Severus strode through the corridor towards the headmaster's office, smirking to himself when the few students he passed hurried to get out of his way. They really were far too easy to scare.
He wasn't sure why he'd been summoned, but it couldn't be good. He gave the password to the gargoyle, stepping up on to the revolving staircase and tightening his Occlumency shields. He was prepared for anything, wondering which loose threads the headmaster might be tugging on now.
Dumbledore was sat behind his desk, smiling genially at Severus when he entered. "Ah, Severus. Thank you for coming so promptly," he greeted, gesturing towards the bowl of sweets on his desk. "Lemon drop?"
Severus declined, knowing the sour sweets were usually laced with some sort of mild truth-telling potion. "What did you need from me, Albus?" he asked, taking a seat opposite the desk.
"Just a chat," Dumbledore assured, leaning forward in his chair and clasping his hands together on the desk. "Igor Karkaroff is looking a little nervous lately. I was wondering if you might have any inkling as to why."
Karkaroff looked like a loud noise might give him a heart attack, these days. Severus didn't blame him; the man had a lot to be worried about, if the Dark Lord was on the rise again. "I already told you the Mark is getting darker," Severus replied, because there was never any chance of him hiding that. "Igor is merely worried about how little time he has left." "And do you know the answer to that?"
"If you're asking if I've heard anything about the Dark Lord's return, the answer is no, Albus," Severus said flatly. The headmaster's brow furrowed.
"Severus, I understand this is a difficult time for everybody; you especially. However, the side of the light will need as much information as possible should the worst happen." His voice was apologetic, but Severus could read between the lines. 'Don't forget you're still my spy, even if Voldemort isn't around yet. You'll be back at it as soon as he pops his head up'. Typical.
"I am keeping an ear to the ground and my usual channels open," Severus drawled in assurance. "There is simply little information to share." That was true; no one from the old crowd seemed to know where the Dark Lord was, or how he was regaining strength. Severus was both glad and wary that there hadn't yet been a whisper of the name Peter Pettigrew. Severus could only imagine how much information the little rat had taken with him, after living in Potter's dorm for three years, and spending the whole twelve with a prominent light family. The Dark Lord would know far too much by now.
"I'm glad to hear it," Dumbledore replied. "I feared with the tournament going on, especially with Mr Potter's recent circumstances, it would be too much of a cover for Voldemort to gather his followers." "Surely you don't believe Mr Potter's… circumstances are anything but an attempt by the Dark Lord's followers to kill the boy? Just because I wasn't involved in the plot doesn't mean there wasn't one." If Dumbledore truly thought Potter's involvement in the tournament was just a prank gone wrong, or a fourteen year-old boy's quest for glory, he had finally cracked. Unless the old coot had done it himself, to give Potter another chance to prove himself.
"I think whoever tampered with the Goblet of Fire will reveal themselves in due course, and there is little we can do but support Harry until that time comes," Dumbledore said, sounding entirely uncaring that his precious Golden Boy was in such dangerous circumstances. Sometimes it baffled Severus how this man had ended up in charge of wizarding Britain's children, and no one seemed to notice he didn't give a damn about their welfare. How were people so blind?
"If I may be excused, I have a potion brewing," Severus lied easily, getting to his feet.
"Of course, of course. I trust you'll come to me if you get any further information." Dumbledore stood as well, offering Severus a look that was supposed to be fatherly. "Dark times are coming, my dear boy, and I believe we will need you now more than ever. I am sorry to have to ask you to make this sacrifice once more, but… it is for the greater good." Severus bit back a snarl. How many lives had this man ruined in the name of the 'greater good'? Instead he merely nodded, face impassive. "Some things are necessary," he said, turning to leave the office. It wasn't until he was back in the privacy of his own quarters that he let his shoulders slump a little, a sigh escaping his lips. And so it began, again.
.-.-.
There was a Hogsmeade weekend in mid-January, and Harry found himself trudging down the slushy pathway beside Neville and Ginny, who had insisted he couldn't spend it locked inside, and that Rita Skeeter couldn't make a scandal of him going to Hogsmeade, especially when she wasn't even legally supposed to write about him. Harry was pretty sure Skeeter could and would, but he allowed himself to be bullied out of the castle all the same. He'd been reading up on merpeople for the last four days straight, and it was starting to give him a headache.
Instead, he focused his attention on his companions — Neville and Ginny had been hanging out a lot ever since the Yule Ball. Harry couldn't figure out if they were dating or not. He'd never seen them kiss; but then again, he'd never seen Remus and Snape kiss, yet those two were definitely in love. As they walked, Ginny's shoulder bumped Neville's arm every few steps, and the older Gryffindor didn't seem to mind. Harry's eyes narrowed on their hands as they almost linked between them. Yeah, there was definitely something going on there. "Let's go to Honeydukes," Ginny suggested, nudging Neville until he changed direction. "I'm out of sugar quills."
Harry was always happy to buy sweets, and owed Remus some Honeydukes' Finest, so he trailed after the maybe-couple into the sweet shop.
As they strolled from shop to shop, mostly at Ginny's urging, Harry kept an eye out for Hagrid. The half-giant still hadn't worked up the courage to leave his hut, even after a week. The fuss from the article had mostly died down, but Hagrid wouldn't hear it, insisting to Harry that he wasn't ready yet. Harry wondered how much longer it would take for him to be ready. Shopping finished, Harry suggested they head to the Three Broomsticks, as much as he was dreading the crowd. There was a chance Hagrid could be in there — and he wasn't quite done observing Ginny and Neville yet. Both of them were easy to blush, and there had been a lot of blushing going on all day. It made Harry smile, and he wondered if it had been like this for Sirius watching him and Draco over the summer. His godfather took a lot of joy in insisting they were both oblivious and besotted even then.
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