited. It wasn't the most comfortable thing they'd ever done nor was it very interesting. That changed just after eight when they heard quiet voices approaching; very familiar quiet voices.

"I can deal with Nott!" That was Draco's voice though it was lacking its usual superior sneer and instead sounded almost desperate with a hint of a whine underneath.

"Just be sure of him before you both leave."

"Snape!" Harry whispered then he felt a hand land on each shoulder and he closed his eyes, willing himself to calm down. He let his shoulders relax and felt the hands disappear. He looked at his friends and saw the worried look in Hermione's eyes and the warning in Ron's. He nodded briefly and felt more than heard their sighs of relief.

As they watched, Snape and Draco walked warily round the bend in the path. Both had their wands out and looked very nervous.

"Why did we have to meet here?" Draco asked. "It's too close. What if a teacher sees us?"

Snape scowled and pulled Draco into the shadows of the trees. They were standing far too close to the trio for Harry's comfort, particularly considering Snape's odd ability to tell when he was nearby under his invisibility cloak. He could only hope that Snape was distracted enough not to suspect their presence.

"Stay out of sight and no one will see us," Snape snapped. "The only one likely to be outside at this time of night is Hagrid and the darkness will shield us soon enough."

"Why does the Dark Lord want Nott anyway?" Draco's voice had that whining quality again.

"Because of your inability to carry out a simple task, our Master has lost his spy within those walls," Snape snarled, gesturing to Hogwarts. "He needs a new one. Nott is the best option. Our only other real choice is Daphne Greengrass."

"She's a neutral," Draco said with a scowl.

"I am aware of that," Snape replied. "Now be quiet. We have a long wait in front of us."

Draco's scowl deepened momentarily then he leaned against a tree and folded his arms across his chest. Snape simply stood in the shadows, his eyes trained on the hulk of the castle. Harry exchanged glances with Ron and Hermione and they stayed as still as they could as the darkness grew. Finally they saw a small pinpoint of light emerge from the direction of the castle and approach the gates. When the light got closer they were relieved to see that it was Theodore Nott. The Slytherin stopped just inside the gates and looked around warily.

"Draco?" he said quietly.

Draco slipped out of the shadows, Snape following partway.

"I'm here," Draco said, a hint of his old manner flowing into him.

"This is dangerous," Nott said nervously. "Slughorn won't notice I'm gone but the hallways are being patrolled by the teachers this year."

"They didn't see you leave, did they?" Draco said with a sneer.

"Of course not," Nott replied archly. "It's Trelawney and Vector on at the moment. What do you want, Draco?"

"The Dark Lord wants you to join him," Draco said. "I'm to take you to him."

"I'm not joining him," Nott replied firmly.

"I didn't think you were a neutral," Draco said with a hint of surprise.

"I'm not," Nott replied flatly. "I've decided that Potter's the best bet in this fight."

Draco's eyes narrowed. "The Dark Lord's message was not a request, Nott."

"I don't care," Nott replied defiantly. "And there is nothing you can do about it."

Draco took a step forward and Nott gave ground with a wintry smile.

"You can't touch me here, Draco," he said with a smirk. "The wards have been altered. Death Eaters aren't allowed in anymore."

Draco stepped forward abruptly then was thrown backwards when he hit the wards and they flared and rejected him. Nott's smirk deepened.

"I told you the wards wouldn't let you in," he said harshly. "Tell your Master I'm not interested. I've found a better option."

With that the Slytherin turned on his heel and headed back for the castle. That was their cue; Harry threw the cloak off and stood as the teachers burst out of their hiding places. The teachers headed straight for Draco, wands out and curses flying as Draco ducked while Harry aimed a quick Stupefy at Snape, with Ron and Hermione echoing almost immediately.

But the Potions Master had obviously heard them when they stood and was no longer standing where he had been. He'd darted forward, eyeing the scene with blazing eyes.

"Get out of here, Draco," he yelled before taking off for Hogsmeade at a run.

