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Summer Fest Fic: The Return of the Slytherins, Part 2
Title: The Return of the Slytherins, Part 2
Pairings: Gen, but with a few slashy hints if you look at it the right way.
Rating: PG-13
Word count: ~19,420 total (~3760 for this part)
Disclaimer: No money is being made off this story; consider it a little wish fulfillment on my part.
Summary: Written for Snapedom's Summer Fest exchange, and based on
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
the_bitter_word's art, Severus Crossing the Hogwarts Lake. Snape survives Nagini's attack, and returns to fight in the battle at Hogwarts--and is surprised when his Slytherins want to join him.Author's note: For readers of my Snupin stories, the Theodore and Blaise here are based on the canon version of the characters, not the the Theo and Blaise from the Always series, although I did borrow the character of Serafina Avery to help round out the Slytherins. Hope that doesn't confuse anyone.
Part 1
***
Just then, a knock sounded at the door, and a familiar voice called out, "Lemon drop!" Reflexively, everyone reached for their wands as Aberforth opened the door to admit Charlie Weasley and several men and women clad in the leather, fireproof-charmed clothing commonly used by dragon-handlers.
"I've brought reinforcements!" Charlie said, then did a double take when he spotted Snape and the Slytherins. "What the--?!" he exclaimed, raising his wand.
"Take it easy, Weasley," Aberforth said, firmly grasping his arm and pushing it down. "As strange as it sounds, Snape appears to be on our side." And once more, Snape gave a brief explanation of his arrangement with Dumbledore.
"Hmm, it still sounds somewhat fishy," Charlie said suspiciously. "Although I wouldn't put it past Dumbledore to sacrifice himself if he knew he was already dying."
Surprisingly, Theodore came to Snape's defense. "He caught us by surprise out in the street. He could have stayed hidden and used Killing Curses on us, or gone back to report to the Dark Lord without anyone noticing. But he revealed himself to us and gave Mr. Dumbledore his wand. And he could have killed the Headmaster much more quietly and easily, say, by poisoning him while pretending to treat his hand."
"That's true," Charlie admitted. "I must say, Snape, that I've been wondering why you killed Dumbledore in such a dramatically public manner instead of slipping a little poison into his morning tea or something. Of course, if he'd been poisoned, you would have been the first suspect, but I'm sure you know of poisons that mimic natural causes. And everyone knew that he'd suffered some terrible curse or illness because of his hand."
"Will wonders never cease?" Snape asked sarcastically. "A Gryffindor who can think logically."
Charlie actually chuckled at that. "Okay, Snape--I'm willing to trust you, at least as long as I can keep you in sight. We're heading to the castle to join in the battle and do what we can. Are you coming?"
"Yes, as soon as I send my students through the Portkey," Snape replied.
"Wait, I'm not going!" Theodore shouted. "I want to come with you and fight!"
"Are you mad?!" Blaise cried. "Do you want to get yourself killed like your father?"
"That's exactly why I want to fight," Theodore said grimly. "To get revenge for my father. And my mother, too."
"Your mother?" Pansy asked, sounding confused. "I thought that your mum died of an illness when you were little."
"That's the story that Father put out so that the Ministry wouldn't get wind of the truth," Theodore replied bitterly. "The truth is that she'd been researching Dark Magic for the Death Eaters during the war, and one of the spells went wrong, and she got caught in the backlash. She didn't die right away, but slowly wasted away over several years, with her body eating itself away from the inside out. I sat at her bedside while she died, coughing up blood. It's the Dark Lord's fault that she's dead. And even though my mother gave her life to the cause, he killed my father, too, not because he betrayed the Death Eaters, but because he couldn't catch Potter--even though no one else has been able to capture him, either."
"Look, I know you want revenge, but what good will it do to get yourself killed, too?" Blaise argued. "Your parents wouldn't want that! Besides, the Professor just said that Potter is the only one who can take down the Dark Lord. Come home with me, Theo. My mother already has an escape plan ready; she just couldn't leave while I was stuck at Hogwarts. We can hide in a safe place until we know which side's won."
Charlie gave the boy a disgusted look, but Snape was privately applauding his practicality, and hoped Theodore would take him up on the offer.
"No," Theodore said implacably. "The Dark Lord took my family from me. I'm going to do whatever I can to help defeat him, even if it's only indirectly. And I wouldn't mind taking out some of the Death Eaters, like the Carrows. Or Bellatrix Lestrange. I heard that she laughed while she watched my father being tortured to death."
"Damn it, Theo!" Blaise said, but the resignation in his voice indicated that he knew his friend's mind was made up.
