The Seers' Truth: A Broken Beginning

Chapter 13

Covert Capers

Later that evening, when Ginny and Samara were fast asleep, Harry and Ron donned the Invisibility Cloak in Gryffindor common room and with Hermione's admonitions to 'be careful' they were off.

"Sure you don't want to come with us?" Harry urged, holding up an edge of the cloak. "There's room."

"I'm a Prefect now," Hermione said, as if that answered that.

"Which is why you should just look for the books yourself. You have the access to the Restricted Section," complained Ron.

"I told you, I still have to explain to Madam Pince why I need the book and this early in the year, I doubt if she would believe me."

"So come with us," urged Harry. "Just for old time's sake."

There was a sound on the stair, as if someone was coming back into the common room at this late hour. "Go," Hermione hissed. "Someone's coming."

Harry and Ron made it to the library without incident. They even entered the Restricted Section without encountering any difficulty. They laid the invisibility cloak aside and started to go through the 18 books devoted to Salazar Slytherin. First was: Friends and Enemies. Harry flipped it open, thinking to turn to the index, but the book had other ideas.

First, he was startled to note that it hissed a welcome to him. "Did you hear that?" He asked Ron, but Ron was engrossed in another book and didn't hear him. When he looked back at the book, it was open to a picture and Harry found himself instantly riveted. He knew that picture. It was a variation of the Cruciatus Curse. Images danced like flames on the edges of Harry's memory. He knew he could choose--choose to understand the spell or to experience the part of the victim. He felt nothing physically--yet--but some part of him was with Voldemort on that fateful day, when he felt his life's blood boiling and his bones burning--when Voldemort had laid the Cruciatus Curse on him. Harry yanked himself away from the thought.

Immediately, he could read the title on the page, and then the directions for mentally controlling the curse. He turned the page. "Removing the skin of an enemy can be prolonged indefinitely. Unlike physical torture which must end at the victim's death . . . When done correctly, the Cruciatus Curse does not allow the luxury of death."

Sickened, Harry forced himself to turn the page, but the next picture was worse, and the next...fire...crushing...knives...suffocation...He pulled himself back from it, trying to suck a clean breath of air into his starved lungs.

Ron tapped Harry on the shoulder and he jumped. "I think I've found something," Ron said. When he saw the blank expression on Harry's face, he frowned. "Are you Ok?" he asked.

Harry slammed the book shut. "Thank you," he breathed. "That one should have a chain around it."

The sound of a door opening and footsteps echoing across the library floor froze the boys in the act of opening the second book.

"Cloak," whispered Harry, as he rearranged the cloak around both boys and the book that Ron had found.

"Oh, Gawd, It's Snape!" whispered Ron, and Snape was heading straight for the Restricted Section. His ground covering stride bringing him ever closer by the second.

Harry and Ron backed against the wall and willed themselves to shrink. Snape leaned so close they could hear him breathing. Surely he could hear them too, thought Harry, but no. He was holding his breath and the breathing and moaning of various books drowned out any miniscule sounds they may be making. Harry longed to shift away from Snape, but was afraid of making a noise. Snape was looking right over their shoulder at the very books they had looked at earlier. Then Snape reached forward and ran his finger over them as if looking for a particular book that he could not find.

After an eternity, he moved several steps away and pulled a book from the shelf. He seemed to know exactly where that book was, and didn't have to search for it. The book was small, only about half the size of their potions book, but it was chained shut and seemed to be crying. Snape did not attempt to take off the chains. Instead he raised the book to his lips and kissed it. Then he brought it, still chained, back to the desk. He laid it on the table just inches from them.

Why hadn't they moved away from the table while they had the chance!

With his wand in his right hand and trained on the book, Snape pushed up his left sleeve and lay his bare arm over the book. With a low moan, the chains dissolved and the book opened of its own accord. Once it had opened, Snape seemed to relax. He pulled out a chair, nearly bumping into the hidden boys, and sat at the table. For a few minutes, he leafed through the book as if looking for a certain page. With some trepidation, Harry leaned over his shoulder. Harry felt Ron, silently trying to pull him away from Snape, but he couldn't go far and stay under the invisibility cloak.

Both boys jumped as they heard the door again open. "Severus, I don't see why we didn't meet at the dungeon, or my office--" said a voice that Harry could not mistake. Dumbledore.