Harry swore and took off after him, Ron and Hermione at his heels. They heard someone shout behind them but ignored it in favour of their prey. It was hard to follow him in the dark and even harder to try and cast any spells. The man's choice of clothing worked in his favour and he didn't stay on the main path for long. Very shortly they were chasing their former teacher through the back streets of Hogsmeade. They followed him around the back of several houses then lost him when he rounded the corner of the Hog's Head. They followed him around the corner and screeched to a halt as they faced the dead end that was the rear yard of the pub.

"Dammit!" Harry yelled. "Where'd he go?"

"He probably apparated out," Hermione said as she caught her breath. "I'm surprised he didn't do it earlier."

Harry snarled and kicked at an old box that was sitting near the slightly open back door. Ron walked over a placed a hand on his shoulder.

"Calm down, Harry," he said urgently. "Moody'll have your hide if he finds you like this."

Harry drew in several deep breaths and he stomped around the yard then he took one final breath and managed to let his anger go with a gusty sigh.

"Dammit! We almost had him," he said with frustration.

"I know," Hermione replied soothingly.

"Come on, let's head back," Ron said. "Maybe the others got Draco."

Harry nodded and the trio headed back up towards the path that led to the castle. When they got to the gates they found four very frustrated teachers pacing back and forth.

"There you are!" Minerva said sharply. "Was that Severus?"

Harry nodded. "We lost him though. Apparated out." Harry paused and blinked as something occurred to him then he shook his head. "Did you get Draco?"

"No," Moody growled. "He used a portkey. Probably the one he intended to use to take Nott to Voldemort."

"I'd...hate to be Draco right now then," Ron said with a sardonic smile. "I'd reckon Voldemort won't be too pleased when he turns up minus Nott."

"Somehow I can view Mr Malfoy's troubles with great equanimity right at this moment," Minerva said tartly. "Come on. I think we should return."

Harry and his friends nodded and the group headed through the gates and up towards the school. Harry suddenly stopped when they got to the doors. The teachers continued in, unaware he had stopped, while Hermione and Ron stopped as well.

"I've left my cloak down there," Harry said with a groan. "I'd better get it."

"Do you want us to come with you?" Ron asked.

"Nah," Harry said idly. "It'll be right where we were hiding. You go in. I won't be long."

Ron looked a little dubious but finally turned and went inside with Hermione. Harry walked slowly back down to the gates. He was extremely frustrated that they'd not been able to get their hands on either Draco or Snape. He was frustrated that Draco had portkeyed out before the teachers could get to him. They had been handicapped by the fact they hadn't wanted to kill him, just capture him, so their spells hadn't been too harsh. And Draco always had been a slippery little ferret. And Snape's dark clothing had made it damn difficult to get a bead on him. They hadn't wanted an errant spell to go through a window and hurt someone innocent.

He walked out of the gate and over to where he, Ron and Hermione had waited. His cloak was lying on the ground and he picked it up and draped it over his arm. As he did so, the thought that had interrupted him earlier came back.

The back door of the pub had not only been partially open when they got in the yard, it had been swinging closed.

He frowned as he thought about that. Had Snape ducked into the pub? Surely not. Aberforth was in there and he'd certainly have raised the alarm if Snape walked into the bar and they would surely have been informed if Snape was staying there. Maybe it was just the result of a startled patron ducking back inside when he saw Snape barrelling around the corner. But maybe Snape had gone in.

Harry stood still for a long moment as thoughts ran around his mind then in a sudden movement he threw the cloak over his head and strode towards Hogsmeade. He traced their route from earlier and ended up in the back yard of the Hog's Head.

The back door was still slightly ajar and Harry gently pushed it open and looked in. He gasped and nearly fell backwards when he saw Snape start to walk down calmly the stairs. He caught himself on the doorway and quickly ducked inside, narrowly avoiding the Potions Master when the man came over and shut the door. As he watched in shock, Snape pressed on a small section of wood near the lantern and a door opposite the stairs opened up.

Snape suddenly froze and spun around and Harry darted up the stairs as quietly as possible, silently thanking Moody for teaching them how to do this. He ducked around the wall at the top of the stairs then peered back around. That had been close; Snape had always seemed to know when he was using his cloak. He saw the older man look around suspiciously for a moment then duck through the doorway, closing the door firmly behind him. Harry waited for a few minutes then crept down the stairs. He paused at the bottom for a long moment then carefully reached out, feeling along the wall until he found the indentation Snape had pushed.