"But you should escape while you can, Blaise," Theodore told him. "There's no need for you to risk your neck, too."
"Idiot," Blaise said gruffly, clapping him on the shoulder. "Do you think I'd leave you alone to carry out some heroic suicidal mission like a Gryffindor? Someone has to watch your back and make sure you survive this."
"If this is a bluff to convince me to escape so that you won't get hurt, it won't work," Theodore warned. "I'm staying no matter what."
"Idiot!" Blaise repeated, with real anger this time. "You think I'd run away and leave my best friend to fight alone?" He turned to glare defiantly at Charlie. "Being a Slytherin doesn't mean that I'm a coward, just that I see no point in throwing my life away for a lost cause, for people who think that I'm a Dark Wizard anyway, because of my House. But I won't abandon my family or friends."
Charlie's face softened then, and he said, "Then I'd be proud to fight by your side, both of you."
Theodore's eyes filled with tears, and he said a hoarse voice, "Thank you, Blaise."
"I still think you're an idiot, you know," Blaise said affectionately, slipping his arm around the other boy's shoulders. "But I'll be an idiot with you. And what the hell, maybe we'll become war heroes if Potter wins." He gave Charlie a sly grin. "And that will surely help advance my plans of Slytherin ambition."
Charlie held out his hand, and Blaise regarded it warily for a moment before shaking it firmly, and then Theodore did the same. "Anyone of any House who wishes to fight against the Death Eaters is welcome to come with us," Charlie declared.
"I'll go," Millicent said. "My father is a pureblood, but my mother is a Muggle-born. I chose to go into Slytherin because I wanted to prove that my blood was as good as anyone else's. My mum is under house arrest, and my father had to pay a huge bribe to keep her from being sent to Azkaban or worse. If the Dark Lord wins, then maybe someday they'll kill her, and my father too, for being a blood traitor, not to mention myself, for having Muggle blood. I didn't like the Headmaster, and I don't much care about Potter, but I'll fight to protect my family."
"Millie, no!" Dorothea cried in horror. "What if the Death Eaters kill you?"
"I have to fight," Millicent replied, gently but firmly. "Otherwise we'll never be safe from the Death Eaters. Don't worry; I'm good with hexes and the Professor taught us how to defend ourselves."
Snape had spent his year as the DADA instructor trying to drill into his students' heads the spells and knowledge they would need to survive the upcoming (and now present) war. He wasn't sure that he had succeeded with Potter, who had, as always, insisted on defying and questioning him, but Millicent and most of the other Slytherins had worked diligently. In some ways, they'd known more than the other Houses about what was at stake.
Pansy was still pale and shaking with fear, but she rose to her feet and said, "I'll fight, too, then. I...I want to protect Millicent, and my family, too." Millicent smiled and held out her hand, and Pansy clasped it tightly with trembling fingers.
"I will fight," Serafina Avery said. She was the daughter of the Death Eater Avery, a thin, scrawny girl with limp, mousy-brown hair and empty, emotionless eyes. She was even more of a loner than Theodore, and seemed to care more for the company of books than her classmates. Such a bookish, anti-social girl would probably have been harassed by her peers except that she was particularly adept with hexes, so no one wanted to cross her.
"My father likes hurting people, as do many of his comrades," Serafina said, her voice calm and emotionless, as if she were discussing something as trivial as a homework assignment instead of treason against the Death Eaters. "I can take care of myself, but my mother..." Her voice trailed off for a moment. Snape had met Mrs. Avery only a few times, but he remembered her as being quiet and meek, treating her husband with a deference bordering on fear--a fear that Avery seemed to relish.
"I think it's about time that we stopped them from hurting people," Serafina continued, the emptiness in her eyes being replaced with grim determination.
"I'll fight, too!" Brandon Harper declared. "I'm tired of being bullied by that lot! I'm tired of always having to kiss the Carrows' arses, for fear that they'll report us to their master!"
"I'll fight," Daphne Greengrass said quietly, to Snape's utter amazement. She was a quiet girl, who rarely spoke in class and seemed intimidated by the more prominent Slytherins like Draco. Sometimes Snape wondered why she had been Sorted into his House, because she seemed to have little ambition, unless, like Millicent, it was to prove that she was worthy of her blood. Daphne came from an ostensibly pureblood family with questionable lineage--there had been a scandal a couple of generations ago when her unwed grandmother had gotten pregnant. No one had stepped forward as the father, and the Greengrass girl had refused to name him, so a rumor had gone around that he was a Muggle-born, or even worse, an outright Muggle.
"Daphne!" her younger sister Astoria protested, tears running down her face.
