Trinity

Chapter 21

Harry, Ron and Hermione didn't speak until they were back inside the Hogwarts wards.

"Well, that was interesting," Ron said lightly. "Exactly how angry were you when you first walked in?"

"I don't know quite whether you'd call it anger," Harry said slowly. "It was more disbelief and then a mix of anger, relief, joy and confusion."

"I can't believe they actually managed to pull it off," Hermione said wonderingly.

"They won't have if we talk about this too much or in the wrong place," Harry warned.

"What was the deal with Snape?" Ron asked. "He was acting weird."

"We declared a truce of sorts," Harry replied flatly. "Motivated by the fact that he's in the best position to find out about the Horcruxes and I'm the leader of the Order and he works for me."

"Oh, he must have loved hearing that," Ron said with a grin.

"He didn't like it too much," Harry agreed. "But when Professor Dumbledore didn't disagree, he kind of had to accept it." He shrugged. "We have to work together, we don't have to be best friends."

"That's our job," Hermione said with a smile.

Ron and Harry laughed and they made the rest of their journey up to the castle in companionable silence. Once they got in they headed up to Gryffindor Tower where they weren't overly surprised to find Moody waiting for them.

"That took a bit longer than I expected," the ex-Auror growled. "What happened?"

"I had a thought when I got back down to where I left my cloak," Harry replied glibly. "We lost Snape outside the back entrance of the Hog's Head and I remembered that the door had been slightly open. I went down to speak to Aberforth and find out if maybe anyone inside the pub saw what he did. I thought it might be a good idea to get some confirmation."

Moody grunted. "And?"

"Nothing," Harry grumbled. "Aberforth said the door was probably open because some of his clientele like to make discrete entrances and exits. Then we just got chatting about what happened with the Horcrux and the training he's going to be doing with me. That's when Hermione and Ron caught up with me. We chatted for a bit longer then the three of us came back."

Moody grunted. "Pity no one saw anything. I'll see the three of you tomorrow after classes are over and we'll dissect what happened tonight."

Harry and his friends nodded and watched at Moody stumped his way out of the room. Once he'd gone, Ron mimicked wiping his brow.

"Good thinking, Harry!" he said with relief.

"It's close enough to what actually happened that we should get away with it," Harry replied.

"Shouldn't you tell Aberforth the story you've spun," Hermione asked urgently. "I know he's quick on his feet but Moody's observant. He'd probably be able to pick up any hesitation on Aberforth's behalf."

"I'll get Casimir to take a message down to Abe tonight," Harry replied. "And good thinking."

With that Harry headed upstairs, leaving Ron and Hermione to say a more personal good night. He found Casimir perched in the window near his bed and he gently stroked the phoenix's head.

"Can you take a message to Aberforth for me?" Harry asked as he pulled some parchment and ink out of his bag.

Casimir warbled an affirmative and Harry quickly jotted down the information Aberforth would need to keep their stories straight. He then folded the note and held it out to the phoenix. Casimir took the note in his beak and disappeared in a flash of fire. Harry gave a deep sigh and slowly changed into his pyjamas before collapsing into bed and pulling the curtains closed. He had a lot to think about after the events of tonight but as he slipped into sleep he realised they'd have to wait until the morning.

**************************************************************************

Snape apparated into the front garden of Riddle Manor and stared up at the dark hulking house for a long moment. He drew in a deep breath before wrapping his cloak around himself more firmly. This was likely to be ugly and very, very unpleasant. He stalked into the manor and made his way through the darkened corridors to the large room Voldemort used for meetings. He pushed open the doors and found the Dark Lord pacing in front of the throne-like chair at one end. Draco lay curled up on the floor, still and silent, and Severus could only hope the boy was still alive.

Severus paced evenly up to his Lord and fell to his knees. "My Lord," he said, inclining his head.

"Tell me, Severus, were you any more successful than this useless piece of garbage in carrying out my orders?" Voldemort hissed.

