Headmaster's office, Hogwarts
"Tell me, Albus. Have you planned your death yet?"
Albus smiled grimly. "Are you so eager for me to die?"
Augustus waved a hand from side to side. "No. But I would like to be able to plan ahead. Especially since you have decided that I will be taking over for you"
"There is no-"
"Yes, yes. There's nobody else suitable. I know. Should I be planning to be the Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher next year as well?"
"Perhaps," Albus said, stroking at his beard. "Doubtless, if I survive this year, it will be at some point next year. Nevertheless, perhaps it would be good to show that the curse on the position has been broken"
Augustus lifted an eyebrow. "If you survive this year?"
"Ideally, I will only have Severus do it when I am anyway near death. But there are always assassination plots against me. And if I am in a position where death is certain, Severus will do it. At least my death will gain us something"
Augustus gave a noncommittal grunt.
"What news from the spy?" He asked
"He says that Voldemort is targeting the leaders of the foreign militias. And that he's making moves to bring giants in"
"Giants. Tricky, those. Of course, a Killing Curse works. If you hit them in the right spot"
Albus nodded. Facing giants was not something he, or indeed, anyone, was looking forward to.
' If only Hagrid had been more successful'
"I have decided," Albus said, "that at the end of this school year, you may use Veritaserum to test those Slytherin students who will be returning next year"
Augustus brightened up at that. "Oh?" He asked, "what made you see reason?"
"Simply your words. Death Eaters within Hogwarts could do far too much damage, and sometimes" he sighed, "we must do things that we find despicable"
"You know that Veritaserum is not foolproof. How can we-"
"It should be enough. They are children. The chances of them having developed strong enough Occlumency to ignore it are minuscule, as are the chances of them having access to the antidote"
Augustus nodded slowly. "If you are sure, then it will have to be enough"
"How desperate we must be," Albus said, "for measures such as this to be seen as merely enough"
"What's with Potter?" Augustus asked, ignoring Albus' ethical musings entirely.
"He will be returning home for the break"
"I don't like that boy" Augustus grumbled.
"So you keep saying. Unfortunately for you, we need him"
"What we need, is him dead. Unless you truly ascribe power to the prophecy, in which case-"
"Should I not? Voldemort will, and-"
"So you say. Unless Voldemort discovers he is a Horcrux, in which case he will lock the boy away"
Albus sighed. "Augustus. There are far, far too many theories on how prophecies work. And I find- I used to believe, so strongly, that a prophecy held no innate power. But what if I was wrong? What if prophecies speak of a possible truth? If Harry truly has power over Voldemort, not merely that Voldemort will seek him out?"
"That explains some of your actions," Augustus said quietly. "But I cannot place all hope on a child. Certainly, not one who feels as wrong to me as Potter does"
"And if fate indeed bestowed a certain power upon him? Bestowed power upon the child who fulfilled its requirements?" Albus whispered.
"Then we are lost. The world is not a story, Albus. The world does not revolve around prophecies and fate, no"
Albus just looked at him sadly.
' In a way, I hope that you are right'
Gryffindor Common Room
The Common Room was always a madhouse the day before term's end. Students rushing to finish packing all of their belongings, others hurrying to finish all their homework.
Within the chaos, in the center of the room, there was an island of calm.
One of the students within the group had packed days previously, making sure all of her stuff was neatly organized.
One of them was leaving his packing until the very last minute.
And the last wasn't really too bothered about his packing, and still wished he wasn't returning home for the break.
"Neville, please. I need you to come over. Otherwise, it's just gonna be so miserable, with mum crying about Percy, and the twins arguing with her"
"I'd love to," Neville said, a bit glumly. "But you know Gran. She says she's happy to let me go out, but not overnight. She wants to know where I am the whole time"
"Come on! Mate, you're-"
"I'm all she has left, Ron," Neville said quietly. "I understand where she's coming from. And she's been a lot better lately, honest. Since I joined Shriner's club"
"Good for you" Ron huffed. "Mum hates that we're doing it. Since Percy-she just doesn't want to think about any of us fighting"
Neville nodded. At least his Gran hadn't been like that. She'd been damn proud about his learning to fight. She'd compared him to his father, something she didn't do in a positive way very often.
"You didn't tell her, did you?" Ron asked a bit uncomfortably.
He shook his head.