"I have to do this," Daphne said quietly, squeezing her sister's hand. "Otherwise we'll always live in fear of the Death Eaters. They've already ruled over our lives for too long." She turned to face Snape. "Maybe you already know this, but my older brother Gabriel was killed when I was just a baby. My family tried to stay neutral during the first war, but the Lestranges came after Gabriel and told him that he needed to prove that his blood was pure by joining them in ridding the world of Muggles and Mudbloods. He refused, so they killed him. And when the Death Eaters took over the Ministry, my father had to stand trial and answer charges about his blood purity. They finally let him go after he paid a bribe, like Millicent's father, but they said that they'd be keeping their eye on all of us. We have no money left to pay more bribes, and the next time they come after us, they might not let us off so easy. So I have to do this for us, Astoria." She kissed her sister on the forehead. "But you must go to America and be safe, so that the Greengrass name will continue in case anything happens to me."
"No!" Astoria cried, weeping hysterically. "I won't leave you, Daphne!"
She was two years younger than Daphne, and ill-suited to combat in Snape's opinion, although he hadn't thought that Daphne would have the spine to fight, either. "Please take the Portkey to safety, Astoria," Snape said, earning a grateful look from Daphne. "I need someone to help look after the younger students. They will be frightened, alone in a strange country without their parents."
"Yes," Daphne agreed quickly. "You'll be doing your part, too, Astoria, looking after the young ones. Please do this for me--for all of our House."
Astoria gave in after a few more tearful protests, and some of the older Slytherins were grateful to have the excuse of "looking after the young ones" in order to flee to safety without appearing cowardly. But more than he had thought were willing, even eager, to fight. He refused to let anyone below sixth year stay; there was a limit as to how many of his students he was willing to endanger. He would not have taken any of them with him at all, except that he suspected he would have to Stupefy the more determined ones, like Theodore, in order to stop them. He was tempted to do just that, but after listening to them, he believed that they knew the risks and weren't acting on a whim or out of deluded notions of heroism and glory. They had the right to avenge and protect their families--he had not been much older than them when he'd decided to betray the Death Eaters and turn spy for Dumbledore, after all.
A few of the students who were old enough to Apparate chose to go home to their families. Those who were too young to Apparate, he sent through the Portkey, along with the older ones who had agreed to look after them. The Portkey was charmed to return immediately after depositing the people it was transporting, so it did not take long before the students were sent to safety. The few remaining village children were sent along with the Slytherins, although it appeared that most of the Hogsmeade residents who weren't inclined to fight had already fled once the Death Eaters had abandoned the village to attack the castle. Those who remained had been stretched to the breaking point by months of fear and oppression, and even if they had been afraid to defy the Death Eaters at the beginning of Voldemort's reign, they were now willing to risk everything to gain their freedom.
Snape had expected Slughorn to volunteer to "protect" the students who were leaving, but he was surprised once again when his former Professor chose to stay behind. His shock must have showed on his face, because Slughorn smiled wryly and said, "Minerva told me that it was time to choose sides and she was right. I haven't the stomach to join the Death Eaters, and I doubt that remaining neutral will buy me any goodwill from them. The students' stories have indicated that they have the attitude that 'if you're not for us, then you're against us'. And..." His expression sobered into a look of guilt and remorse. "You have shamed me, Severus. You have worked hard and put yourself at risk to protect your students, as I never did when I was your teacher. If I had...perhaps you and your friends would not have been swayed by the Dark Lord's promises. And perhaps..." His voice dropped to a whisper as he cast his eyes downward. "Perhaps I could have stopped Tom Riddle before he became the Dark Lord." Then he squared his shoulders and looked up, his voice gaining volume and strength. "I can't undo the mistakes I made in the past, but I can attempt to atone for them now. For once in my life, I can stand by my students and protect them."
When the last of the refugees had reached safety, Aberforth destroyed the Portkey. "No sense in making it easy for the Death Eaters to track them down in case they get their hands on this," he said, and Snape agreed. He had a separate escape route for himself in place that he had kept secret even from Dumbledore. And if the worst should happen...well, Elizabeth was an intelligent and capable woman, and she would keep his Slytherins safe.
Aberforth also returned Snape's wand to him, saying, "I think you'll be needing this, Professor," and no one objected.
"You know the Death Eaters better than any of us, Snape," Charlie said matter-of-factly, without any accusation in his voice. "What's the best way to go about this? What will give us the best chance of doing the most damage?"