"Compingere," said Snape, and the book slammed shut, chained itself and hastened back to its shelf.

Harry and Ron ducked to keep from being hit by the volume, but apparently it knew they were there. It had taken a round about route back to the shelf to avoid hitting the invisible boys, and Snape was frowning in their direction. In horror, Harry shrank against the far wall. He expected Snape to reach out and find them, but he didn't move.

"What was so urgent?" asked Dumbledore as he entered the Restricted Section.

"The Ministry's been compromised," said Snape.

"What! How do you know?"

"Because," said Snape simply, "I delivered Cornelius Fudge to Voldemort."

"You what!"

Harry felt Ron crumple beside him and he sank to the floor to be able to keep his friend covered with the invisibility cloak.

"Ron, get up," hissed Harry in a barely audible voice.

"Dad," squeaked Ron, "And Percy."

"I had no choice," said Snape.

"Ah, Severus, have I not told you, there are always choices."

"Then let me just say that giving up Fudge was the best choice I had," said Snape, pacing away from the boys toward Dumbledore.

Immediately, Harry moved closer to the book that Snape had so quickly banished when Dumbledore entered.

"What are you doing?" muttered Ron from between clenched teeth.

Harry didn't answer, he just studied the book. It was dark green with silver lettering and silver chains. He recognized the name from somewhere: "MorsMordre". Maybe it would be important. Why had Snape been so anxious to keep Dumbledore from knowing that he was reading it?

"Was it very bad?" whispered Dumbledore, taking Snape in his arms as if he were a small child.

Surprisingly, Snape stayed there with his head on Dumbledore's shoulder for what seemed like an impossibly long period of time. This was Snape, not some wounded school child that Dumbledore was holding!

After a single, ragged breath that did not sound like it could be issuing from Snape, their teacher again moved, this time pacing away from Dumbledore. "I don't know how much longer I can be useful to you Albus," Snape said. "I'm sure he knows: he enjoys toying with me."

Dumbledore rubbed one arm and then the other in a gesture that Harry recognized, but he was distracted as Snape paced towards them.

Ron and Harry backed up and wriggled themselves between two bookshelves. Immediately, he felt the hot breath of one of the books. It began gnawing on his cloak. Why couldn't Snape stand still!

"I've saved that little Dunderhead of yours too many times. Voldemort wants proof of my fidelity to the cause."

"What does he want?"

"You."

Dumbledore sucked in his breath. "We knew it would come to this. If that will convince him..."

"NO!" Snape had never looked more dangerous. "You are needed here. I-Am-Not."

Harry tried to pull his cloak away from the book. It growled at him.

"That's not true, Severus." There was a long pause, as if Dumbledore was thinking of a way to tell Snape something. "We know ..."

"Shut up!" Snape growled. "Do not tell me what you know. I will betray you."

"I trust you, Severus."

"You always were a fool, Albus," said Snape.

Dumbledore chuckled softly and Harry could not imagine what Dumbledore found funny about this entire conversation. Harry was horrified. How could Dumbledore trust this man? Harry again tried to shift away from the book that was chewing on his cloak, but it growled even louder. How could they not hear it?

"So, you gave him Fudge," continued Dumbledore blandly.

"Yes," said Snape. "But Fudge was already his--or nearly his. I had suspected for a while that his loyalties were divided. Ever since I showed him my Dark Mark after the Tri-Wizard Tournament . . ."

"I remember," said Dumbledore. "Then Voldemort is not convinced--"

"No."

Dumbledore sat down at the table, and put his head in his hands. "How can we convince him of your loyalty?"

"We can't," said Snape. "Short of delivering you, or perhaps Harry Potter..."

"I will not sacrifice children!"

Harry gripped Ron's arm tightly.

"Especially not Gryffindor children," muttered Snape. "It's alright for Slytherin children, though, isn't it," said Snape, his voice growing in volume and anger. "Regardless of how little protection they have."

"Their parents make that choice, Severus, not me. I know some of the children in your house have had--difficulty. . ."

"A euphemism, if I've ever heard one," spat Snape. "You claim Hogwarts is safe, but no where is safe for my Slytherins."

"But I do not hand those them over to the Dark Lord," continued Dumbledore. "I wish I could stop it, but I cannot go against their parents' choices. Neither can you, Severus, even though you wish you could."

"And yet, Potter, who has the protection of his mother . . ."