"And he still hasn't explained-"
"Ron!" Hermione hissed. "We're in public!"
"Yeah. Sorry. But she likes that you joined Shriner's club?"
"Yup. Even sent him a letter about it. Apparently, she told him that he was right to keep it secret from the Slytherins"
Hermione just harrumphed.
"Come on, Hermione, you know-"
"I know, Ronald. But he could have invited some of them and made them sign the same contract we did. They also deserve to learn how to protect themselves, and-"
"Oh, bloody hell. Hermione, half of them have Death Eaters for parents, and you want to teach them how to fight?"
"What about the ones who don't? They're in just as much danger as we are-"
"Bullshit! None of them are fighting V-V-Voldemort, and none-"
"Guys!" Neville said loudly, sticking his head in between his two friends' own. "Not this again. Just leave it"
Stony silence descended upon the group for a bit.
"Neville, if you come over to the Burrow, it'll be easier for you to visit Luna…" Ron said in a cajoling tone.
Neville blushed. "Maybe I'll manage to convince Gran. Just for a night or two"
Ron burst out laughing. And even though she tried to look on disapprovingly, Hermione smiled a little too.
Ministry of Magic, Britain
Even with his limp, Scrimgeour could still walk quite fast.
"Keep up!" He barked to the younger man falling behind him, "I need that report now, and I have places to be"
Stebbins hurried forward, almost dropping the stack of papers he held in his haste.
"The goblins refuse to lower the price, sir. They say that Thieves' Downfall is one of their greatest treasures, and they will not simply give it away"
"And they won't give us the recipe? Even for payment"
Stebbins shook his head. "No, sir. They say that as long as we refuse to share our magical secrets with them, they will not share their own with us"
Scrimgeour grumbled under his breath for a bit, cursing his predecessors who had so royally fucked up wizard and goblin relations.
"Fine. Speak to Nielsen, find out how much we need. I'm authorizing the purchase"
"Sir?"
"We need it! We don't have anything else that works on the Imperius and Polyjuice, not as successfully. We can't afford to be stingy now. Get it done, Stebbins"
"I'll bring the form back later for you to sign"
"Good. Tell me, what're the chances the goblins would support You-Know-Who?"
Stebbins paled slightly.
"Very-very low, sir. They know that under his rule they'd suffer a lot worse than they currently do. And-and they've heard what he told Cresswell"
Scrimgeour nodded absently.
' Good. That's one less thing to worry about'
"But, they're more afraid of him than of us. They know that we-we wouldn't commit genocide. Not if we had any other choice. And they know that he would only need an excuse"
"So they're likely to capitulate to him out of fear?"
"They're a very proud race, sir. But if he put it to them like that, if he told them he'd kill them all unless they surrender. They would. They're proud, and they're vicious, and they're dangerous warriors. But they're not stupid, sir. Not at all. Please, don't make the same mistake many others do when dealing with them. Don't think they're stupid"
"I can't give them wands"
"No. I wouldn't advise that anyway, not at this point. There's just too much bad blood, and there hasn't been any move to fix that. If we give them wands before taking away their hatred, we'd be in for a war with them"
"So what can I do? To make sure they're on our side, and to start that process going"
"I- If we weren't in the middle of a war, I'd have more suggestions. But I think, we can start with getting them Wizengamot representation, and with making a push for goblin contracts to become accepted in wizarding courts"
He looked at Stebbins appraisingly. "You really believe in this, don't you?"
A blush started making its way up Stebbins' neck. "I didn't join this department for the money, sir," he said quietly.
"No, I'll bet you didn't. The problem is, that if I give them extra rights, now, in this situation. It could be very bad. It could push people to side with You-Know-Who. It could give the Death Eaters another scapegoat"
"With all due respect, sir, the people who would side with You-Know-Who are not truly on our side now. And you know he'll make scapegoats whatever you do. But this way, you gain a powerful ally. I mean, you must know how the goblins fight! They almost beat us! And this way, at some point in the future, the stupid cycle of goblin rebellions and bad treaties could end! We could actually have a real peace, instead of just cessation of hostilities!"
Scrimgeour just looked on, a bit bemused, as Stebbins' passion overtook him and he began to rant.
"I mean, we could accomplish so much! We have no idea how goblins smelt their steel, no idea how they accomplish their metalworks. Imagine, a team of wizards working with goblins, building armor, building houses and towers. Imagine how we could change the world! Imagine wizarding children growing up, side by side with goblin friends! It would be a new era!"
