Disguised Affections
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Harry Potter › Het - Male/Female › Snape/Hermione
Rating:
Adult ++
Chapters:
27
Views:
25,632
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144
Recommended:
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Currently Reading:
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Category:
Harry Potter › Het - Male/Female › Snape/Hermione
Rating:
Adult ++
Chapters:
27
Views:
25,632
Reviews:
144
Recommended:
0
Currently Reading:
1
Disclaimer:
I do not own Harry Potter, nor any of the characters from the books or movies. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.
Chapter Twenty
A/N: Okay, guys. Here's chapter 20. Sorry if I am not able to get these chapters up every single day. I'm trying, but as we get closer and closer to the end, the chapters are, by necessity, growing longer. When I first started the story, they were averaging about 1900 words. We're up to about 3000 now.
No warnings in this chapter, but there's a lot of action. I hope you guys like it!
Chapter Twenty
Harry, Ron, and Severus sat around the Gryffindor common room table enveloped in a taut silence. A golden galleon sat in front of them. It was a set of two coins, a remnant from the days of Dumbledore’s Army. Its mate was in the possession of Draco.
“He’s going to be okay, right?” Ron whispered. “I mean, that’s his dad.”
Severus stared at the boy. It wasn’t an unfriendly look, but it was assessing. “You lived through the war, Weasel. You saw the depths to which human beings can sink.” He shifted his weight and glanced impatiently back at the galleon. “Why are you asking questions to which you already know the answer?”
Ron flushed painfully, but nodded.
The coin flashed for a moment, and the three stood up to read it.
Herm w/L in Lib.
Severus pulled out a hand-drawn blueprint of Malfoy Manor that Draco had provided and spread it out on the common room table. He tapped the map with one long index finger. “It’s here. Southerly exposure with at least three windows. Lucius is a paranoid sod and while he has Hermione in the house, he’ll be keeping his eyes peeled out those windows for anything suspicious.”
“Hang on. Getting something else from Draco.”
McN in Foy. Wand drawn.
“Foy? What the hell room is that?” Ron said, disgusted. “Poncy prat.”
Severus and Harry stared at the red head. “He means foyer, imbecile,” Severus sniped.
“What the hell is a foyer, Con?”
“You are a waste of brain tissue, Neanderthal.”
A Dol. & Rab LeSt in Solar.
“Bloody hell. Four Death Eaters, and only three of us.” Ron chewed on his lip. “I don’t know if Draco will side against his father. He’d put his mother at risk if he did. He told me that Lucius keeps him in line by punishing Narcissa for his son’s mistakes. If we fail…” Weasley didn’t finish his thought, but the three boys knew it would go very badly indeed for Mrs. Malfoy if Draco was implicated.
Yax & Trav in Gr Par.
“Six,” Harry sighed. “They’re more than twice our number.” He absently rubbed the faded scar on his forehead. “Well, we’ve faced uneven numbers before, and made it through okay.”
Severus snorted bitterly. Potter had made out only because Snape had thrown himself in front of the oncoming herd of stampeding thestrals that had been Voldemort’s murderous temper. Lord, he hoped they were able to come up with a better plan than that one.
“All right,” the Potions master said, gaining their attention once more. “Whatever we do, it has to be soundless. If Malfoy realizes he’s under attack, he’ll kill Hermione out of spite. The good news is that Lucius knows me and most likely will not expect me to have back up.”
“Why’s that?” Potter asked quietly.
“…I’ve always been a loner. Also, to the best of his knowledge, I’ve never actually trusted anyone to watch my back like I’ll have to with this operation.” Severus kept his eyes downcast, studying the map in front of him for potential ambush points. He refused to let his hands shake.
Ron and Harry were silent for a moment before the boy with the scar said, “When this is all over, we’ll want to hear your story, Con.”
“We’ll see, Potter.”
“Got another one,” Ron said quickly.
Entr via Elf Qtrs in kitch.
Almost instantly, the coin flashed again and the three boys watched as the letters resettled themselves.
Ward PW SERPENSORTIA.
“Well, that’s it then. Potter, don’t forget your Invisibility Cloak.”
Draco paced restlessly in the massive kitchens, wondering where the bloody hell the cavalry was.