He hesitated for another moment then made up his mind. Snape was clearly staying at the Hog's Head. Aberforth must know about this yet he'd said nothing. Harry was determined to find out why. Was Aberforth a traitor?

He pushed the indentation and the door swung open silently. He slid through the door and closed it quietly behind him then he crept down the stairs. There was another door at the bottom but it was thankfully standing half open. He slid through this door and stared in utter shock at the scene in front of him.

"Holy shit!" he yelled, reverting to a Muggle idiom he'd heard Dudley using more than once as he pulled off his invisibility cloak.

Snape and Dumbledore froze as Harry suddenly appeared in the doorway, the cloak fluttering to the floor, and for one long frozen moment there was silence. Then Harry's breathing got faster and his face started to go red as his stunned gaze fixed on the Headmaster.

"You're alive?" he whispered. "You're really alive?"

"Yes, dear boy," Albus said softly, tears standing in his eyes.

Harry quivered where he was standing for a moment then he threw himself at Dumbledore. The Headmaster's arms wrapped around Harry gratefully but the young man wasn't hugging him back. He was pounding on the old man's chest, his voice coming out in incoherent gasps that soon began to make sense as Dumbledore held him tighter.

"You're alive! You're alive! How could you?" Harry gasped out as tears flowed hot and fast down his face. Slowly his fists stopped pounding into Dumbledore's chest and he gripped the old man's robes tightly as he collapsed into choking sobs.

Throughout all of this Dumbledore had not moved. He merely held Harry tightly and when Harry's sobs started he began to rub the young man's back soothingly. He looked over to where Severus was watching them impassively and raised an eyebrow. Severus nodded and glided over to the table on one side of the room. He picked up a potion bottle and poured some of the contents into a goblet before walking over to the Headmaster. Dumbledore took the goblet and pulled away from Harry slightly.

"Here you are, dear boy," he said gently as he shifted Harry around. "Drink this down."

Harry obediently drank the calming potion and his tears began to trail off. He took a few deep breaths and got himself under some tenuous control. Dumbledore took the goblet back and handed it to Severus. He then guided Harry to one of the armchairs. Once he had Harry sitting, he sat down himself and Snape joined them.

Harry ran a hand through his hair and looked at Dumbledore accusingly. "Why?" he asked hoarsely, anger, confusion and desperation lingering around the edges of his voice.

"It was necessary," Dumbledore said soothingly. "Professor Snape was caught in a dreadful situation and it became necessary for me to die."

Harry gaze flickered over to the Potions Master briefly. "What situation?" he demanded.

"He does not need to know," Severus said sharply.

"Yes, I do," Harry said angrily. "I've spent the last couple of months thinking that the Headmaster's death was partly my fault! I've been thrown into the deep end as the leader of the Order of the Phoenix and left with the task of finding and destroying those damn Horcruxes! I think I'm owed a bloody explanation!"

Harry was quivering with anger by the time he finished speaking and tears were standing in his eyes again. Power shimmered briefly around him causing the Trinity symbol at his throat to flash and glow and though Harry did not seem to notice this, Severus and Albus certainly did.

Albus held up one hand, his eyes reflecting his sorrow at Harry's angry confession. "Be calm, dear boy. I believe you are owed an explanation but this is something rather personal for Professor Snape."

Harry shifted his glare to the Potions Master and found the man glaring back. He almost flinched back but then he remembered what Moody had said to him during training and how Arthur had reacted when he'd taken the role of leader of the Order at Bill's wedding. So instead of that flinch he straightened his shoulders, let the anger go as much as he could and stared at Snape with the sober and stern look of a commander demanding the answers he needs.

Snape seemed startled by this new attitude and he looked over at Dumbledore.

"What was the situation?" Harry asked in a tone of command, drawing Snape's attention again. When Harry saw the expression on the Potion Master's face, he snorted. "I'm the leader of the Order of the Phoenix, Professor. So, technically, you work for me now."

Severus scowled as Dumbledore's eyes twinkled. "The Headmaster is the leader of the Order of the Pheonix," Snape said sharply.