He stopped talking suddenly, flushed, and looked at the floor abashed.
"I'm sorry, sir, I just feel-"
"Very passionately about this. I can tell. Tell you what, I'm going to talk this over with some of my advisors. We do need to think about how the wizarding world as a whole would react to this. But you're right, it's about time something was done about this situation"
' And if that something happens to be extremely beneficial for us, all the better'
Stebbins looked totally taken aback.
"Before you get too hopeful, remember. We are in the middle of a war. It may not be the best time to make such sweeping changes"
"Still, sir. It's better than anyone else has done for hundreds of years"
"That it is," Scrimgeour said. In his mind's eye, he could see thousands of goblin warriors advancing upon a group of Death Eaters, their axes and knives flashing.
"That it is" he repeated.
Severus Snape's Quarters, Hogwarts.
' If there is a Hell, I will certainly not be sentenced there. After all, I have already served my time. Then again, if there is a Heaven, doubtless Lily is there. And seeing her would turn it into a Hell'
He finished stirring his potion and sat back as it began to cool.
' Perhaps there is truly nothing. Just a cessation of being. Wouldn't that be lovely?'
He waved his wand and the potion distilled itself, flowing into a specially prepared crystal vial.
He watched how it glinted against the light.
He had been feeling depressed about his life for far too long. Truthfully, he had never really enjoyed his life. But his time as a Death Eater has been the time when he came closest to being happy.
And for the past three years he was once again a Death Eater, but this time he found no joy in it.
There could be no escaping his situation, he knew that all too well.
And the things which bothered him would only get worse.
He had seen Harry's expression as the boy stepped back into his fireplace after his trip with the Dark Lord.
He still wondered, how it was that none of the other teachers saw it. That Dumbledore and Black remained oblivious to the madness and sadism that lived within the boy.
It was almost amusing, how the Harry Potter that they all thought they knew, did not exist but was merely a persona Harry adopted.
And it could only be a matter of time until Harry's carefully constructed mask broke. It would take something major, but something would happen. At the moment, Harry kept his madness under tight reign. He kept it locked up with chains of iron self-control.
But something would happen, and those chains would break. It was unavoidable. Perhaps, if Potter or the Dark Lord truly controlled everything, it would be different. But that wasn't the case.
And Severus couldn't bear to see it. But he had no choice. Even Death was denied him.
So he had made up his mind finally, after three years.
If he was going to be forced to serve the Dark Lord, he might as well enjoy it.
He looked at the potion critically. It was one of his own creation, of course. But it had never been testedon a human.
' The theory stands up, though'
In theory, the potion should help him crush his conscience. In theory. Of course, it could also melt his brain. It hadn't done that to the rats he had tested it on, but still.
' Either it works, or it will kill me. Either way, I will be free. But-will the Vow allow me to take it?'
He paused, considering.
' Only one way to tell. I'm so sorry, Lily. Whatever happens, I'm sorry'
He downed the vial in one shot.
Someone watching would have seen nothing major at first. They would have simply seen him squeezing his eyes tightly shut as a grimace flashed across his face.
The would have seen him standing there, eyes resolutely closed for a few minutes, breathing deeply.
And then, perhaps they would have noticed a slight shift in the way he held himself.
His back straightened, just a fraction of an inch. His shoulders gave off the impression that they were no longer held tightly together.
And his face suddenly grew more set.
His eyes opened. And if someone were staring directly into them, they would perhaps take note of the fact that they seemed darker than they had minutes before.
He exhaled.
' Did-did it work?'
He proved his mind, examining the dark corners where he hid his thoughts and feelings.
He still felt protective towards the children under his charge. He still felt more care for a few of them, for Harry and Draco, to be precise, then he did for others.
He still felt the desire to inflict misery and to spread pain.
But search as he might, he could not find remorse.
And his love for Lily was still there, but only as a memory. Only as something faded and completely diminished by time.
He sat down in his chair, eyes widening.
And for the first time in three years, he broke out in honest laughter.
' The conflict is broken! I am free! No longer must I feel one thing and do another! I am free!'
He raised his arms to the roof in victory and howled his joy.
And at the very back of his subconscious, a tiny, hidden, ignored part of his mind wailed in pure misery.
