money from it, so please Mrs. Rowling if you read this
don’t sue me. A comment or two would be welcome
though.
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Chapter 13: The Room with the Locked Door
Hermione and Ginny walked into the potions vault and froze. Professor Snape was there, and he was looking through the stacks of notes that the two of them had separated out. Snape looked up and sneered at them.
“I thought it was only you, Mrs. Weasley, who had been given access to the vault,” he commented. His voice, while still unfriendly, did not carry quite the hostility it normally did.
“The Headmaster knows that Ginny has been helping me,” Hermione replied carefully. She did not fear Snape as she once had, and while he could still deduct points and hand out detentions, there was no reason to push him at the moment. Snape only glared at her in response.
“You haven’t disturbed our work have you?” Ginny asked. Her tone while somewhat respectful carried an air of warning in it.
“What if I have, Mrs. Potter?” Snape snarled at her.
“Then you are likely to have messed with five months of time and effort on our part.” Ginny replied angrily. Snape eyed her warily; he had observed a few DA meetings without their knowledge and was not dumb enough to want to have to defend himself from this girl.
“I have not moved anything from where it was when I started looking through this,” he said. His voice, for Snape, had become almost friendly. The three of them stood there looking at each other for some time before anyone spoke.
“What are you doing looking through our things then, Professor?” Hermione asked as she moved to the table.
“The same thing you are Mrs. Weasley. I am looking for a weakness,” Snape replied. “And you have me to thank for most of these notes,” he added. Hermione and Ginny regarded him carefully.
“What do you mean?” Ginny asked.
“What do you think I mean, Mrs. Potter?”
“If you are truly on our side, then I would say that you have probably stolen them from Voldemort,” Hermione replied. Snape’s face contorted at the sound of the Dark Lord’s name.
“Do not say that name in my presence,” he snapped at her. Ginny almost laughed.
“Afraid of a name, Professor?” she asked. “I would think you were more reasonable than that.”
“It has nothing to do with fear you insolent brat,” Snape growled at her. Ginny’s temper flashed in a second.
“I warn you Professor, you do not want to push me too far,” she replied in a cold but calm voice.
“I would warn you also, Mrs. Potter, not to push me. I am, after all your Professor.”
“Maybe you should both behave in a civilized manner,” Hermione interjected.
“If you can refrain from using that foul name in my presence than I might be able to do that,” Snape replied.
“What would you have us call him then?”
“The Dark Lord, will suffice.”
“I think we can manage that, can’t we, Ginny?” Hermione asked her. Snape and Ginny continued to glare at each other.
“Fine,” Ginny finally conceded. Snape turned and started through another pile of notes again.
“Not that I expect you have, but have you found anything?” he asked.
“Why should we tell you if we had?” Ginny replied.
“As I said before, Mrs. Potter, you have me to thank for most of this.”
“Why should I trust that?”
“You have no choice, Mrs. Potter,” Snape said without looking up.
“I would counter that we do, Professor,” Hermione replied. Snape stopped and looked back up at the two of them. “You have done nothing in the time we have known you to show us we should trust you. We only have the Headmaster’s word to go on that you are trustworthy, most of the time that would be enough for me. But you, Professor, make me wonder.”
“Perhaps you should ask yourself why then, Mrs. Weasley,” Snape replied silkily.
“Perhaps, you should just tell us, Professor,” Ginny growled at him. Snape’s lip curled into a thin smile.
“The most brilliant witch of her age, can’t figure out why a spy would be so cruel to his supposed master’s worst enemy and his friends? Why he would coddle his supposed master’s future servants? Ask yourselves how much those dolt husbands of yours would have learned if you weren’t teaching them, Mrs. Weasley, if they weren’t doing it to spite me.”
Ginny just about lost it when Snape insulted Harry and Ron, but Hermione put her hand on her arm to stop her.
“Those reasons show you could be serving either side, Professor. Give me something that proves you fight with us. These notes, the Dark Lord would know he has to let you bring something to Professor Dumbledore. Doing everything in your power to sabotage Harry and his friends, while helping Draco Malfoy, would be expected from you by both the Headmaster and the Dark Lord.
"You want us to trust you, give us a reason, a real reason to do so. Since the Headmaster won’t tell us, why don’t you, Professor Snape? Why don’t you, tell us why he trusts you?” Snape glared at Hermione and Ginny who returned his look with equal dislike.
“The Headmaster trusts me….
Ron sat on the couch watching Harry as he fought against the effects of the Cruciatus curse. He cursed under his breath at the thought of Hermione doing this tomorrow. With school in session, the four of them were only doing this once a week now. To do more than that was not possible when they had classes, homework, DA meetings and quidditch practice to deal with also. It simply took up too much time and took too long to recover from to keep up with sessions every other day as they had during the summer holiday.