Well, well...Charlie really was turning out to be unusually intelligent and rational for a Gryffindor. Snape had never really noticed that before; all the red-haired Weasley children tended to blend together in his mind, except for Percy, who had always been studious and obedient, even if he was a bit priggish and arrogant. Now that he thought about it, Charlie had been mischievous as a child, but not nearly as much trouble as the twins had been.
"The resistance appears to be led mainly by the Gryffindors--not surprising, since Potter has become the symbol of their cause," Snape replied. "So the Death Eaters will probably be expecting a bold and dramatic--if not especially strategic--move like storming the front gates of the castle."
"And while that sounds very heroic, getting killed before we even have a chance to duel a single Death Eater will not help to win the battle," Charlie conceded with a wry smile. "Should we attack by air, then?"
"That's better than a frontal assault, but the more intelligent of the Death Eaters will be keeping an eye on the skies," Snape replied. "Besides, we don't have enough brooms for everyone."
"What do you propose, then?" one of Charlie's friends asked impatiently, in a heavy Romanian accent.
"They think they have the village cowed," Snape said. "They would expect the Hogsmeade residents to cower in fear in their homes, or flee for their lives. It is somewhat risky, but I think that we have a chance of sneaking up on them unnoticed if we cross the lake and approach the castle from behind."
"Sounds good to me," Charlie said, and no one else could come up with any objections.
"If you can, try to take out the Lestranges, especially Bellatrix," Snape advised. "They're the most fanatical of the Dark Lord's servants. The loyalty of most of the others has been strained over the past several months. If they see the tide turning against them, they might well lose heart and flee."
"And what about the Malfoys?" Charlie asked. "Isn't Lucius one of You Know Who's top lieutenants?"
"Not any longer," Snape replied. "He fell out of favor long ago. Only fear keeps them in the ranks of the Death Eaters; they would have fled by now if they were not afraid that the Dark Lord would track them down and kill them." He hesitated. "I won't tell you not to defend yourselves, but Lucius's spirit has been broken, and Narcissa cares only about protecting her son; they won't put up much of a fight. I'd appreciate it if you would leave them to me, if possible."
"You want to save them," Charlie said, not exactly approvingly, but not accusingly either, although some of the villagers muttered darkly amongst themselves.
"Lucius is my friend, though we are fighting on opposite sides now," Snape said, keeping his voice level and trying not to sound defensive. "I'm not proposing that we allow him to escape unscathed; let him stand trial for his crimes after the battle, assuming that our side wins. But I do not want to see my old school friend killed if it can be avoided."
Charlie gave Snape a long, measuring stare, then finally said, "I don't like the Malfoys, but in a strange way, I feel reassured to know that you have a heart after all, Snape."
"I can't tell you how touched I am by that sentiment, Mr. Weasley," Snape said dryly, and Charlie laughed.
"Now that sounds more like the Snape I'm familiar with!" he said. "All right, I'll try to stun rather than kill your friends if possible, but I won't risk my life or that of my comrades in order to do so."
"I wouldn't expect you to," Snape said, and the others gave in with varying degrees of relief (mostly the Slytherins) and reluctance (mostly the villagers). "There is one more thing," Snape added, once it had been grudgingly agreed upon to spare the Malfoys. "It is of the utmost importance that Nagini, the Dark Lord's pet snake, be killed--more so than any of the Death Eaters. She is currently encased in a sort of protective shielding charm, but we must find some way to break it and slay her."
"What's so important about the snake?" Rosmerta asked curiously.
"The Dark Lord has put a large portion of his power into her, as a means to keep it safe," Snape replied, choosing his words carefully. "This makes him more difficult to kill, but it also makes him vulnerable, since he will be severely weakened if Nagini is destroyed."
"Oh, like that fairy tale about an evil wizard who hid his heart in an object," Charlie said, unwittingly striking very close to the truth. "I think it was in an egg that was hidden inside a duck that was hidden inside...oh, I forget already. But I remember that his body couldn't be killed until his heart was destroyed."
"Yes, something like that, though not exactly," Snape said nonchalantly.
"Okay then, I think we've got it," Charlie said cheerfully. "Take out the Lestranges, stun the Malfoys, and kill the snake--that's simple enough to remember!"
So they headed to the lake and split up into three groups, since there were too many people to fit in one boat--a fact which heartened Snape slightly. The more reinforcements they brought, the better, and he was proud of his Slytherins' bravery even though he would have preferred that they remained out of harm's way.
Charlie and his friends took one boat, while Aberforth and the villagers took another, and Snape, Slughorn, and the Slytherins claimed a third. Brandon had insisted that they needed a banner to carry into battle, and the students had quickly fashioned one out of an old, stained tablecloth from the inn that Daphne quickly sketched a crude snake on with a painting charm. It was a little frayed and ragged, but Slughorn, as the Head of Slytherin House, carried it with great pride as they set sail.