"We've had this conversation before, Severus. I am not convinced that Potter is still protected. I believe..."

R--I--P--! Harry felt the material of the Invisibility cloak finally give way as the book tore a bite out of it.

Uncertainty of how the breach would affect the spell on the cloak was immediately apparent as they simply became visible. Luckily, they were still between the two bookcases.

"Repairo," whispered Harry frantically as he pointed his wand at the gaping hole in the cloak. Nothing happened.

Ron pointed his wand at the book which was munching happily on a piece of the misty cloth. "Stupify!" With a screech, the book became still. The cloth was clenched between its pages.

Harry yanked it loose, causing the book to fall to the floor with a clatter. It lay open and screaming--In that instant, Harry realized knew that book--it had revealed his presence before--first year. The Stupify spell did not last very long. Neither Harry nor Ron could come out of their hiding place to pick it up.

Instead, Harry jammed the chewed remnant into the hole in his cloak and whispered "Repairo." Mercifully, the cloak covered them again with blessed invisibility.

Snape stalked over and picked up the screaming book. Running his long, spidery finger along its spine, he silenced it, and placed it on the shelf just above Harry's head. Once again, they found themselves staring into the dark fathomless eyes of Severus Snape.

"I believe that the best way to pacify Voldemort is to give him Harry Potter," he whispered viciously. "After all, it is not like that meeting can be avoided, and the new child is the one that must be protected now, Harry Potter has fulfilled his part in the prophecy, hasn't he?" Snape spun around and faced Dumbledore once again, not waiting for an answer. "I know you don't agree--but as a last resort--"

"A last resort," repeated Dumbledore miserably. "I suppose you are right, but only as a very last resort, Severus. We have several ideas about the identity of the prophetic child.

"I told you. I don't want to know," said Snape.

"Very well. Is there anything else you wanted to discuss, Severus?"

"Yes." Snape turned away and Harry could breathe again. "There was a book: The Legacy of Learning, by the Founders Four. It has the original Sorting Hat spell in it. It should be helpful. Apparently, you already have it. It is not on the shelf."

"Maybe Minerva checked it out," said Dumbledore. "I didn't."

Ron tugged on Harry's arm and held up the book which he still had: The Legacy of Learning.

Snape nodded and they searched the shelves together one more time.

"One other thing, Albus. Do not talk to me about any of this in the dungeon. The walls have ears."

"They are children--" began Dumbledore.

"No, they are not. They are Slytherins--all of them--and some of them are Death Eaters."

"You can't be sure."

"Of course I can. I checked arms the first night."

"You didn't."

"I did." Severus sat and steepled his fingers. "I have to sleep with them and so do the other students. Of course, several of them itched to curse me even more than usual for putting a serious damper on their Secret First Night Party."

"Secret?" Dumbledore questioned.

"Just typical child's play. It gives them pleasure to think that they've accomplished the task in secrecy." Snape smiled and for a moment looked unlike his usual forbidding self. His eyes almost twinkled, and then the moment was gone, making Harry wonder if he ever saw it at all. "Imagine if child's curses were the only curses we had to worry about, Albus."

"We are still a school, Severus. We are teaching children, not building an army." Dumbledore sighed. "At least you know who to trust now."

"Hardly."

Dumbledore paused as if weighing whether to ask Snape about the results of the arm check or not. Apparently he decided it was worth it. "Valeriana's?" He asked simply. Harry assumed that this was someone they both knew, who had a child currently in Slytherin.

"Need you ask?" Snape shook his head sadly. "And so like Valeriana, it's scary. A lot of bravado, but that's typical. Hate for Draco, which is not typical. I still don't believe that the understanding of the Dark Mark is there, though Albus, for most of these kids. Hell, there are days I don't understand the Dark Mark myself. It changes. Grows with him. How can my children understand the gravity of what they have done. They have no idea."

"Any hope whatsoever?" Dumbledore questioned.

"I had hoped, when some of them didn't come to Hogwarts earlier, that they were still safe. Some aren't exactly in the fold yet though. They just have cool tattoos. Like Draco."

"That's the one that still bothers you, isn't it my friend."

"I can't help it, I was so close Albus. I really thought I could turn him around."

"It's his father," said Dumbledore. "You can't expect Draco to turn his back on his family."

"I think I could have handled Lucius," said Snape. "It was Naricissa who--" Snape shuddered. "That woman is pure evil."