His nerves were on fire knowing that his father was doing gods-knew-what to Hermione, and there were five Death Eaters here at Malfoy Manor where they didn’t belong. He bit the inside of his cheek, and pulled back the sleeve on his left arm.
It was still there. He’d hoped it would fade with the demise of the Dark L… with Voldemort’s death. The Dark Mark twisted around his arm like a river polluted with blood, the taint an eternal reminder of what he’d allowed himself to become… of the monster into which Draco had allowed his father to turn him. He sneered.
It had all been bloody useless, hadn’t it? Potter and his cohorts had defeated the Dark Lord, but he was one figure – evil personified. They couldn’t battle against the darkness that existed, hidden and cherished, inside of everyday men. The secret sins that were committed every day far outweighed the positives. They’d need a million Potters to counteract the Lucius Malfoys and Walden McNairs of this world. Draco gagged. A million Potters. He heard a small scuffing noise and looked up.
Constantine Prince entered the kitchen, his face drawn with worry and the map of Malfoy Manor clutched in his hand. “Draco! Any problems?”
The blond smiled and raised his wand, pointing it directly at Con’s heart. “Just one, Prince.”
Draco watched with morbid interest as the blood drained from the black-haired boy’s face.
Severus froze, staring down Draco’s wand.
“What’s this then, Malfoy?” he said cautiously.
“You didn’t actually think I’d help you? Turn against my own father?” His voice was wrapped in arctic chill, and the hand holding his wand was perfectly steady.
Severus watched Draco carefully. That had been exactly what he’d thought, of course. Had his spy’s instincts steered him so wrong? Had three months of being in love with his bushy-haired Gryffindor softened him to the point that he could no longer tell friend from foe?
Draco slowly winked at him.
Ah, of course not.
“Lay down your wand, Prince and maybe I won’t geld you.” He pointed the length of hawthorn wood at Severus’s crotch.
The Potions master scowled fiercely. The prat had better be careful. I might need that. He slowly lowered the ebony wand until it rested on the granite counter top of a nearby kitchen island. Severus felt naked and defenseless and hoped that Draco knew what he was doing.
The blond pointed the length of Hawthorn wood ever so slightly to Severus’s left and said, “Petrificus Totalus!” Taking the cue, he stiffened as if the spell had hit him. Immediately, the door to the kitchens swung open, and Yaxley stepped inside.
“You’ve done a good thing, lad. Your father will be proud of you. He’s been worried that you’ve gone soft now that our Lord has passed.” His blunt features rearranged themselves into what was surely meant to be a proud smile, but his teeth were yellowed and broken, and Severus saw Draco restrain a shudder.
Yaxley’s pale blue eyes darted to the boy whom he assumed to be Petrified. “So that’s him, huh? Severus Snape? He does rather look like the blighter, although a good deal younger. What on earth was Dumbledore thinking?”
The Potions master saw Draco’s eyes widen as the pieces fell into place for him. The blond cocked his head and examined him. It did make sense. His eyes clearly said, We’ll be having a discussion about this later, you and I. Severus only hoped that Harry and the Weasel hadn’t overheard the revelation. They were under James Potter’s invisibility cloak, and he was unsure if they’d even entered the house yet.
Yaxley’s eyes slid over Severus’s shoulder and his brows pulled together. “What on earth is that? Is that a shoe?” As he walked away from the two boys, the Potions master grabbed his ebony wand and wordlessly Petrified the Death Eater.
Moving silently, Severus went to identify what had so alarmed Yaxley. He laughed softly. “You prat,” he said, turning to Draco. “When you pretended to hex me, you hit Potter and Weasley under the cloak.”
“Why didn’t you tell me? You’re my godfather. I would have kept your secret.” The blond’s voice was small and uncertain.
Severus reached over and squeezed his godson’s shoulder. “I know that, Draco. Believe me, I do. I didn’t know myself until last night. We can talk about this later, okay? Not a word about it to Tweedle-Dumb and Tweedle-Dumber, though,” he said, jerking a thumb over his shoulder to where the two boys stood frozen.
“But, Uncle - ”
“We do not have time,” he said firmly. “Hermione is still in danger.”
The blond nodded and flourished his wand. “Finite Incantatum.”