Ron was glad for the Halloween feast tomorrow night. It would help Hermione relax after her training session, and Dumbledore had decided to cancel classes on Monday to top it off. He had done it to try and alleviate some of the grumbling that was occurring about no Hogsmead visit this year. Ron wondered what Dumbledore was going to do when the grumbling got really bad next spring.
There was a reason for not allowing the visits. Ron and Dumbledore believed that the lack of attacks occurring, the success of the raids by the Ministry and the Order, were a ploy. There was no doubt that Voldemort and his followers had been dealt setbacks since the attacks of July 31st, but that did little to convince them Voldemort was ready to call it quits.
Both Ron and Dumbledore were convinced that Voldemort was trying to instill confidence in the wizarding world; that he was on the verge of defeat. In fact, they both believed the second the students left the grounds for Hogsmead Village that that was when Voldemort would attack either the town or the school.
The school was not likely, it was too well defended. But the village, that was a different story. Voldemort was after Harry again, and he was trying to disguise his trap. The grumblings from people not in the DA, whose members were only to happy to stay on the grounds, about not getting to go to the village were growing now, and by next spring, they would be a roar.
At least there was still quidditch, one of the few really fun things the four of them had left in their lives. Ron wished Hermione, liked to fly and was on the team too, so she would have a release, but she didn’t. That wasn’t all bad though. He didn’t have to worry about her getting hurt like Ginny did last year. Ron wasn’t sure how Harry dealt with Ginny getting back on a broom, he could hardly take it and she was his sister, not his wife.
The first match last week against Slytherin, had gone well for Gryffindor. They had won 190-30. The score was deceiving because of the 150 points for Harry getting the snitch. The match had been close, Malfoy had changed his team from last year, and instead of a bunch of brutes, he had people who could actually play on the squad.
The Slytherins had still played a fairly dirty game, which had resulted in all but 10 points being scored from penalty shots. Those 10 points, Ron was proud to say, came from Ginny. In the end it had come down to Harry and Malfoy, and he was no match for Harry.
Despite the fact that Harry was starting to tremble visibly in front of him now, Ron could not help but smile a little. Draco Malfoy would leave school after six years on the Slytherin team, never having beaten Gryffindor. The odd thing about it was Draco had not made a single snide comment after the match. He had just walked off the field with his head down, not talking to anyone.
“Alright, that’s enough,” Mark said, as Harry finally sank to his knees from the effects of fighting the curse.
Ron broke out of his thoughts as the Unspeakable released Harry from the spell. He stood up and helped Harry back to the couch so he could rest for the hour they had until dinner and the DA meeting later that night.
“Thanks, Ron,” Harry mumbled when he handed him a glass of water.
“You alright, Harry?” Mark asked.
“Yeah, I will be,” Harry replied quietly. He was holding his head in his hands, still shaking slightly.
“You’ll be pleased to know that you lasted long enough that Ginny won’t be angry with you,” Mark commented. This got a snort of laughter from both Harry and Ron.
“That’s good; I don’t think I could deal with one of her tantrums tonight.”
“I’m not sure why you do in the first place,” Ron commented.
“Sometimes, I don’t know why I do either,” Harry replied
“Well there must be something, because you keep going back for more,” Mark shot at him. Ron laughed again while Harry’s ears turned red. Mark had spent so much time with all of them now he was getting to be a pretty good friend. And despite the age difference, he seemed to be a big kid. Harry rather suspected that Dumbledore had charged Mark with keeping things fun despite what his purpose in their training was.
Harry’s mind turned on him suddenly and remembered back to the conversation Dumbledore had had with him on the night Sirius had died.
“Mark?” Harry asked.
“What is it, Harry?”
“What can you tell us about the room with the locked door at the Department of Mysteries?”
“There are a number of rooms with locked doors in the Department of Mysteries, Harry,” Mark replied seriously. “And I could get in quite a lot of trouble for answering questions about them,” he added, glancing at Harry and Ron in turn.
“I’m talking about the one that contains a power that is at once more wonderful and more terrible than death, than human intelligence, than forces of nature,” Harry replied, directly quoting Professor Dumbledore from that night. Mark scowled.
“Figures, that you would ask about that one,” he finally said.
“Mark, I think it could be important to me defeating Voldemort,” Harry said.
“How do you figure that, Harry?” Mark replied. “And you don’t have to remind me of the Creed for the DA, Ron,” he added.
Harry considered whether he should tell Mark about more of his conversation that night with Dumbledore or not. This room was supposed to contain a power that Harry had in such quantities that it had forced Voldemort out of his body when he tried to possess him. Harry turned to Mark again and then he spoke.