The weather itself seemed to be on their side; a hazy fog hung over the lake--not so heavy as to hinder their navigation, but enough to disguise their approach from any casual watchers. Snape took it as a good omen, even though he could see little flashes of red and green light through the fog. They looked deceptively pretty, like fireworks being shot off above the castle as part of a celebration, but he knew that they were actually hexes and spells, evidence of the ongoing battle.
Part 3, Part 4, Part 5
"I've brought reinforcements!" Charlie said, then did a double take when he spotted Snape and the Slytherins. "What the--?!" he exclaimed, raising his wand.
"Take it easy, Weasley," Aberforth said, firmly grasping his arm and pushing it down. "As strange as it sounds, Snape appears to be on our side." And once more, Snape gave a brief explanation of his arrangement with Dumbledore.
"Hmm, it still sounds somewhat fishy," Charlie said suspiciously. "Although I wouldn't put it past Dumbledore to sacrifice himself if he knew he was already dying."
Surprisingly, Theodore came to Snape's defense. "He caught us by surprise out in the street. He could have stayed hidden and used Killing Curses on us, or gone back to report to the Dark Lord without anyone noticing. But he revealed himself to us and gave Mr. Dumbledore his wand. And he could have killed the Headmaster much more quietly and easily, say, by poisoning him while pretending to treat his hand."
"That's true," Charlie admitted. "I must say, Snape, that I've been wondering why you killed Dumbledore in such a dramatically public manner instead of slipping a little poison into his morning tea or something. Of course, if he'd been poisoned, you would have been the first suspect, but I'm sure you know of poisons that mimic natural causes. And everyone knew that he'd suffered some terrible curse or illness because of his hand."
"Will wonders never cease?" Snape asked sarcastically. "A Gryffindor who can think logically."
Charlie actually chuckled at that. "Okay, Snape--I'm willing to trust you, at least as long as I can keep you in sight. We're heading to the castle to join in the battle and do what we can. Are you coming?"
"Yes, as soon as I send my students through the Portkey," Snape replied.
"Wait, I'm not going!" Theodore shouted. "I want to come with you and fight!"
"Are you mad?!" Blaise cried. "Do you want to get yourself killed like your father?"
"That's exactly why I want to fight," Theodore said grimly. "To get revenge for my father. And my mother, too."
"Your mother?" Pansy asked, sounding confused. "I thought that your mum died of an illness when you were little."
"That's the story that Father put out so that the Ministry wouldn't get wind of the truth," Theodore replied bitterly. "The truth is that she'd been researching Dark Magic for the Death Eaters during the war, and one of the spells went wrong, and she got caught in the backlash. She didn't die right away, but slowly wasted away over several years, with her body eating itself away from the inside out. I sat at her bedside while she died, coughing up blood. It's the Dark Lord's fault that she's dead. And even though my mother gave her life to the cause, he killed my father, too, not because he betrayed the Death Eaters, but because he couldn't catch Potter--even though no one else has been able to capture him, either."
"Look, I know you want revenge, but what good will it do to get yourself killed, too?" Blaise argued. "Your parents wouldn't want that! Besides, the Professor just said that Potter is the only one who can take down the Dark Lord. Come home with me, Theo. My mother already has an escape plan ready; she just couldn't leave while I was stuck at Hogwarts. We can hide in a safe place until we know which side's won."
Charlie gave the boy a disgusted look, but Snape was privately applauding his practicality, and hoped Theodore would take him up on the offer.
"No," Theodore said implacably. "The Dark Lord took my family from me. I'm going to do whatever I can to help defeat him, even if it's only indirectly. And I wouldn't mind taking out some of the Death Eaters, like the Carrows. Or Bellatrix Lestrange. I heard that she laughed while she watched my father being tortured to death."
"Damn it, Theo!" Blaise said, but the resignation in his voice indicated that he knew his friend's mind was made up.
"But you should escape while you can, Blaise," Theodore told him. "There's no need for you to risk your neck, too."
"Idiot," Blaise said gruffly, clapping him on the shoulder. "Do you think I'd leave you alone to carry out some heroic suicidal mission like a Gryffindor? Someone has to watch your back and make sure you survive this."
"If this is a bluff to convince me to escape so that you won't get hurt, it won't work," Theodore warned. "I'm staying no matter what."