"The Order were waiting for us," Severus replied as calmly as he could. "Clearly Nott informed someone as to the contents of my note. There were four teachers and Potter's Trinity waiting for us."

Voldemort spun around and eyed Severus narrowly. "Trinity? What is this Trinity?"

"It is something of which I have been hearing whispers," Snape replied. "Particularly these last few days at the Hog's Head. It is a thing of Potter's creation and consists of himself, the youngest Weasley boy and the Mudblood, Granger. The rumours say they have been extensively trained in combating the Dark Arts by Alastor Moody."

"And are the rumours true?"

Severus raised an eyebrow. "They were the ones who pursued me while the teachers went after Draco. The three of them were...persistent. And powerful. The hexes they threw at me...were formidable."

"I see they did not manage to hit you," Voldemort said in a voice full of silky implication.

"It was dark and I was dressed to advantage for the conditions," Severus explained. "I was also moving too quickly and through the back street of Hogsmeade. They were not able to aim properly. It took some time to lose them and then I wanted to make very sure they had not hit me with a tracing spell of any kind. That is the reason for my delay, my Lord. I had no wish to lead them here when I was not sure that you were ready for them."

"Why did you or Draco not bring Nott to me?" Voldemort demanded. "Surely there was time to grab him before those meddlesome Order fools got to either of you."

"There may have been but we were hampered by the fact that Nott remained within the Hogwarts wards and it appears McGonagall has altered those wards to keep out anyone wearing the Dark Mark," Severus said, wondering why the Dark Lord had seemingly ignored the information about the Trinity.

Voldemort snarled. "You were meant to coax him out if necessary."

Severus took a deep breath before continuing. "He said that he had no intention of joining the Death Eaters, my Lord. He said that he had chosen to follow Potter."

"So Draco was telling the truth," Voldemort said, his eyes narrowing. "No matter what the circumstances, you have failed me, Severus. Crucio!"

The spell hit Severus like an axe blow and he knew immediately how angry the Dark Lord was from the strength of the pain that flowed through him. His body crumpled swiftly under the weight of the agony and he fell to the floor, thankfully not that hard a fall from his kneeling position. But shortly that was of little concern and all he could do was give in to the strangled screams that came from his usual partially failed attempts towards stoicism. He slumped and panted, his eyes closed and his body trembling violently, when the Cruciatus was finally ended and waited for his Lord's orders.

"Take the boy and return to Hogsmeade," Voldemort hissed angrily. "Tell Fenrir he and his pack are to be more aggressive in their attacks, particularly when the students are outside. And you will step up your attempts to lure Potter or one of the Order members out of Hogwarts."

"Yes, my Lord," Severus gasped out then he heard the sound of footsteps retreating and leaving the room.

When he felt able, he pushed himself back up onto his knees, coughing hoarsely as his body complained vociferously. He felt something wet his lips and swiped at them with the back of one hand. When he lowered that hand he was not surprised to see blood smeared on the back. The Cruciatus had been long and powerful. Just as well he had the potions he would need stored in his room and the Hog's Head.

He gave up any pretence of dignity in the now-empty room and crawled over to where Draco lay, rolling the unconscious boy onto his back.

"Draco," he said hoarsely, giving the boy a gentle shake.

The blond boy moaned and twitched slightly then his eyes fluttered open. Severus winced when he saw the unfocused look in them and he pulled at the boy's shoulder.

"Get up," he rasped.

Draco moaned again but Severus was relieved to see that the obedience that had been drilled into the boy still worked. He slowly pushed himself to his feet as Draco did the same then he grabbed the boy's arm and dragged him out of the room. He had to pause several times on the way out of the manor to rest on some occasions and to recover from coughing jags on other occasions. Each time he coughed, more blood appeared and he just hoped he could make it back to the Hog's Head before his body gave out entirely. Draco was awake enough to follow obediently but no more than that and Severus knew he'd have to apparate them both back to Hogsmeade. He winced at that thought; single apparition was going to be bad enough, side-along would leave him near collapse.

