Chapter Forty Two - The Elven Council

Chapter Forty Two – The Elven Council

 

            Once inside the dark office, they each lit a few lamps to dispel the perpetual gloom.  Besides Snape’s old chair, there were only two hardbacked wooden chairs before the desk.  Lupin took Snape’s seat with a sigh and commented, “I have the feeling I need to be sitting down for this.”

            Tonks perched on one corner of the desk and looked at some of the bizarre items Snape had left on his desk.  Hermione marveled at the quantity of items Snape had left behind.  When he’d left Hogwarts, he’d taken nothing but his wand.  She wondered if any of his things held sentimental value.  Or if Snape could even feel sentiment.

            She sat down in one of the hard seats.  Draco stood nearby, partially in shadow, likely uncomfortable as he usually was in the presence of others.  Harry paced.

            Without further delay, Hermione launched into an explanation of where they had gone—leaving out their side trip to Godric’s Hollow.  Lupin’s lips thinned into an irritated line when he heard they had departed the school unannounced yet again, but he allowed her to finish without interruption.  She felt quite guilty anyway, especially considering they planned to sneak out again at the earliest opportunity.

            Draco willingly repeated his conversation with Snape and they postulated a bit on Snape’s motives, without managing a satisfying explanation.

            “Maybe Voldemort killed someone he cared about,” Tonks suggested.

            “I find it difficult to believe he could care enough about anyone to seek revenge for over a decade,” Lupin said.

            “He cares about Draco.”

            “He seems to care about him,” Harry snapped.  His pacing was beginning to annoy Hermione.  “With Snape, nothing can be taken at face value.”

            “Harry, will you please sit down?” she asked.  He stopped walking, but did not sit.

            “Well, the first order of business is to send a warning to the Ministry.  They will likely not heed it, particularly since we have only a vague caution, but at least we can keep our own Ministry officials on the alert.  Unfortunately, there are only a few of them now.”

            “Jack and I can trade off shifts.  Kingley and Arthur, too.”

            “Try to spread as many rumors as you can to keep the sharper officials on their toes.  If word gets out, some of them will pay attention.  The rest of us will start combing the forest and try to locate some sign of Voldemort.  I’ll recruit Hagrid.”

            “And Grawp,” Harry interjected.  Lupin cleared his throat.

            “And Grawp.”

            “Moody will leap at the chance for some action.  I think we should start in the clearing where we found Draco—maybe we can figure out why he was taken there.”

            There was a long silence.

            “Why does it disturb me that you three are not leaping to volunteer for one duty or another?” Lupin asked.

            Hermione flushed.

            “I’m rather tired,” Draco said dryly.

            “Would you let me help?” Harry asked bitterly.

            “Probably not, but I think it is more likely that you are all up to something.  Someone needs to invent a charm that will set off an alarm the instant any of you get too close to the outer wall.”

            “We’d just figure out how to disarm it,” Draco replied.

            Lupin stood up.  “Yes, you probably would.”

            He and Tonks went out.

            Draco was looking at the books lining the shelves.

            “Remarkably similar to the ones Snape had at home,” he commented.  “Less deadly, however.  At least he didn’t willingly allow some of the nastier volumes to fall into student hands.”

            “Wouldn’t you have been first in line?” Harry asked.

            “As long as it would have given me a weapon to use against you?  Most likely.”  Draco grinned.  Harry shook his head wryly and tugged at his hair.

            “Do you think there is anything useful in here?” Hermione asked.

            “Like what?”

            “Like a list entitled ‘Places I Already Seached for Horcruxes,’” Draco suggested.  Harry shot a mild Stinging Hex at him and Malfoy yelped and rubbed his arm.  “Watch it, Potter.”

            “Don’t you think he would have told you if he had such a thing?”

            “Not necessarily.  He’s still a git.  I think his need to destroy the Horcruxes wars with his need to make it difficult for me.”

            “He’s probably just jealous of your blinding good looks,” Harry commented and then made a gagging face.

            “Potter’s trying to hide the fact that he’s in love with me,” Draco said conspiratorially to Hermione.  “You should see him grope me when we’re alone.”
            A second Stinging Hex followed the first and Malfoy said, “Damn you!”  But he grinned when he shot one at Harry, who leaped aside.

            “Will you two stop acting like children?” Hermione snapped primly.  “I’m sure the Order went through this place a dozen times, trying to find a clue as to why Snape killed Dumbledore.”

            “Do you think he’d write that down?” Draco asked ingeniously.  Hermione stood up and glared at him.

            “You don’t want me to give you a Stinging Hex,” she warned.

            “Maybe I do,” he said caressingly.  She sighed in exasperation.

            Draco was suddenly serious.  “Is there any chance Voldemort has accessed the school?  What if he found a weakness in the defenses?”

            “We already checked,” Harry said absently.

            “You checked the entire school?”

            “We sort of cheated,” Hermione admitted, realizing Draco did not know about the Marauder’s Map.  “We should probably look again, Harry.  Just to be safe.”

            “All right.  We should also go say something to Mrs. Weasley, first.”  Harry pointed his wand at Malfoy.  “Don’t say it.”

            “Don’t say what?”

            “Whatever horrible, sarcastic comment you were about to make.”

            Draco clapped a hand to his chest.  “You wound me, Potter.”

            “Let’s go,” Hermione said.  “I don’t know how much more of this I can take.”