Harry threw back their hood revealing his and Ron’s faces. “Of all the dumb luck, Malfoy! I can’t believe you hit us!” He looked at Yaxley. “Let’s take care of this berk.”
Severus pulled a flask from his pocket and uncapped it. Reaching forward, he plucked a strand of the Death Eater’s dirty blond hair and dropped it in carefully. It flashed for a moment.
Harry and Ron picked Yaxley up and carried him towards a broom closet in a corner of the kitchen. They shoved him none-to-gently inside. Before shutting the door, the red head took his wand and calmly snapped it in two. Severus gave him an approving look.
“Who wants to take the Polyjuice, and who is going to stay under the cloak?” The Potions master brandished the flask to which he’d just added the hair. “The one under the cloak will go take out McNair in the foyer. The Polyjuiced Yaxley will take out Travers in the Green Parlor. We’ll then meet back up here.”
“I’ll be Yaxley,” Harry volunteered.
“I guess that leaves me to be under the cloak,” Ron said, shrugging.
The-Boy-Who-Whined took a sip from the flask and groaned as his bones shifted, realigning themselves into Yaxley’s rangy frame. They cracked, sounding brittle, and Potter’s hair bled into dirty blond. Finally, he straightened and nodded, showing he was ready.
The two boys turned to leave the kitchen.
“Please hurry,” Severus whispered.
Harry stepped into the Green Parlor, and saw the grey-haired Travers reclining on a puffy-looking couch, his booted feet up on the arm. He idly perused a Playwizard that Harry knew to be from last year. Not that he looked at such things.
“Hey Yax, look at this one. Wouldn’t you love a piece of that luscious witch?” He flipped the magazine around, and Harry saw a brunette straddling a Firebolt. She slowly worked a hand up and down the shaft of the broom and winked at him, her tongue coming out to just touch her plump bottom lip. Miss November, he thought. Not that he looked at such things.
Harry spun his wand in his fingers, trying to appear casual. “Nah. Too skinny. I like a witch with a bit of substance. Makes for a more comfortable ride.” He grinned when Miss November stopped stroking and looked irritated.
Travers turned to him, an odd expression on his face. “What? That’s not what you said yester-”
“Petrificus Totalus,” Harry said, his voice silky. The grey-haired Death Eater froze, an incredulous expression on his face.
Potter snapped his wand without a second thought, and turned to head back to the kitchens.
Ron was already there when he arrived.
“Blimey, Con. McNair’s got a freaky set of reflexes. The minute I stepped into the foy… the fu… the entrance hall, his head snapped up and he had his wand at the ready.”
“Yes, McNair has rather a preternatural sense of danger.”
The red head stared at him blankly.
“McNair knows when enemies are around,” he clarified.
“Sure. I knew what you meant.”
Severus rolled his eyes.
“Harry! All taken care of?” the Potions master asked.
“Piece of cake. Sod was engrossed in his Playwizard. It was a work of two or three minutes. What’s next?”
“You both go and take care of Rabastan LeStrange and Antonin Dolohov.” Severus unrolled the map on the island. “They’re here,” he said, pointing to the Solarium. “This is the only entrance. Enter and then immediately separate so that what happened here in the kitchen,” he said, referring to their accidental Petrification, “doesn’t happen there.”
“Anything we should know about these two?” Harry asked, focused on the task at hand.
Severus nodded in approval. “Dolohov is as stupid as a post, but incredibly strong. Rabastan LeStrange is incredibly cunning and intelligent. He’s the one you want to take out first or he’ll pick you out as an imposter almost immediately. It will take Dolohov a moment to process what’s happening. Ron,” he turned to the red head. “Ron, the moment Harry takes out LeStrange, you go for Dolohov. This whole thing has to go down in a matter of seconds or one of you risks getting hurt. We’ll wait for you in the foyer… pardon me, the entrance hall.”
They followed the advice they had been given, and as soon as they entered the Solarium they separated.
“What are you doing here, Yaxley?” Rabastan asked. He was a small, rabbity man with mean, predator eyes; the combination was unsettling. Although he lacked the presence of his older brother, he had survived the final battle while Rodolphus had not. “You’re supposed to be guarding the other entrance into the library. Lucius will be upset if he finds you’ve abandoned your post.”