It took nearly an hour for him to stagger out of the manor with Draco in tow. Descending the stairs had been a particularly interesting form of torture and he'd nearly lost Draco when the boy had tripped halfway down. Once they had gotten past the anti-apparition wards, he let go of Draco's arm and collapsed to his knees again, coughing harshly then almost absently wiping the blood away. Severus barely acknowledged Draco falling to his knees beside him as a sudden realisation washed over him. There was no way in hell that he was going to be able to apparate himself, let alone Draco. That just left the emergency portkey he had always carried with him when he appeared before the Dark Lord. Thankfully Albus had had the foresight to alter its destination after his 'death'. The original destination had been the Headmaster's office, not a place he would like to end up right now. The new destination was the Shrieking Shack; a place deserted enough that no one was likely to notice his arrival but close enough to Hogsmeade to be useful.

He fumbled in his robes until his hand closed around the small bronze disc. He pulled it out and summoned his strength enough to reach for Draco's hand. He placed the disc in the boy's hand then placed his own hand on top before muttering, "Phoenix's Sanctuary."

The familiar pulling feel of the portkey was an agony in the wake of the Cruciatus and by the time he and Draco were deposited in the Shrieking Shack it was all he could do to hang on to consciousness. Draco had not even done that and the boy collapsed against him as soon as they arrived. Severus pushed the boy off him as the extra weight was about to make him collapse as well then he dropped the bronze disc. He slumped down where he was kneeling as he tried to gather some strength together for this last stretch.

He felt himself nearly slip into sleep and drew himself slightly upright, inducing another coughing fit. As he wiped the blood away again, he realised that he didn't have a hop of getting Draco and himself to safety on his own and they didn't dare stay in the Shrieking Shack. But his options were limited. He had no intention of summoning Greyback or any of the pack, that one would just take advantage of their weakened state. Albus was out of the question; he could take the risk of the Headmaster being seen. And even the Headmaster's formidable abilities would not be able to hide everything should someone get truly curious. Aberforth was...a possibility except Severus had no safe way of contacting the man. The pub would be full at this hour of the night and he could not risk sending a message via patronus under those circumstances.

He slumped down again and sighed. Why is it life always seemed to throw these sorts of problems into his lap right when he was least able to deal with them?

Severus straightened himself as best as he was able. He then reluctantly pulled his wand out and raised it, concentrating hard on the message he wished to send and to whom his wished to go then he murmured, "Expecto Patronum."

A silvery phoenix burst out of the end of his wand and flew through the wall of the Shack. He then pointed his wand at Draco and sent the boy into a deeper sleep before tucking it away and slumping down again to wait for the arrival of the help he had asked for.

**************************************************************************

Harry sat in the open window in the dorm and stared out into the night while gently stroking Casimir's feathers. The phoenix had returned earlier with Aberforth's amused thanks for the warning and the approved story of the night's events. Ron had come up shortly after Casimir returned and had climbed into bed after a yawned-interrupted goodnight. But Harry still felt a little too keyed up to sleep. The revelation that the Headmaster was still alive and Snape was not the traitor they had thought was still thrumming through his mind. In many ways he was glad of the training Moody had given him. While it had been difficult to listen to all the tripe that Moody had thrown out it had certainly been effective in helping him to control is often unruly temper. That had definitely come in handy tonight.

His first reaction on seeing both men had been to rage at them for lying to him and for forcing him to go through everything that had happened after Dumbledore's apparent death. But then a quiet thought had poked its way through the anger. Perhaps they had had no choice? It was this single idea that had led to him not hexing anybody but instead throwing himself at the Headmaster like that.