Lord Voldemort's Manor
"McDonald"
He heard his assumed name being mentioned.
Heard his lord calling him.
He walked forward, hoping he hadn't been discovered.
' Fuck! I'm not ready! Not yet! Another few days at the very least, weeks if possible. Please, not yet!'
He'd been making impressive progress with his work on muggle explosives. Just the previous day he'd found a way to shrink them, without minimizing the size of their explosions.
He had yet to begin sewing them into his clothes.
"Yes, my lord?" He answered, not allowing his voice to shake, keeping his eyes trained upon the ground.
"There is a witch by the name of Valerie Harper. She is one of the leaders of the American force who have joined our enemies. Take Greyston, Avery, and Flint, and kill her. Be wary, she is extremely dangerous. Lucius will give you her location"
And with that, he was dismissed.
' If she's so dangerous, maybe I can get away with it. Yeah, could be. But I'll have to wait till we're done with her, see how much of a fight she puts up. Could just be he's testing me, setting a trap'
He went to find Lucius, and to plan his supposed companions' deaths.
Lord Voldemort watched him go, a small smile twisting his lips. Slowly, they were demolishing the foreign militias' leadership. Eventually, it would come to all-out war in Britain. But as long as they had done all they could to weaken the enemy before that time came, they would win.
' And then Europe will be mine. And after that, the world'
His smile spread.
' And once that is finally complete, then I can eradicate them . And while they die, I will live forever'
Truly, victory had never seemed so close.
' And Harry Potter, my theoretical nemesis, turns out to be my greatest assistant'
Truly, fate worked in remarkable ways. No-one could ever have predicted such a thing.
' Our souls are practically one. And eventually he will make Horcruxes of his own, and each one will ensure my own immortality'
He laughed.
' I wonder if Dumbledore knew, back then. After all, had he lived with his own blood, his mother's sacrifice would have stayed active, would have prevented the merging of our souls'
But that ship had sailed. And how enjoyable it was, that Harry took as much pleasure from the murder of his muggle relatives as Lord Voldemort himself had taken, all those years ago.
' But I cannot look at him as merely an extension of myself. He is not me, and rebellion is still possible. Perhaps he should become angrier toward the other side? If his Greengrass girl were to be killed by the Order or by Aurors, he would never join them"
He considered that for a few minutes before hissing in displeasure.
' No. He loves her. Such a thing could push him too far. It could push him to cast aside eternal life. But if her loyalty is ensured, his is as well. And yet, his loyalty ensures hers . If I give them the respect and honor they so badly desire, they will stay mine forever. I must simply never stop being vigilant, never stop watching for a wavering in their loyalty'
That would be easy enough. The day he stopped being vigilant would be the day he lost the war.
Divination Classroom, North Tower, Hogwarts.
Sybil Trelawney sat on a cushioned stool, peering into her fireplace and trying to make out the shapes in the smoke.
The problem was that she kept seeing the same shapes over and over.
All terrible omens. Omens of death and destruction, omens of pain, omens of fear.
And no matter what she did, whether it be reading tea leaves, reading tarot cards, peering into a crystal ball, or reading smoke, she kept receiving the same omens.
"Something terrible is coming," she said in a whisper.
She frowned. "No, that's not quite right," she said in a normal voice. Again, she whispered, adding a bit of rasp to her voice "something terrible is coming"
She nodded in self-satisfaction. She had it. People wouldn't accept the future unless it was given to them in the correct way, with the right atmosphere and gravitas.
She always made sure to give it over correctly.
She bustled off to make some tea.
As she was pouring the tea into her mug, her muscles went taut.
Her heart skipped a beat as her mind was filled with knowledge, her eyes rolled to the back of her head, and she Saw.
The teapot tumbled to the floor and began to spill its contents over her feet, and she didn't notice. When she spoke, it was in a voice that she would have killed to achieve.
"The time of final choosing draws near. As the stars gather, the one with the power must choose a path. Two paths lie before him, and he must decide if he will give himself over to the darkness completely.
The time of final choosing draws near"
She stood in her place for a few minutes further, swaying gently, before her eyes returned to their normal position and she blinked abruptly.
"Fuck! My foot!" She jumped out of the spreading pool of boiling hot tea, cursing under her breath.
She had no memory of the prophecy she had just spoken, and there had been no-one there to witness it.