"The Headmaster is, to all intents and purposes, dead," Harry replied flatly. "I saw the body. I was at the funeral. I got lumped with the responsibility of finishing this whole damn thing. I am the leader of the Order. What was the situation?"

Snape's head reared back and anger and something more indefinable flared in his eyes. "Following in your father's arrogant footsteps," he sneered.

Anger flared in Harry momentarily before he shoved it mercilessly down. "I am not my father," he said in a soft, dangerous voice. "If you wish to nurse a twenty year old grudge against a dead man, by all means, be my guest. But I have more important things to do right now than pander to your temper tantrums. Now I want to know what the situation was that meant that I had to spend the last few months feeling guilty, overwhelmed, angry, lost and completely out of my depth!"

Snape stared at Harry darkly for a long moment as Dumbledore watched. The Headmaster had wisely stayed out of this confrontation. It was past time that these two sorted things out and now that Harry stood before his former teacher as an equal and not a student, he felt that they might just have a chance.

Finally Snape snorted and leaned back in his chair. "Moody actually managed to teach you something, did he?"

Harry gaped at his former teacher. "What?" he stammered then he gritted his teeth. "What the hell is going on here?"

"Severus," Dumbledore chided gently. "Harry has received a very nasty shock and does deserve a few explanations."

"It's got something to do with an Unbreakable Vow, doesn't it?" Harry said flatly, deciding to try and spark a few confessions.

Snape hissed. "How did you know?" he demanded.

"I overheard you talking to Draco," Harry stated. "It was the night of Slughorn's party. The one Draco crashed. What was it about?"

Snape glared at him for a moment. "I was to aid Draco in his task, protect him as best as I could and if he failed at his task, to carry it out myself."

Harry stared at him blankly for a moment then he swallowed hard. "Draco's task was to kill Professor Dumbledore, wasn't it?" he asked shakily.

Snape nodded once but remained silent.

"An Unbreakable Vow can only be fulfilled by completing the task with which it is set," Dumbledore said quietly. "There is no way of circumventing that."

"But you did it anyway," Harry observed. "How?"

"Have you heard of the Simulacrum spell?" Dumbledore asked. When Harry shook his head, the Headmaster continued. "It is a very ancient spell, once thought lost. I found it detailed in a book at Grimmauld Place just before Christmas last year and with it, my solution to Professor Snape's problem. When we arrived back at Hogwarts, I waited until you had turned to go and were as well hidden as possible under your invisibility cloak then I cast the full body bind on you. I do apologise for that, dear boy, but it was necessary. Then I cast the Simulacrum spell." He cocked his head to one side and his eyes twinkled. "The timing was terribly tight. I had barely managed to put my wand in the hand of my Simulacrum and secrete myself away when young Mr Malfoy came bursting out."

"You knew he was coming?" Harry asked, his shock and anger banked momentarily by the Headmaster's explanation.

"No but I suspected someone would be coming," Dumbledore explained. "Our return was not as secretive as I would have liked and I had suspected for some time that there was an informer in Hogsmeade."

Harry nodded slowly. "So..."

"So why did I drag things out?" Dumbledore asked and Harry nodded again. "I wanted to give Professor Snape time to get there. I knew that Draco would not be able to kill me. That young man is capable of many things but he has not yet reached the point mentally and emotionally where he could easily kill someone. I sincerely hope he never reaches that point."

"It was a hell of a risk," Harry pointed out, ignoring the comments about Draco.

"Yes, it was," Dumbledore said. "But a good risk, I felt. My only real worry was that young Draco's compatriots would try and...help him."

Harry frowned. "How come they didn't know that they were facing a...fake?"

"It has much to do with the nature of the Simulacrum spell," the Headmaster explained. "You have to remain within a reasonably close distance in order to control the Simulacrum. The closer you are the more realistic the copy is. As close as I was, it was a near perfect replica, right down to having a nearly identical magical signature."

"That is how we were able to fool the Unbreakable Vow," Snape said in a neutral tone. "As the replica was near perfect and I was able to control my mind enough to convince myself it was the Headmaster, the Vow was completed with his apparent...death."