"More than her sister Laurel? Or Valeriana? "

"No. Valeriana is worse," said Snape. "At least Laurel is dead, and their Dark power is lessened by her absence."

"And Valeriana is in Azkaban," said Dumbledore. "You worry too much, Severus. It solves nothing."

Snape shook his head sadly. "That is where you are wrong, Albus. You are too trusting. This is war. Just because it has come to my house first doesn't mean that it won't come to the other houses. Be more cautious, my friend. You will let the villain in the front door."

"No, just in the floo," whispered Ron.

Harry hushed him

"Not with you standing by to check arms," said Dumbledore as they walked toward the door of the Restricted Section.

Snape shook his head. "It doesn't matter," he said. "There is no way to be sure. Half of those with the Dark Mark were forced by their parents to get it. Half of those without it are Death Eater wannabes. I place nightly wards around half of the beds to keep the students in them and round the other half to keep anyone else from attacking the sleeper. You should suggest the same to the other Heads of House. Slytherin is already a house at war, but the rest will follow...I've forgotten something."

Snape left Dumbledore outside of the Restricted Section and walked quickly back to the book he was reading earlier. He pulled it from the shelf, kissed it and placed it, still chained, in his pocket.

"What can I do to help you, Severus?" asked Dumbledore.

"Kill Voldemort."

"In the meantime," said Dumbledore, "perhaps a nice cup of tea with some of your sleeping potion--"

"HA!"

"Well, then at least a long hot shower--"

"And wash your slimy hair," said Ron, getting a little braver now that they were nearly at the front door to the library.

"Albus, you know, especially now, I abhor the vulnerability--that would hardly be relaxing--"

"Then take your wand in the shower with you," interrupted Dumbledore.

"I do--"

"Severus, there must be someplace you feel safe enough to relax for a little while. Place the wards around--"

CLICK.

The closed door of the library plunged Ron and Harry into sudden silence, except for the low moaning of the restricted books.

"Oh Gawd!" Ron sank to the floor and squeaked, "I can't believe THAT SNAKE gave Fudge to Voldemort! Everyone who sided with the Ministry is just shot to hell. I have to owl Dad. And Percy, and he probably won't believe me anyway. And Dumbledore still trusts Snape--"

Ron was rambling almost as badly as he did in the Forbidden Forest when they were pursued by the Acromantulas.

Absently, Harry put his hand on his friend's shoulder. All that he could remember at the moment about the conversation was Snape saying: "The best way to pacify Voldemort is to give him Harry Potter." And Dumbledore's answer was not what Harry expected. He did not refuse. He said: "As a last resort."

Harry took a deep breath and rubbed his scar. He didn't need anyone to tell him that he had lost his mother's protection. He felt it with every throb of his head. Deep inside of himself, he knew it, but he had counted on Dumbledore's protection. Suddenly, he felt very, very alone and vulnerable. With shaking hands he took the book, The Legacy of Learning from Ron and opened it on the desk.

"We need to copy this," he said firmly. "McGonagall or Dumbledore will be back for it tomorrow. We can't take it with us. Get a quill and some parchment from the main circulation desk. I didn't bring any."

Ron hesitated only a moment and then he hurried to get the parchment. When he returned, Harry had already found the page they needed. "I wish Hermione were here," said Ron. "She could probably just memorize it."

The boys sat together at the desk and frantically searched through the spells used to give the Sorting Hat its brains. Then, they copied the set of spells which seemed to be the gifts that each of the founders left in the hat.

"What do you suppose this footnote is?" asked Ron. "It says it's translated from another book."

"Maybe it's Old Magic," said Harry, without looking up. "Write down the reference. Ah, here it is."

"What?" asked Ron.

"The sealing spells: the ones that Samara was talking about yesterday. These should have made the Hat tamperproof. At a glance, I don't see anything wrong with them."

"Right Harry. A thousand years and no one saw anything wrong with them, but you're going to find what's wrong with them just by rushing through the spells by wand light."

"OK. I'm going to copy these too. I'm almost done," said Harry. "I'll help you."

In a few minutes, Ron moved closer to Harry and they both wrote, at last coming together and realizing that they were done. "Put the book back on the shelf," said Ron, but Harry shook his head. He laid it on the floor below the shelf where it was supposed to be and left part of the cover to stick out from under the bookcase.

"Madame Pince will have a fit," said Ron.