He blushed a bit at the memory. He couldn't remember ever doing that to anyone ever before and was a bit surprised he'd done it now. He knew he'd gone a long way to repairing the relationship between himself and the Headmaster, one that had been damaged after what happened in Fifth Year, but he'd never realised he'd felt that much of a connection to the older man. And Dumbledore's reaction had surprised him. Here he'd been, practically pummelling the older man and instead of pushing him away, Dumbledore had just held him and let him get the anger and distress out of his system.

Held you like a father...or a grandfather. The stray thought almost reverberated through his mind and Harry blinked. Not that he'd had much experience with either but the thought was...right. He'd seen the way Mr Weasley interacted with his sons and the way the Headmaster had held him tonight had had overtones of the same kind of affection.

His ponderings were interrupted by a flash of silver coming towards him and he almost instinctively drew his wand. As the flash of silver got closer, he recognised it as a Patronus of some kind and he lowered his wand. He was rather surprised when the silvery Patronus headed straight toward him and wondered who in the Order needed his help.

As the Patronus flew towards him, he raised an eyebrow as its shape became clear then wondered who in the Order had a phoenix Patronus. That question was answered a moment later when the silvery phoenix flew in the window and hovered in front of him. He gave a start as a voice reverberated through his mind. The voice was unusually hoarse and gravelly but clearly recognisable as Snape's.

"Potter. Come to the Shrieking Shack immediately. Need help. Snape"

As soon as the message finished, the phoenix vanished in a silver flash and Harry stared at where it had been for a moment. Snape was asking for his help? And would a please have killed him? The tone of the man's voice came back to him and he realised that under the hoarseness had been a thread of very real pain. Harry swore quietly as he grabbed his shoes, the Marauder's Map and invisibility cloak and headed towards the door. Snape would have had to report in to Voldemort and obviously the Dark Lord had not been happy with what had happened.

He quietly slipped down to the common room, pausing there to put on his shoes. Then he climbed out of the entrance hole, closing the door behind him and slinging the cloak around his head and shoulders as he headed down the corridor. He opened the Marauder's Map and used it to avoid the teacher's patrols, tucking it back into his pocket after he got out of the castle. He hesitated for a long moment then headed for the Whomping Willow. He raised an eyebrow when he found a long stick lying conveniently close to the tree and mentally vowed to ask Remus about that at some point. He then picked up the stick and used it to prod the small knot that stilled the violent tree. He then rushed forward and climbed down into the passageway, firmly keeping his thoughts away from the last time he was here.

He gave a sigh of relief when he finally climbed up into the Shack then he began a quick search for Snape. Once he'd established that they weren't downstairs, he headed up the rickety staircase and started searching upstairs. He finally found Snape and, to his surprise, Draco in the same room where the confrontation between Sirius, Remus, Peter and he and his friends had occurred.

His first thought when he walked in was that both Slytherins were dead then Snape coughed harshly and he leapt forward when the coughing action seemed likely to tip Snape over. He caught the older man before that could happen and gasped at the sight of the blood on Snape's lips.

"Si...Severus?" he began with open concern as he threw off his cloak.

"Don't be...melodramatic," Snape snarled half-heartedly.

"You're coughing up blood, Severus," Harry said firmly. "I don't think being a bit worried about that is melodramatic. What caused it?"

"Cruciatus," Snape grunted in reply. "Help me up."

Harry did so without comment, suddenly becoming very aware that if Snape was in so much pain that he was willing to not only ask but accept help from Harry Potter then it must be very bad indeed.

"I'm glad Vol...He didn't feel the need to grace me with whatever happened to you and Draco," Harry muttered as he help Snape stand and lean against one wall. "What precisely do you need me to do?"

"Levitate Draco," Snape ordered as he coughed again, this time not even bothering to wipe away the blood. "I shall probably be able to make it back to the Hog's Head on my own but not with Draco in tow."

Harry nodded and picked up his cloak before pulling out his wand and deftly levitating the unconscious Draco. "How long were both of you under that it's this bad?"

"It is not the time but the intensity that has caused the damage," Snape rasped as he fumbled his way out of the room. "The Dark Lord was...most displeased with our failure."