( Read more... )

Chapter Forty Two - The Elven Council

Chapter Forty Two – The Elven Council

 

            Once inside the dark office, they each lit a few lamps to dispel the perpetual gloom.  Besides Snape’s old chair, there were only two hardbacked wooden chairs before the desk.  Lupin took Snape’s seat with a sigh and commented, “I have the feeling I need to be sitting down for this.”

            Tonks perched on one corner of the desk and looked at some of the bizarre items Snape had left on his desk.  Hermione marveled at the quantity of items Snape had left behind.  When he’d left Hogwarts, he’d taken nothing but his wand.  She wondered if any of his things held sentimental value.  Or if Snape could even feel sentiment.

            She sat down in one of the hard seats.  Draco stood nearby, partially in shadow, likely uncomfortable as he usually was in the presence of others.  Harry paced.

            Without further delay, Hermione launched into an explanation of where they had gone—leaving out their side trip to Godric’s Hollow.  Lupin’s lips thinned into an irritated line when he heard they had departed the school unannounced yet again, but he allowed her to finish without interruption.  She felt quite guilty anyway, especially considering they planned to sneak out again at the earliest opportunity.

            Draco willingly repeated his conversation with Snape and they postulated a bit on Snape’s motives, without managing a satisfying explanation.

            “Maybe Voldemort killed someone he cared about,” Tonks suggested.

            “I find it difficult to believe he could care enough about anyone to seek revenge for over a decade,” Lupin said.

            “He cares about Draco.”

            “He seems to care about him,” Harry snapped.  His pacing was beginning to annoy Hermione.  “With Snape, nothing can be taken at face value.”

            “Harry, will you please sit down?” she asked.  He stopped walking, but did not sit.

            “Well, the first order of business is to send a warning to the Ministry.  They will likely not heed it, particularly since we have only a vague caution, but at least we can keep our own Ministry officials on the alert.  Unfortunately, there are only a few of them now.”

            “Jack and I can trade off shifts.  Kingley and Arthur, too.”

            “Try to spread as many rumors as you can to keep the sharper officials on their toes.  If word gets out, some of them will pay attention.  The rest of us will start combing the forest and try to locate some sign of Voldemort.  I’ll recruit Hagrid.”

            “And Grawp,” Harry interjected.  Lupin cleared his throat.

            “And Grawp.”

            “Moody will leap at the chance for some action.  I think we should start in the clearing where we found Draco—maybe we can figure out why he was taken there.”

            There was a long silence.

            “Why does it disturb me that you three are not leaping to volunteer for one duty or another?” Lupin asked.

            Hermione flushed.

            “I’m rather tired,” Draco said dryly.

            “Would you let me help?” Harry asked bitterly.

            “Probably not, but I think it is more likely that you are all up to something.  Someone needs to invent a charm that will set off an alarm the instant any of you get too close to the outer wall.”

            “We’d just figure out how to disarm it,” Draco replied.

            Lupin stood up.  “Yes, you probably would.”

            He and Tonks went out.

            Draco was looking at the books lining the shelves.

            “Remarkably similar to the ones Snape had at home,” he commented.  “Less deadly, however.  At least he didn’t willingly allow some of the nastier volumes to fall into student hands.”

            “Wouldn’t you have been first in line?” Harry asked.

            “As long as it would have given me a weapon to use against you?  Most likely.”  Draco grinned.  Harry shook his head wryly and tugged at his hair.

            “Do you think there is anything useful in here?” Hermione asked.

            “Like what?”

            “Like a list entitled ‘Places I Already Seached for Horcruxes,’” Draco suggested.  Harry shot a mild Stinging Hex at him and Malfoy yelped and rubbed his arm.  “Watch it, Potter.”

            “Don’t you think he would have told you if he had such a thing?”

            “Not necessarily.  He’s still a git.  I think his need to destroy the Horcruxes wars with his need to make it difficult for me.”

            “He’s probably just jealous of your blinding good looks,” Harry commented and then made a gagging face.

            “Potter’s trying to hide the fact that he’s in love with me,” Draco said conspiratorially to Hermione.  “You should see him grope me when we’re alone.”
            A second Stinging Hex followed the first and Malfoy said, “Damn you!”  But he grinned when he shot one at Harry, who leaped aside.

            “Will you two stop acting like children?” Hermione snapped primly.  “I’m sure the Order went through this place a dozen times, trying to find a clue as to why Snape killed Dumbledore.”

            “Do you think he’d write that down?” Draco asked ingeniously.  Hermione stood up and glared at him.

            “You don’t want me to give you a Stinging Hex,” she warned.

            “Maybe I do,” he said caressingly.  She sighed in exasperation.

            Draco was suddenly serious.  “Is there any chance Voldemort has accessed the school?  What if he found a weakness in the defenses?”

            “We already checked,” Harry said absently.

            “You checked the entire school?”

            “We sort of cheated,” Hermione admitted, realizing Draco did not know about the Marauder’s Map.  “We should probably look again, Harry.  Just to be safe.”

            “All right.  We should also go say something to Mrs. Weasley, first.”  Harry pointed his wand at Malfoy.  “Don’t say it.”

            “Don’t say what?”

            “Whatever horrible, sarcastic comment you were about to make.”

            Draco clapped a hand to his chest.  “You wound me, Potter.”

            “Let’s go,” Hermione said.  “I don’t know how much more of this I can take.”

( Read more... )