Harry thought about that for a moment then something that Ron and Hermione had spoken of came back to him. "That's why you pleaded with Snape, isn't it?" he asked the Headmaster.

"Professor Snape, Harry, and yes," Dumbledore replied. "He knew of my plans for the Simulacrum and I knew that if I did something so unusual as to plead with him, he would know that what appeared to me...wasn't."

"He's not my teacher anymore," Harry said flatly then his expression became tight. "Why didn't you tell me?"

"Harry, do forgive me for that piece of cruelty," Dumbledore said with a sad, concerned look on his face. "But it was important that no one knew that I survived. Your reactions had to be perfect and I could not take the risk that you would inadvertently give something away."

"Why?" Harry asked.

"Because it has gained us something we never had before," Dumbledore explained. "Professor Snape is now Voldemort's most trusted Death Eater. He is close enough to find out all sorts of information."

"The Horcruxes," Harry said in sudden understanding.

"Indeed," Dumbledore replied. "Though I've heard you've made some inroads yourself."

Harry shrugged. "Sort of." He paused. "The locket was a fake. Did you know?"

"Only when Aberforth told me," Albus replied. "That was...unexpected. But I understand you found it."

Harry nodded. "It was Regulus Black who took the original. He must have found out about the locket and what it was after he joined the Death Eaters. He went got it and brought it back to Grimmauld Place. Kreacher was hiding it because Regulus had asked him to keep it safe."

"And you have destroyed it."

"How did you know...oh, Aberforth," Harry replied. "Yeah, but there was a wildfire event that got away from me. I burnt my hands. Apparently I earthed the magic but I've got no idea how I did it."

"Aberforth will be able to answer those questions for you and teach you," Albus said soothingly. "The soul fragment was destroyed by the wildfire event, I assume?"

"That's what Hermione and Moo...Professor Moody said," Harry replied. Dumbledore gave him a curious look and Harry gave a wry half-smile. "We've been calling everyone by name or surname during the summer but we can't exactly call Minerva by name during the school year. I don't think she'd react well."

Albus chuckled. "Probably not. Well, you seem to have things under control. I'm very proud of you, dear boy."

Harry ducked his head. When he raised it his expression was a mix of anger, relief and confusion. "You're going stay dead, aren't you?"

Dumbledore sighed. "Yes, I am, Harry. At least for now. Professor Snape is in a very good, if somewhat distasteful, position to gain the location of the last Horcruxes. If I were to reappear then he would be killed, probably very slowly and painfully."

Harry's hand clenched into fists as he looked over at the Potions Master. "You tortured those people on my birthday. She was a Second Year!"

"Do you honestly believe I had a choice?" Snape said icily.

Harry leapt to his feet and started pacing angrily in front of the fireplace. He was desperately trying to shove his anger back into its box. Moody had pointed out to him many times that anger stopped you from thinking clearly and right now that's exactly what he needed to do. Everything the Headmaster said had made sense and he had to admit that Snape was in a good position to find some information that he desperately needed.

He whirled around to face the two men. "So I'm just supposed to forget everything that he's done to and said to me and play nicely with him?"

"It is necessary, is it not?" Dumbledore said simply. "I'm not asking the two of you to become best friends. I am merely asking you to work together with a minimum of friction."

Harry whirled around again and stared into the fire. He took a deep breath and very slowly let it out before turning around and placing both hands on his hips. He was totally unaware of the impressive figure he cut standing like that in his duelling robes.

"I suppose you've got a point there," he said wryly to the Headmaster. "But if I can just act like a schoolboy one more time and say...I will if he does. I am not my father and I resent be treated as such."

Dumbledore chuckled and raised an eyebrow at Severus. The Potions Master stared at Harry with an indecipherable expression for a long moment then stood.

He held out a hand. "Very well...Harry."

Harry blinked. He hadn't expected this and was inwardly chagrined for a moment that now he really would have to play nicely with the older man. He gingerly took Snape's had and they shook on the agreement.

"Under the circumstances and as I am no longer your teacher, I believe you should call me Severus," Snape said reluctantly as he sat down again.

Harry sat down in his seat and nodded tentatively. This was a brave new world he was entering and he wasn't entirely sure if he was comfortable with it.