Harry snorted as he guided Draco out of the room. "Of course, the fact that it was seven against two didn't enter his mind at all," Harry muttered sarcastically. "Of course the two of you were supposed to prevail over us all then somehow forcibly drag Nott out from behind the strengthened wards to his fate. The man is an idiot!"

Harry was shocked to hear a raspy chuckle emerge from the Potions Master as they made their way down the stairs.

"You truly do have the courage of your house, don't you, Potter?" Severus said. "Rash courage but courage nonetheless. I truly believe you would actually say that to his face."

"Well, maybe not in quite that way," Harry prevaricated then he grinned. "I might be a bit more insulting."

That raspy chuckle emerged again before disappearing into a bout of coughing. Both Snape and Harry paused until Snape had recovered then they continued on. When they emerged from the Shack, Harry let Snape led them to the Hog's Head using the darkest and most secure route. They had only one minor scare when someone burst out of the back door of the Hog's Head just as they were rounding the corner. Harry reacted fastest; he quickly lowered Draco to the ground then grabbed Snape and dragged him down next to the unconscious Slytherin. He crouched down next to them and swiftly threw the cloak over the top of all three, hoping that nothing too significant was sticking out.

The person leaving proved to be a rather drunk patron who was muttering something about his wife killing him and Harry struggled to swallow the snicker that rose in his throat. The snicker died when he heard Snape choke on another coughing fit, trying desperately to conceal it. He yanked his wand out of his pocket and cast a quick silencing charm over the three of them.

"It's alright. He won't hear us," he said urgently then watched with worry as Snape doubled over and coughed explosively, blood spattering onto the ground.

He turned and waited for the drunkard to lurch away and as soon as the man was out of sight, Harry cancelled the silencing charm and whipped the cloak off, tucking it under his arm. He helped Snape to his feet and levitated Draco again. They then made their way around the corner and slipped in through the half open door.

"Up or down?" Harry asked quietly.

"Up," Snape wheezed as he lurched towards the stair well. Harry almost directed Draco's limp body to follow Snape but at the last minute, he set the spell so that Draco would trail after him. He then started up the stairs after Snape and was ready when the Potions Master missed a step and nearly fell. He leapt up to catch the older man, grunting as most of Snape's weight ended up on him. Being that close, he could now hear Snape's pained breathing.

"Let me help you," Harry said simply. "I can help you and levitate Draco at the same time."

He felt Snape stiffen and hesitate then the dark head nodded once and Harry knew then how badly Snape must be hurting. He waited a moment and when Snape nodded once more they continued up the stairs, Draco's unconscious body floating behind them. Snape had taken some of his own weight back but Harry was still supporting enough to be surprised at how much the older man weighed. Snape always looked so thin even under the voluminous robes and Harry concluded that the man must be all whipcord muscle and bone.

They managed to make it to the room Draco was sharing with Snape without any further problems and Harry helped Snape sit on one of the bed then directed Draco's body over to the other.

"What potions do you need and where are they?" he asked briskly as soon as he ended the levitation spell.

"The box on the dresser," Snape rasped. "Bring it to me."

Harry nodded and quickly brought the box over the Snape. As he watched the older man flicked the box open and extracted a vial containing a sickly yellow potion. He fumbled at the seal on the vial until Harry snatched it away and carefully broke the seal. He then gave it back and Snape downed it in one quick swallow. Harry took the empty vial and Snape plucked a second potion from the box, quickly drinking that as well. Three more potions and the older man was looking more like he normally did.

"Do you need anything else?" Harry asked.

Snape shook his head. "Sleep will cure the rest."

"What about Draco?"

"I can hardly treat him with you in the room," Snape replied irritably.

"I know that," Harry said dryly. "But is he...what happened to him? Cruciatus?"