“Travers is there,” Harry said, waving his wand hand negligently. “Just came to see if you fellows wanted a bite from the kitchens. I’m hungry myself.”
Rabastan’s eyes narrowed on the wand Harry was waving about. “That’s not your wand, Yax-”
Harry Petrified him.
He’d underestimated his strength while casting the spell, and while Rabastan froze immediately, it created a magical backsplash that blew the invisibility cloak’s hood off of Ron’s head.
Dolohov whirled to face him and almost effortlessly countered Ron’s spell. He smiled at the two boys, and crooked his fingers at them.
“Come on then, boys. Let’s see what you’ve got.”
Harry immediately cast a Silencing spell on the room to prevent Lucius from overhearing their fight. They didn’t want to lose their element of surprise. It was protecting Hermione and greatly increased their chances of getting her back in one piece.
“Locomotor Mortis!” Ron shouted.
Dolohov countered it wordlessly and then hissed, “Sectum Sempra!”
Ron collapsed, and the Death Eater watched in glee as the blood began to trickle from the red head’s mouth. Dolohov walked towards the boy in the invisibility cloak, and suddenly collapsed on his face, still poised to take a step. The Boy-Who-Lived wearing Yaxley’s face stood behind him, his wand out.
Harry rushed to Ron, and cried out when he pushed the cloak aside and saw the enormous cross quartering his chest. The blood foamed out of his mouth and Harry bit his lip around a sob.
“Episkey,” he murmured and watched as the wound closed slightly before reopening.
“Episkey!” he shouted, with furious tears streaming down his face. The wound closed more quickly this time, and Harry held his breath, praying that his friend wasn’t dying in front of him. He cursed when it reopened just as quickly. The wound wouldn’t stay healed until he figured out how to stop the curse.
It was beyond his ability to heal, but the Boy-Who-Lived knew that it wasn’t so bad yet that St. Mungos or Madame Pomfrey wouldn’t be able to save his life.
Hermione didn’t have much time left, and once Lucius discovered that they’d effectively removed his Death Eater honor guard, she was as good as dead.
Ron, however, only had moments to live if he didn’t get him to a hospital.
Harry felt nauseated as he was forced to choose between the lives of his two best friends.
A/N: **Ducks flying projectiles from readers.** Sorry for the cliffie guys! New chapter is coming along swimmingly, though. I MAY have it up tonight. It's a decent possibility.
Like it, love it, hate it, review it!
No warnings in this chapter, but there's a lot of action. I hope you guys like it!
Chapter Twenty
Harry, Ron, and Severus sat around the Gryffindor common room table enveloped in a taut silence. A golden galleon sat in front of them. It was a set of two coins, a remnant from the days of Dumbledore’s Army. Its mate was in the possession of Draco.
“He’s going to be okay, right?” Ron whispered. “I mean, that’s his dad.”
Severus stared at the boy. It wasn’t an unfriendly look, but it was assessing. “You lived through the war, Weasel. You saw the depths to which human beings can sink.” He shifted his weight and glanced impatiently back at the galleon. “Why are you asking questions to which you already know the answer?”
Ron flushed painfully, but nodded.
The coin flashed for a moment, and the three stood up to read it.
Herm w/L in Lib.
Severus pulled out a hand-drawn blueprint of Malfoy Manor that Draco had provided and spread it out on the common room table. He tapped the map with one long index finger. “It’s here. Southerly exposure with at least three windows. Lucius is a paranoid sod and while he has Hermione in the house, he’ll be keeping his eyes peeled out those windows for anything suspicious.”
“Hang on. Getting something else from Draco.”
McN in Foy. Wand drawn.
“Foy? What the hell room is that?” Ron said, disgusted. “Poncy prat.”
Severus and Harry stared at the red head. “He means foyer, imbecile,” Severus sniped.
“What the hell is a foyer, Con?”
“You are a waste of brain tissue, Neanderthal.”
A Dol. & Rab LeSt in Solar.
