Cover

COVER

Part one of two

They'd made it a habit. Most of the times when he returned from his Death Eater meetings, McGonagall - picked him up. They just walked back to Hogwarts together and sometimes they even smalltalked. Five or six sentences couldn't be called a proper conversation, but he appreciated it. They never talked about spying or personal things, but teaching and students were considered safe subjects. It was kind of ... soothing. Not that he'd admit it.

Tonight he was early.

After a rather uneventful evening consisting of strategy hearings and unsuccessful glaring-contests with Voldemort's snake - unsuccessful for the snake of course - Voldemort had sent him to deliver a letter to one high-ranking Death Eater in the Ministry of Magic. Big deal. Voldemort had been planning raids on the Ministry's staff for weeks, and now he'd finally made his first move to get it started. He'd also made it abundantly clear that Severus was not to be delayed for this appointment and that he had to return immediately afterwards.

But if the raids should start tonight, he had to inform Dumbledore as fast as possible, in fact before he met his contact. So he'd decided to take the risk of Apparating to Hogsmeade first and assigning McGonagall to get the intelligence to Dumbledore. And what a useful spy he was, Severus thought bitterly. He hadn't even managed to open the letter. But then again, it was about time that Voldemort had become more careful about protecting his informations, really.

"Minerva, are you here?" he called the instant he appeared.

No answer. He quickly scanned the place for signs of cat. "McGonagall!" he hissed. Damn! When the woman was needed for once! Very well then. He would summon Edgar, his owl, and write a note. He conjured parchment and a quill and started writing and ... he'd missed something, something important. Something he just saw. God, he hated this. Ever since this whole double-agent mess started again he'd so easily failed to concentrate. He'd never had to deal with this lack of mentality before - forgetting things, dozing off during staff meetings, losing track halfway through his sarcastic remarks and thinking slowly.

He looked around once more, searching for what he thought he'd missed. It was behind a bush, a little out of sight but clearly recognisable. How could he possibly have overlooked this! There was blood on the snow - and fur.

He stared at it for lack of doing anything else. So McGonagall had been here after all. He tried to concentrate again and felt his heart pounding much too fast, which didn't help him focus. He did notice the footprints though. Two of them, leading away from the town and into the Forbidden Forest.

Without thinking twice he started running and stopped dead in his tracks immediately afterwards. He couldn't go after her. He had to get this letter to London before Voldemort found out about – well, pretty much everything. Edgar could take that note to Hogwarts and they would search for McGonagall. He couldn't risk his cover for anyone. There was no time. He couldn't ... let anything happen to her.

He started running again. He had to find a way to cover it up later.

So Severus forced his way through the snow, holding on tight to the letter in his pale hand.

***

Minerva finished her last cup of coffee for today. She was almost a bit late, but Snape was never on time either, at least not on those special occasions. So she took her time to clean up the dish and store away her papers, smiling contentedly to herself. Today Longbottom had had another breakthrough in Transfiguration. She decided that this would be the perfect subject to tease Snape with later. Her smile went mischievous, imagining the look on his face and his presumably sneering voice. Ten points for Gryffindor!

Five minutes later a tabby cat left Hogwarts and paced through the cold snow down to Hogsmeade. She hadn't told a soul about her nightly meetings with the Head of Slytherin House, and she intended to keep it that way. Not that she, in any way, could comprehend what it must be like to spy on Voldemort, but she'd never had a secret affairbefore. It was something out of her usual behaviour. It was exciting. Of course, some part of her was always concerned, but she stubbornly tried to ignore it.

She slowed down, not keen on giving the impression of being overexcited or –

She froze. Her cat-nose had caught the smell of fresh blood. She focused on the scent, following it carefully in the direction of their meeting point. She tried to calm down, but every time she'd waited for Snape she'd been scared that something like this would happen - that he would come back wounded, or wouldn't come back at all. No. She stopped herself from following that thought any further.

When she got there, the scenery wasn't what she'd feared. The blood wasn't his and her heartbeat slowed down a bit. It smelled like animal's blood and there was fur and two pairs of small footprints and obviously Snape had been following the trail. She frowned. But why? What was he thinking? She looked at the footprints again. Good Lord, he couldn't have possibly thought that they were hers? She shook her head in disbelief. Alright, the Forbidden Forest it was then. At least he wasn't injured, and with his prints as clear as this in the snow, she shouldn't have a hard time catching up with him.

***

He was cold. And wet. And the tree was very high. He really didn't want to climb it, so he tried shouting first.

"McGonagall! Are you up there?" He listened carefully, but all he could hear were his teeth chattering.

"I'm in a hurry here, so why don't you just jump and I'll catch?" Damn, this was useless. But something had been climbing up this tree. Scratches were all over the trunk and the trail didn't go any further. So ...

"Minerva?"

Finally a lengthy snarl answered him. Not the sound he'd expected from a kitty, but it was McGonagall after all.

"Oh, come down here! Cats are afraid of heights, aren't they?" That probably would be dogs, but who could tell anyway.

He held out his arms and - was distracted when something rubbed up against his leg. He looked down. A little scruffy fox looked back and started to tear on his robe, apparently in an attempt to get his attention. It was stained with blood and looked very ... indignant. He knew that kind of expression. The fox also had an oversized bushy tail and its fur looked slightly curly. Oh, no. There was no way she could be ...

Severus switched into teacher mode with amazing speed, not the least interested in holding back his anger.

"GRANGER! What are you doing here?" he thundered. It would have been most intimidating, if his arms hadn't been still up in the air.