"Idiot!" Blaise repeated, with real anger this time. "You think I'd run away and leave my best friend to fight alone?" He turned to glare defiantly at Charlie. "Being a Slytherin doesn't mean that I'm a coward, just that I see no point in throwing my life away for a lost cause, for people who think that I'm a Dark Wizard anyway, because of my House. But I won't abandon my family or friends."
Charlie's face softened then, and he said, "Then I'd be proud to fight by your side, both of you."
Theodore's eyes filled with tears, and he said a hoarse voice, "Thank you, Blaise."
"I still think you're an idiot, you know," Blaise said affectionately, slipping his arm around the other boy's shoulders. "But I'll be an idiot with you. And what the hell, maybe we'll become war heroes if Potter wins." He gave Charlie a sly grin. "And that will surely help advance my plans of Slytherin ambition."
Charlie held out his hand, and Blaise regarded it warily for a moment before shaking it firmly, and then Theodore did the same. "Anyone of any House who wishes to fight against the Death Eaters is welcome to come with us," Charlie declared.
"I'll go," Millicent said. "My father is a pureblood, but my mother is a Muggle-born. I chose to go into Slytherin because I wanted to prove that my blood was as good as anyone else's. My mum is under house arrest, and my father had to pay a huge bribe to keep her from being sent to Azkaban or worse. If the Dark Lord wins, then maybe someday they'll kill her, and my father too, for being a blood traitor, not to mention myself, for having Muggle blood. I didn't like the Headmaster, and I don't much care about Potter, but I'll fight to protect my family."
"Millie, no!" Dorothea cried in horror. "What if the Death Eaters kill you?"
"I have to fight," Millicent replied, gently but firmly. "Otherwise we'll never be safe from the Death Eaters. Don't worry; I'm good with hexes and the Professor taught us how to defend ourselves."
Snape had spent his year as the DADA instructor trying to drill into his students' heads the spells and knowledge they would need to survive the upcoming (and now present) war. He wasn't sure that he had succeeded with Potter, who had, as always, insisted on defying and questioning him, but Millicent and most of the other Slytherins had worked diligently. In some ways, they'd known more than the other Houses about what was at stake.
Pansy was still pale and shaking with fear, but she rose to her feet and said, "I'll fight, too, then. I...I want to protect Millicent, and my family, too." Millicent smiled and held out her hand, and Pansy clasped it tightly with trembling fingers.
"I will fight," Serafina Avery said. She was the daughter of the Death Eater Avery, a thin, scrawny girl with limp, mousy-brown hair and empty, emotionless eyes. She was even more of a loner than Theodore, and seemed to care more for the company of books than her classmates. Such a bookish, anti-social girl would probably have been harassed by her peers except that she was particularly adept with hexes, so no one wanted to cross her.
"My father likes hurting people, as do many of his comrades," Serafina said, her voice calm and emotionless, as if she were discussing something as trivial as a homework assignment instead of treason against the Death Eaters. "I can take care of myself, but my mother..." Her voice trailed off for a moment. Snape had met Mrs. Avery only a few times, but he remembered her as being quiet and meek, treating her husband with a deference bordering on fear--a fear that Avery seemed to relish.
"I think it's about time that we stopped them from hurting people," Serafina continued, the emptiness in her eyes being replaced with grim determination.
"I'll fight, too!" Brandon Harper declared. "I'm tired of being bullied by that lot! I'm tired of always having to kiss the Carrows' arses, for fear that they'll report us to their master!"
"I'll fight," Daphne Greengrass said quietly, to Snape's utter amazement. She was a quiet girl, who rarely spoke in class and seemed intimidated by the more prominent Slytherins like Draco. Sometimes Snape wondered why she had been Sorted into his House, because she seemed to have little ambition, unless, like Millicent, it was to prove that she was worthy of her blood. Daphne came from an ostensibly pureblood family with questionable lineage--there had been a scandal a couple of generations ago when her unwed grandmother had gotten pregnant. No one had stepped forward as the father, and the Greengrass girl had refused to name him, so a rumor had gone around that he was a Muggle-born, or even worse, an outright Muggle.
"Daphne!" her younger sister Astoria protested, tears running down her face.
"I have to do this," Daphne said quietly, squeezing her sister's hand. "Otherwise we'll always live in fear of the Death Eaters. They've already ruled over our lives for too long." She turned to face Snape. "Maybe you already know this, but my older brother Gabriel was killed when I was just a baby. My family tried to stay neutral during the first war, but the Lestranges came after Gabriel and told him that he needed to prove that his blood was pure by joining them in ridding the world of Muggles and Mudbloods. He refused, so they killed him. And when the Death Eaters took over the Ministry, my father had to stand trial and answer charges about his blood purity. They finally let him go after he paid a bribe, like Millicent's father, but they said that they'd be keeping their eye on all of us. We have no money left to pay more bribes, and the next time they come after us, they might not let us off so easy. So I have to do this for us, Astoria." She kissed her sister on the forehead. "But you must go to America and be safe, so that the Greengrass name will continue in case anything happens to me."