Harry grinned as he pulled the Invisibility Cloak around his shoulders. "Good thing she won't know who left it there. Let's go."

Ron sidled close to Harry and slipped under the cloak. They were both so shaken by what they had seen in the library that neither thought to consult the Mauraders' Map before they left.

==++==

They were almost back to Gryffindor Tower when they spotted Peeves putting marbles under the carpet so that people would trip. "Turn around," whispered Harry.

"Who's there?" demanded Peeves, immediately streaking toward them. Both Ron and Harry ducked to keep Peeves from flying through them. "I know you're there," he said. "You can't fool me. I should call Filch tell him students are out of bed."

Well, it worked once, thought Harry as he took a deep breath, and lowered his voice to a man's gravelly baritone. It was not as difficult as it had been before his voice changed. "Peeves!" Harry growled. "The Baron has reasons for being in this corridor."

"Reasons that have nothing to do with me," shrieked Peeves, darting down the hall away from them. He spun around and shouted back. "I never liked that lying little snitch when he was here, and bloody hell will freeze over before I help him now, so don't ask me again. I've heard nothing." He stuck his fingers in his ears. "I won't listen. I won't." He began singing at the top of his lungs--if he had lungs--"La. La. La." The song could be heard echoing down the hall. It was getting ruder and ruder as he went away from them.

"That was weird," whispered Ron.

"At least we got rid of him."

"Unicorn horn," said Harry as they got the portrait of the Fat Lady.

Hermione was sitting in the common room with a large Arithmancy book on her lap. "Well?" she asked, "I heard Peeves--"

"The whole castle heard Peeves," said Harry.

"I still don't know why you didn't just get it out for us," said Ron disgustedly. "We almost got caught by Snape and Dumbledore. Then a book tried to eat Harry. And Peeves--well Peeves was very strange tonight."

"But we got what we needed, I think" said Harry pulling the crumpled parchment from his pocket.

"Who can read this?" asked Hermione as she looked at the scrawled handwriting.

"Didn't know penmanship counted," snapped Ron.

"What's with him?" Hermione whispered to Harry.

"He's worried." Harry told her about the conversation they overheard Snape and Dumbledore having.

"So what is Dumbledore going to do about the Ministry?" Hermione asked in an appalled whisper.

"We weren't exactly in a position to ask," said Ron. "I need to write a note to Dad and Percy." He turned and headed up the stairs to the boy's dorm.

"There's something else we have to worry about," said Hermione. "A few minutes ago, Edward left Gryffindor Tower. He probably saw that you weren't in bed."

"Why didn't you send him back to bed?"

"He slipped by me. He seemed to be in a hurry, and I couldn't report him with you still out. I'd have McGonagall down here checking beds."

"Maybe he was just nicking food," said Harry. "Ron said he and Ginny were down in the kitchen last night with the twins." Harry yawned an enormous yawn. "It's probably nothing. Don't get all perfect on us just because you're a Prefect. See you in the morning, Hermione."

Once upstairs in his room, Harry tried to read the crumpled parchment by the light of his wand, but it was impossible. He had almost given up when he heard footsteps on the stairs. "Nox," he whispered automatically, but it was only Edward coming into the room. Edward put the last bite of a cookie into his mouth, slipped out of his robe and went into the bathroom. Even though no one was awake, Harry heard several privacy spells click onto the door. A moment later he was back in the room and climbing into bed.

Well that was that mystery solved. Harry just hoped that Edward didn't plan on taking Ginny with him on these midnight strolls every night. Eventually Hermione would have to turn them in, and they would lose house points.

==++==

That night, Harry dreamed he was in the Chamber of Secrets but, this time he was too late to save Ginny. He held her limp, lifeless body in his arms, and Tom was laughing and holding his wand. Harry knew that he should never have lost his wand.

He could hear Snape saying, "You little Dunderhead, how could you lose your wand? I should have given you to Voldemort long ago. Too many people have died to protect your stupid ass: your parents, Ginny, Cedric Diggory--" Then Harry was growing asses ears again. "How many more must die because you were too weak and allowed Voldemort to take your blood."

When Harry looked down again at the body in his arms, it wasn't Ginny; it was Samara, and she was clutching the book: Current Achievements in Modern Dark Magic to her chest. Harry awoke shaking, with his arms wrapped around his pillow, and a strong urge to hold Ginny in his arms--the living, breathing Ginny.

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