"You are expelled! And don't try to tell me you failed to notice that you're out of school, past curfew - in the Forbidden Forest! I bet this is no part of your animagus training. Are you trying to get yourself killed, stupid girl? If so - I'd love to be of assistance. You, of all students, should have enough brains to ... STOP CHEWING ON ME!"

Hermione winced.

"WHAT is it?" He looked up. Something came down. He grabbed the fox and drew his wand in one swift movement and managed to step out of the way in time.

In a split second some part of his brain filed it as a prowler. A creature with the ability to take on the size of its respective victim. It was fast and deadly and had now the size of one Professor Snape - and it landed too close for him to get a clear shot. It swung one arm to attack and Severus quickly turned away, covering the fox.

The claws ripped through his clothes and flesh all the way down his back, but he barely felt it. He closed his eyes. "LUMOS SOLARIS!" He jumped out of reach and then turned around to end the spell from a safe distance. The prowler was blinded but raged on furiously, swinging its arms. Severus was about to cast a stunning spell when the creature jumped. The curse hit it in mid-air, but the prowler wasn't impressed. It crashed into Severus full force, sending him to the ground and sliding through the snow until a tree stopped him. Granger howled - a high-pitched frightened sound - and he felt her claws piercing his arm. He acted on instict. "AVADA KEDAVRA!"

The prowler was dead before it hit the ground.

It took him almost a minute before he could stagger back to his feet. He didn't give the creature a second glance, trying to ignore the fact that he'd just cast an Unforgivable. He released the fox from his tight and probably painful grip and quickly inspected Granger's wounds. They were all minor cuts. She'd been too lucky in his opinion. She gave him an accusing look, as if she could read his thoughts.

"Granger. Turn back this instant," he said coolly and Granger wailed.

"She can't," came a voice from behind him.

He jerked around, taken by surprise.

"Severus. What in the Heaven's name happened here?" McGonagall seemed totally fluttered. She stared at the dead prowler and then back at him. Under different circumstances her disbelieving face would have amused him.

He picked up the fox again and walked over to her. "If she were in my house ... " he said dryly, handing over the fox. But he coudn't finish his sentiment. He only had time to think that the wound on his back couldn't be deep enough to make him faint - before he did.

***

Severus sat up and saw Granger sitting on a log. She had been transfigured back and looked miserable beyond anything. That almost made his day.

"How long - exactly - was I out?"

"I don't know exactly," Minerva snapped. She was in an awfully bad mood, deeply disappointed in Hermione, and Snape was injured after all. Not to mention the dead creature they would have to explain.

"I think you've been out for about fourty-five minutes. You lost quite a lot of blood and I thought it better to let you rest a while before we - " she was cut off by Snape going dead pale. "Severus, are you alright?"

"I have to go," he croaked.

"Go? Go where? For what?"

He suddenly broke out in frantic activity. He conjured a new robe and did a cleaning spell to get rid of the blood. Then he cast a really powerful healing charm she'd only heard of until now. She tightened her lips. More Dark Magic in front of a student.

"Take Miss Granger back," he ordered curtly, looking around in confusion. "How far from Hogsmeade are we? Does this belong to Hogwarts ground?"

Minerva was baffled. "You should know that better than I ... and I'm not going anywhere until you tell me - "

"Stop that. We had this kind of discussion once and it's not going to be repeated. You will - " He stopped himself. Something had just slipped his mind again. Or better his hand. His mouth went dry.

"Where's the letter?"

"What letter?"

"The letter from, you know ... the one I was supposed to ... "

Severus covered his face with his hands. He had to calm down and clear his head. He'd had the letter in his hand when he came here. When did he ... of course. Holding a fox in one hand and his wand in the other didn't leave much place for anything else, did it? He straightened up and started searching. "LUMOS!"

Minerva wasn't a slow thinker and seeing Snape on the edge of, well - snapping, gave her some good clues. "Miss Granger," she said slowly. "We'd better help Professor Snape find his letter."

It took them what seemed like years to find it. And it was due to Granger's suggestion to look under the prowler that they finally did.

Minerva picked the letter up and gazed at the insignia. "Tell me this isn't what I think it is."

He snatched it out of her hands. "It is. And I have to deliver it. So, don't be in my way!"

"But ... aren't you too late for that already?" she stammered, losing her stern composure. "He will know! You can't go back!"

Severus tried to ignore her. And he tried to ignore that he was scared. He started drifting away from McGonagall's ongoing tantrum when she suddenly seized him firmly by his shoulders.

"Are you listening to me?"

"Yes! But I can't stay. I can't blow my cover like this. I ... just can't. "

"You'll be killed! Is that what you -"

"NO," he cried out, grabbing her wrists. "GET OFF ME!" He pushed her back - hard. She crashed against the tree and Severus could see her cringe.

"What are you doing?" Hermione yelled. "Get away from her!"

"It's all right Miss Granger." Minerva steadied her voice. "Just stay back."

"But - "

"Do as I SAY!" Pain made her gasp. She looked blankly at Snape who hadn't moved an inch, and she noticed the strange expression on his face.

"Minerva ... "

"Please. Don't go. You don't have to do this."

He didn't want to. He wanted to go home. But that would be easy. And easy just couldn't be right. Not for him anyway. He cleared his throat. "Miss Granger, will you please enlighten us with your wisdom. Seems as if we've run out of clear thinking. Where - "

"You have to go ... about half a mile back in the direction you came from. Then you'll be outside of Hogwarts ground." She glared at him. "It should take you about five minutes to get there, and ten more to reach Hogsmeade - if you run."

end of part one