"No!" Astoria cried, weeping hysterically. "I won't leave you, Daphne!"
She was two years younger than Daphne, and ill-suited to combat in Snape's opinion, although he hadn't thought that Daphne would have the spine to fight, either. "Please take the Portkey to safety, Astoria," Snape said, earning a grateful look from Daphne. "I need someone to help look after the younger students. They will be frightened, alone in a strange country without their parents."
"Yes," Daphne agreed quickly. "You'll be doing your part, too, Astoria, looking after the young ones. Please do this for me--for all of our House."
Astoria gave in after a few more tearful protests, and some of the older Slytherins were grateful to have the excuse of "looking after the young ones" in order to flee to safety without appearing cowardly. But more than he had thought were willing, even eager, to fight. He refused to let anyone below sixth year stay; there was a limit as to how many of his students he was willing to endanger. He would not have taken any of them with him at all, except that he suspected he would have to Stupefy the more determined ones, like Theodore, in order to stop them. He was tempted to do just that, but after listening to them, he believed that they knew the risks and weren't acting on a whim or out of deluded notions of heroism and glory. They had the right to avenge and protect their families--he had not been much older than them when he'd decided to betray the Death Eaters and turn spy for Dumbledore, after all.
A few of the students who were old enough to Apparate chose to go home to their families. Those who were too young to Apparate, he sent through the Portkey, along with the older ones who had agreed to look after them. The Portkey was charmed to return immediately after depositing the people it was transporting, so it did not take long before the students were sent to safety. The few remaining village children were sent along with the Slytherins, although it appeared that most of the Hogsmeade residents who weren't inclined to fight had already fled once the Death Eaters had abandoned the village to attack the castle. Those who remained had been stretched to the breaking point by months of fear and oppression, and even if they had been afraid to defy the Death Eaters at the beginning of Voldemort's reign, they were now willing to risk everything to gain their freedom.
Snape had expected Slughorn to volunteer to "protect" the students who were leaving, but he was surprised once again when his former Professor chose to stay behind. His shock must have showed on his face, because Slughorn smiled wryly and said, "Minerva told me that it was time to choose sides and she was right. I haven't the stomach to join the Death Eaters, and I doubt that remaining neutral will buy me any goodwill from them. The students' stories have indicated that they have the attitude that 'if you're not for us, then you're against us'. And..." His expression sobered into a look of guilt and remorse. "You have shamed me, Severus. You have worked hard and put yourself at risk to protect your students, as I never did when I was your teacher. If I had...perhaps you and your friends would not have been swayed by the Dark Lord's promises. And perhaps..." His voice dropped to a whisper as he cast his eyes downward. "Perhaps I could have stopped Tom Riddle before he became the Dark Lord." Then he squared his shoulders and looked up, his voice gaining volume and strength. "I can't undo the mistakes I made in the past, but I can attempt to atone for them now. For once in my life, I can stand by my students and protect them."
When the last of the refugees had reached safety, Aberforth destroyed the Portkey. "No sense in making it easy for the Death Eaters to track them down in case they get their hands on this," he said, and Snape agreed. He had a separate escape route for himself in place that he had kept secret even from Dumbledore. And if the worst should happen...well, Elizabeth was an intelligent and capable woman, and she would keep his Slytherins safe.
Aberforth also returned Snape's wand to him, saying, "I think you'll be needing this, Professor," and no one objected.
"You know the Death Eaters better than any of us, Snape," Charlie said matter-of-factly, without any accusation in his voice. "What's the best way to go about this? What will give us the best chance of doing the most damage?"
Well, well...Charlie really was turning out to be unusually intelligent and rational for a Gryffindor. Snape had never really noticed that before; all the red-haired Weasley children tended to blend together in his mind, except for Percy, who had always been studious and obedient, even if he was a bit priggish and arrogant. Now that he thought about it, Charlie had been mischievous as a child, but not nearly as much trouble as the twins had been.
"The resistance appears to be led mainly by the Gryffindors--not surprising, since Potter has become the symbol of their cause," Snape replied. "So the Death Eaters will probably be expecting a bold and dramatic--if not especially strategic--move like storming the front gates of the castle."
"And while that sounds very heroic, getting killed before we even have a chance to duel a single Death Eater will not help to win the battle," Charlie conceded with a wry smile. "Should we attack by air, then?"