“Bloody hell. Four Death Eaters, and only three of us.” Ron chewed on his lip. “I don’t know if Draco will side against his father. He’d put his mother at risk if he did. He told me that Lucius keeps him in line by punishing Narcissa for his son’s mistakes. If we fail…” Weasley didn’t finish his thought, but the three boys knew it would go very badly indeed for Mrs. Malfoy if Draco was implicated.
Yax & Trav in Gr Par.
“Six,” Harry sighed. “They’re more than twice our number.” He absently rubbed the faded scar on his forehead. “Well, we’ve faced uneven numbers before, and made it through okay.”
Severus snorted bitterly. Potter had made out only because Snape had thrown himself in front of the oncoming herd of stampeding thestrals that had been Voldemort’s murderous temper. Lord, he hoped they were able to come up with a better plan than that one.
“All right,” the Potions master said, gaining their attention once more. “Whatever we do, it has to be soundless. If Malfoy realizes he’s under attack, he’ll kill Hermione out of spite. The good news is that Lucius knows me and most likely will not expect me to have back up.”
“Why’s that?” Potter asked quietly.
“…I’ve always been a loner. Also, to the best of his knowledge, I’ve never actually trusted anyone to watch my back like I’ll have to with this operation.” Severus kept his eyes downcast, studying the map in front of him for potential ambush points. He refused to let his hands shake.
Ron and Harry were silent for a moment before the boy with the scar said, “When this is all over, we’ll want to hear your story, Con.”
“We’ll see, Potter.”
“Got another one,” Ron said quickly.
Entr via Elf Qtrs in kitch.
Almost instantly, the coin flashed again and the three boys watched as the letters resettled themselves.
Ward PW SERPENSORTIA.
“Well, that’s it then. Potter, don’t forget your Invisibility Cloak.”
Draco paced restlessly in the massive kitchens, wondering where the bloody hell the cavalry was.
His nerves were on fire knowing that his father was doing gods-knew-what to Hermione, and there were five Death Eaters here at Malfoy Manor where they didn’t belong. He bit the inside of his cheek, and pulled back the sleeve on his left arm.
It was still there. He’d hoped it would fade with the demise of the Dark L… with Voldemort’s death. The Dark Mark twisted around his arm like a river polluted with blood, the taint an eternal reminder of what he’d allowed himself to become… of the monster into which Draco had allowed his father to turn him. He sneered.
It had all been bloody useless, hadn’t it? Potter and his cohorts had defeated the Dark Lord, but he was one figure – evil personified. They couldn’t battle against the darkness that existed, hidden and cherished, inside of everyday men. The secret sins that were committed every day far outweighed the positives. They’d need a million Potters to counteract the Lucius Malfoys and Walden McNairs of this world. Draco gagged. A million Potters. He heard a small scuffing noise and looked up.
Constantine Prince entered the kitchen, his face drawn with worry and the map of Malfoy Manor clutched in his hand. “Draco! Any problems?”
The blond smiled and raised his wand, pointing it directly at Con’s heart. “Just one, Prince.”
Draco watched with morbid interest as the blood drained from the black-haired boy’s face.
Severus froze, staring down Draco’s wand.
“What’s this then, Malfoy?” he said cautiously.
“You didn’t actually think I’d help you? Turn against my own father?” His voice was wrapped in arctic chill, and the hand holding his wand was perfectly steady.
Severus watched Draco carefully. That had been exactly what he’d thought, of course. Had his spy’s instincts steered him so wrong? Had three months of being in love with his bushy-haired Gryffindor softened him to the point that he could no longer tell friend from foe?
Draco slowly winked at him.
Ah, of course not.
“Lay down your wand, Prince and maybe I won’t geld you.” He pointed the length of hawthorn wood at Severus’s crotch.
The Potions master scowled fiercely. The prat had better be careful. I might need that. He slowly lowered the ebony wand until it rested on the granite counter top of a nearby kitchen island. Severus felt naked and defenseless and hoped that Draco knew what he was doing.
The blond pointed the length of Hawthorn wood ever so slightly to Severus’s left and said, “Petrificus Totalus!” Taking the cue, he stiffened as if the spell had hit him. Immediately, the door to the kitchens swung open, and Yaxley stepped inside.