Snape nodded. "I doubt the spell was held on him long enough to cause any permanent damage but the Dark Lord was angry enough that the intensity was surely more than he has ever dealt with before." He paused before saying hesitantly, "Thank you for your assistance. I apologise that I had to disturb you."

Harry waved that off. "That's alright. I was still awake. Just out of curiosity, why didn't you call Aberforth? The Headmaster I can understand, he needs to stay hidden, but Aberforth..."

"Listen," Snape interrupted and Harry cocked his head to one side and did as he had been asked.

He frowned for a moment, wondering what he was supposed to be listening for then the sounds of the pub below came to his ears.

"Oh," Harry said in understanding. "I guess it would have looked a little odd for Aberforth to receive that kind of message down there." He paused and gave the Potions Master a look of amused curiosity. "A phoenix, sir? Not quite what I expected."

"The Headmaster," was all Snape said in reply and Harry nodded in understanding. He knew from Tonks' example that other people could have an enormous effect on what your Patronus was. And Dumbledore had been friend, mentor, confidant, teacher and protector to Snape for more years that Harry cared to count.

Harry handed the empty vials back to Snape. "I should go. You need to look after Draco."

"I didn't know you cared," Snape said with some of his usual sarcasm.

"I don't, really," Harry said bluntly. "But even that great prat probably shouldn't suffer for his own stupidity." He paused. "Do you think what happened tonight could change his mind about Vol...er, the Dark Lord?"

Snape tucked the empty vials back into the box and grimaced. "I would like to be able to say yes but I fear he will simply shift the blame for his failure to you and the others."

Harry snorted. "Why doesn't that surprise me?" He shook out his cloak and swung it around his shoulders. "Was there anything I needed to know about tonight? While I'm here."

"I am to tell Greyback that he and his pack are to step up their actions and that they are to concentrate in particular on the students when they are outside the castle," Severus reported. "You might want to warn Hagrid about that. His classes will be the most vulnerable. Warn Sprout and Hooch as well."

Harry nodded soberly. "What about you and Draco?"

"We are to step up our attempts to lure you or one of the Orders members out of the castle," Snape replied.

Harry frowned. "Why does he want you to do that?"

"Capture," Snape replied succinctly. "Either to bring you to the Dark Lord or to use as bait to draw you out."

"Wonderful," Harry said sourly. "That's what I was afraid of. And I can't ask you to be subtly inept if this is the kind of punishment you're going to get." He sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "Alright. I'll warn everyone to be extra careful and to not go to Hogsmeade alone. How far does he want you to push that?"

"Pardon?"

"Is it just one of the Order members he's willing to use as bait? Is it my friends? Or is it anyone?" Harry asked, a sick expression on his face.

Snape saw that expression and recognised it for what it meant. They could kidnap just about anyone and Harry would risk his life to rescue them.

"Merlin save me from idiotic Gryffindors," he muttered irritably. "Potter, you are not responsible for the safety of the entire known universe. Tell Minerva about the threat in whatever way you can. She will know what kind of security measures to put in place. You might even suggest cancelling Hogsmeade visits after I engineer a few sightings of Draco and myself."

Harry nodded with a look of relief on his face. "Yeah, okay, that's sounds like a good idea. Thank you."

Snape gave him a look of exasperation and chagrin. "Potter...Harry..." He sighed. "Nevermind."

Harry smiled weakly. "You were going to tell me that I may have to sacrifice one of my friends or one of the Order. That this is war and if that is what is needed in order to win then that is what has to be done. I know, Severus. Moody's already brought this up. I don't like it. I don't want to do it. And we're still talking about it."

"Listen to Moody," Snape said flatly. "Now get out of here."

A grin flashed across Harry's face as he flipped the cloak over his head. A moment later the door opened and closed seemingly by itself. Severus stared at the closed door for a long moment and came to the reluctant conclusion that perhaps Potter wasn't quite as stupid as his father. He then shook his head to dismiss that thought and pushed himself to his feet. He needed to make sure Draco came out of this alive and then he needed to sleep.