"That's better than a frontal assault, but the more intelligent of the Death Eaters will be keeping an eye on the skies," Snape replied. "Besides, we don't have enough brooms for everyone."
"What do you propose, then?" one of Charlie's friends asked impatiently, in a heavy Romanian accent.
"They think they have the village cowed," Snape said. "They would expect the Hogsmeade residents to cower in fear in their homes, or flee for their lives. It is somewhat risky, but I think that we have a chance of sneaking up on them unnoticed if we cross the lake and approach the castle from behind."
"Sounds good to me," Charlie said, and no one else could come up with any objections.
"If you can, try to take out the Lestranges, especially Bellatrix," Snape advised. "They're the most fanatical of the Dark Lord's servants. The loyalty of most of the others has been strained over the past several months. If they see the tide turning against them, they might well lose heart and flee."
"And what about the Malfoys?" Charlie asked. "Isn't Lucius one of You Know Who's top lieutenants?"
"Not any longer," Snape replied. "He fell out of favor long ago. Only fear keeps them in the ranks of the Death Eaters; they would have fled by now if they were not afraid that the Dark Lord would track them down and kill them." He hesitated. "I won't tell you not to defend yourselves, but Lucius's spirit has been broken, and Narcissa cares only about protecting her son; they won't put up much of a fight. I'd appreciate it if you would leave them to me, if possible."
"You want to save them," Charlie said, not exactly approvingly, but not accusingly either, although some of the villagers muttered darkly amongst themselves.
"Lucius is my friend, though we are fighting on opposite sides now," Snape said, keeping his voice level and trying not to sound defensive. "I'm not proposing that we allow him to escape unscathed; let him stand trial for his crimes after the battle, assuming that our side wins. But I do not want to see my old school friend killed if it can be avoided."
Charlie gave Snape a long, measuring stare, then finally said, "I don't like the Malfoys, but in a strange way, I feel reassured to know that you have a heart after all, Snape."
"I can't tell you how touched I am by that sentiment, Mr. Weasley," Snape said dryly, and Charlie laughed.
"Now that sounds more like the Snape I'm familiar with!" he said. "All right, I'll try to stun rather than kill your friends if possible, but I won't risk my life or that of my comrades in order to do so."
"I wouldn't expect you to," Snape said, and the others gave in with varying degrees of relief (mostly the Slytherins) and reluctance (mostly the villagers). "There is one more thing," Snape added, once it had been grudgingly agreed upon to spare the Malfoys. "It is of the utmost importance that Nagini, the Dark Lord's pet snake, be killed--more so than any of the Death Eaters. She is currently encased in a sort of protective shielding charm, but we must find some way to break it and slay her."
"What's so important about the snake?" Rosmerta asked curiously.
"The Dark Lord has put a large portion of his power into her, as a means to keep it safe," Snape replied, choosing his words carefully. "This makes him more difficult to kill, but it also makes him vulnerable, since he will be severely weakened if Nagini is destroyed."
"Oh, like that fairy tale about an evil wizard who hid his heart in an object," Charlie said, unwittingly striking very close to the truth. "I think it was in an egg that was hidden inside a duck that was hidden inside...oh, I forget already. But I remember that his body couldn't be killed until his heart was destroyed."
"Yes, something like that, though not exactly," Snape said nonchalantly.
"Okay then, I think we've got it," Charlie said cheerfully. "Take out the Lestranges, stun the Malfoys, and kill the snake--that's simple enough to remember!"
So they headed to the lake and split up into three groups, since there were too many people to fit in one boat--a fact which heartened Snape slightly. The more reinforcements they brought, the better, and he was proud of his Slytherins' bravery even though he would have preferred that they remained out of harm's way.
Charlie and his friends took one boat, while Aberforth and the villagers took another, and Snape, Slughorn, and the Slytherins claimed a third. Brandon had insisted that they needed a banner to carry into battle, and the students had quickly fashioned one out of an old, stained tablecloth from the inn that Daphne quickly sketched a crude snake on with a painting charm. It was a little frayed and ragged, but Slughorn, as the Head of Slytherin House, carried it with great pride as they set sail.
The weather itself seemed to be on their side; a hazy fog hung over the lake--not so heavy as to hinder their navigation, but enough to disguise their approach from any casual watchers. Snape took it as a good omen, even though he could see little flashes of red and green light through the fog. They looked deceptively pretty, like fireworks being shot off above the castle as part of a celebration, but he knew that they were actually hexes and spells, evidence of the ongoing battle.
Part 3, Part 4, Part 5