“You’ve done a good thing, lad. Your father will be proud of you. He’s been worried that you’ve gone soft now that our Lord has passed.” His blunt features rearranged themselves into what was surely meant to be a proud smile, but his teeth were yellowed and broken, and Severus saw Draco restrain a shudder.
Yaxley’s pale blue eyes darted to the boy whom he assumed to be Petrified. “So that’s him, huh? Severus Snape? He does rather look like the blighter, although a good deal younger. What on earth was Dumbledore thinking?”
The Potions master saw Draco’s eyes widen as the pieces fell into place for him. The blond cocked his head and examined him. It did make sense. His eyes clearly said, We’ll be having a discussion about this later, you and I. Severus only hoped that Harry and the Weasel hadn’t overheard the revelation. They were under James Potter’s invisibility cloak, and he was unsure if they’d even entered the house yet.
Yaxley’s eyes slid over Severus’s shoulder and his brows pulled together. “What on earth is that? Is that a shoe?” As he walked away from the two boys, the Potions master grabbed his ebony wand and wordlessly Petrified the Death Eater.
Moving silently, Severus went to identify what had so alarmed Yaxley. He laughed softly. “You prat,” he said, turning to Draco. “When you pretended to hex me, you hit Potter and Weasley under the cloak.”
“Why didn’t you tell me? You’re my godfather. I would have kept your secret.” The blond’s voice was small and uncertain.
Severus reached over and squeezed his godson’s shoulder. “I know that, Draco. Believe me, I do. I didn’t know myself until last night. We can talk about this later, okay? Not a word about it to Tweedle-Dumb and Tweedle-Dumber, though,” he said, jerking a thumb over his shoulder to where the two boys stood frozen.
“But, Uncle - ”
“We do not have time,” he said firmly. “Hermione is still in danger.”
The blond nodded and flourished his wand. “Finite Incantatum.”
Harry threw back their hood revealing his and Ron’s faces. “Of all the dumb luck, Malfoy! I can’t believe you hit us!” He looked at Yaxley. “Let’s take care of this berk.”
Severus pulled a flask from his pocket and uncapped it. Reaching forward, he plucked a strand of the Death Eater’s dirty blond hair and dropped it in carefully. It flashed for a moment.
Harry and Ron picked Yaxley up and carried him towards a broom closet in a corner of the kitchen. They shoved him none-to-gently inside. Before shutting the door, the red head took his wand and calmly snapped it in two. Severus gave him an approving look.
“Who wants to take the Polyjuice, and who is going to stay under the cloak?” The Potions master brandished the flask to which he’d just added the hair. “The one under the cloak will go take out McNair in the foyer. The Polyjuiced Yaxley will take out Travers in the Green Parlor. We’ll then meet back up here.”
“I’ll be Yaxley,” Harry volunteered.
“I guess that leaves me to be under the cloak,” Ron said, shrugging.
The-Boy-Who-Whined took a sip from the flask and groaned as his bones shifted, realigning themselves into Yaxley’s rangy frame. They cracked, sounding brittle, and Potter’s hair bled into dirty blond. Finally, he straightened and nodded, showing he was ready.
The two boys turned to leave the kitchen.
“Please hurry,” Severus whispered.
Harry stepped into the Green Parlor, and saw the grey-haired Travers reclining on a puffy-looking couch, his booted feet up on the arm. He idly perused a Playwizard that Harry knew to be from last year. Not that he looked at such things.
“Hey Yax, look at this one. Wouldn’t you love a piece of that luscious witch?” He flipped the magazine around, and Harry saw a brunette straddling a Firebolt. She slowly worked a hand up and down the shaft of the broom and winked at him, her tongue coming out to just touch her plump bottom lip. Miss November, he thought. Not that he looked at such things.
Harry spun his wand in his fingers, trying to appear casual. “Nah. Too skinny. I like a witch with a bit of substance. Makes for a more comfortable ride.” He grinned when Miss November stopped stroking and looked irritated.
Travers turned to him, an odd expression on his face. “What? That’s not what you said yester-”
“Petrificus Totalus,” Harry said, his voice silky. The grey-haired Death Eater froze, an incredulous expression on his face.
Potter snapped his wand without a second thought, and turned to head back to the kitchens.
Ron was already there when he arrived.
“Blimey, Con. McNair’s got a freaky set of reflexes. The minute I stepped into the foy… the fu… the entrance hall, his head snapped up and he had his wand at the ready.”
“Yes, McNair has rather a preternatural sense of danger.”
The red head stared at him blankly.
“McNair knows when enemies are around,” he clarified.
“Sure. I knew what you meant.”
Severus rolled his eyes.
“Harry! All taken care of?” the Potions master asked.
“Piece of cake. Sod was engrossed in his Playwizard. It was a work of two or three minutes. What’s next?”
“You both go and take care of Rabastan LeStrange and Antonin Dolohov.” Severus unrolled the map on the island. “They’re here,” he said, pointing to the Solarium. “This is the only entrance. Enter and then immediately separate so that what happened here in the kitchen,” he said, referring to their accidental Petrification, “doesn’t happen there.”
“Anything we should know about these two?” Harry asked, focused on the task at hand.
Severus nodded in approval. “Dolohov is as stupid as a post, but incredibly strong. Rabastan LeStrange is incredibly cunning and intelligent. He’s the one you want to take out first or he’ll pick you out as an imposter almost immediately. It will take Dolohov a moment to process what’s happening. Ron,” he turned to the red head. “Ron, the moment Harry takes out LeStrange, you go for Dolohov. This whole thing has to go down in a matter of seconds or one of you risks getting hurt. We’ll wait for you in the foyer… pardon me, the entrance hall.”
They followed the advice they had been given, and as soon as they entered the Solarium they separated.
“What are you doing here, Yaxley?” Rabastan asked. He was a small, rabbity man with mean, predator eyes; the combination was unsettling. Although he lacked the presence of his older brother, he had survived the final battle while Rodolphus had not. “You’re supposed to be guarding the other entrance into the library. Lucius will be upset if he finds you’ve abandoned your post.”
“Travers is there,” Harry said, waving his wand hand negligently. “Just came to see if you fellows wanted a bite from the kitchens. I’m hungry myself.”
Rabastan’s eyes narrowed on the wand Harry was waving about. “That’s not your wand, Yax-”
Harry Petrified him.
He’d underestimated his strength while casting the spell, and while Rabastan froze immediately, it created a magical backsplash that blew the invisibility cloak’s hood off of Ron’s head.
Dolohov whirled to face him and almost effortlessly countered Ron’s spell. He smiled at the two boys, and crooked his fingers at them.
“Come on then, boys. Let’s see what you’ve got.”
Harry immediately cast a Silencing spell on the room to prevent Lucius from overhearing their fight. They didn’t want to lose their element of surprise. It was protecting Hermione and greatly increased their chances of getting her back in one piece.
“Locomotor Mortis!” Ron shouted.
Dolohov countered it wordlessly and then hissed, “Sectum Sempra!”
Ron collapsed, and the Death Eater watched in glee as the blood began to trickle from the red head’s mouth. Dolohov walked towards the boy in the invisibility cloak, and suddenly collapsed on his face, still poised to take a step. The Boy-Who-Lived wearing Yaxley’s face stood behind him, his wand out.
Harry rushed to Ron, and cried out when he pushed the cloak aside and saw the enormous cross quartering his chest. The blood foamed out of his mouth and Harry bit his lip around a sob.
“Episkey,” he murmured and watched as the wound closed slightly before reopening.
“Episkey!” he shouted, with furious tears streaming down his face. The wound closed more quickly this time, and Harry held his breath, praying that his friend wasn’t dying in front of him. He cursed when it reopened just as quickly. The wound wouldn’t stay healed until he figured out how to stop the curse.
It was beyond his ability to heal, but the Boy-Who-Lived knew that it wasn’t so bad yet that St. Mungos or Madame Pomfrey wouldn’t be able to save his life.
Hermione didn’t have much time left, and once Lucius discovered that they’d effectively removed his Death Eater honor guard, she was as good as dead.
Ron, however, only had moments to live if he didn’t get him to a hospital.
Harry felt nauseated as he was forced to choose between the lives of his two best friends.
A/N: **Ducks flying projectiles from readers.** Sorry for the cliffie guys! New chapter is coming along swimmingly, though. I MAY have it up tonight. It's a decent possibility.
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