“But he will have power the Dark Lord knows not.”
Mark looked at him quizzically for a moment and then raised his wand to his temple. A moment later he pulled it away from his head along with a thin silvery strand, which he allowed to fall on the floor; he then stepped on it grinding it into nothing.
“That room was the first room in the Ministry. It is older than any record we know of. It is not so much a room as it is a door that we believe was placed on a cave of some sort. The whole of the Ministry was built, over time, around that room.
No one knows how the door came to be there, or what is really behind it, as no one has ever opened it. There are records of two sorcerers, a wizard and his wife, who was a witch, they both worked for the Ministry before it was the Ministry. They attempted to apparate to coordinates that should have been behind the door, in an attempt to find out what exactly was in there. They were never seen or heard from again; speculation is that they were trapped in there, wherever there is.”
“How do you study it then?” Harry asked.
“There are small portholes that allow us to release what is in the room and catch it in special containers,” Mark replied.
“And what is it exactly?” Ron asked.
“We don’t know exactly,” Mark answered.
“How about a theory?” Harry replied.
“The room is a repository for love, Harry,” Mark said. “We have no idea how or why, but it is believed that every person who has ever lived and gave or received love deposited something in the room.” Harry and Ron looked at him incredulously.
“How is it terrible then?” Harry asked. Mark looked at the two of them for a few seconds before he responded.
“What would happen to either of you if your wives cheated on you?” The color draining from Ron’s face was all the answer Harry needed.
“Harry, you made the comment while showing everyone how to perform the Phoenix charm that love and compassion are more powerful emotions than anger and hatred,” Mark said.
“Yes,” Harry replied.
“They can be, but the greater the love that is destroyed, the greater the hatred that can rise. Love, Harry, Ron, can as easily destroy a person, as it can save them,” Mark finished.
“Husband?” Ginny’s voice came into Harry’s mind, causing him to jump.
“Harry, you alright?” Ron asked.
“I’m still not used to that you know,” Harry replied to Ginny.
“I’m fine Ron, it’s just Gin,” Harry said to him.
“Are you finished training?” Ginny asked.
“In your mind?” Ron asked gaping at him. Harry held his hand up to get him to shut up.
“Yes, Gin. We are. We were just talking with Mark before the DA meeting.
“Can the three of you come to Professor Snape’s office?” Ginny felt Harry’s surprise through their connection. “He needs to sign the DA Creed, Harry. Hurry so we can get this done before the DA meeting.”
“Gin?”
“I’ll explain when we you get here.”
“Ok, Gin. We’re coming.”
“Come on you two,” Harry said standing up to leave. “Ginny and Hermione are in Snape’s office. Apparently, they think he needs to sign the DA Creed.” Ron stopped in his tracks.
“I didn’t just hear that,” he commented.
“Ginny said she would explain when we got there,” Harry called back over his shoulder. Ron started walking again mumbling under his breath.
“I take it you don’t like this Snape?” Mark said to him.
“That would be putting it mildly,” Ron replied.
“Do you trust him?”
“Not at the moment, apparently something is going to change my mind though.”
“I see,” Mark said quietly. “How long has she been able to come into his mind like that?” he asked a moment later.
“I don’t know. Hermione and I can connect if we’re close enough, even if we are in different rooms, but Ginny and Harry seem to have a much greater range than either of us. Hermione told me Ginny held a connection to her one time that was almost a quarter of a mile.”
“I see,” Mark said again, shaking his head in bewilderment.
And that was without the potion, the voices commented to Ron.
Well there seems to be no limit with the potion, and it is a different kind of connection, Ron replied. The voices didn’t respond.
Harry, Ron, and Mark sat on one side of the desk in Professor Snape’s office. Ginny and Hermione stood behind their husbands. Professor Dumbldedore sat quietly on a squashy chair he had conjured. Professor Snape stood behind his desk. Leaning with his hands braced on it he glared at Harry. Harry returned his glare with equal dislike.
“You were the one who warned Professor Dumbledore that Vold…” Harry stopped as Snape’s face contorted and Hermione kicked him in the shin, “that the Dark Lord,” he continued. “Was after both me and Neville?”
“Yes,” Snape replied.
“And you told him there was a spy in the Order?”
“Yes,”
“And you helped my mother brew the potion that allowed me to survive the death curse?”
“Much to my regret, yes,” Snape sneered at him.
“Why?” Harry asked ignoring the insult.
“Because she was horrendous at potions, and your father, while it pains me to admit, was skilled at them, was not as proficient as I am.”
“That doesn’t answer the question,” Harry replied. Snape glared at Harry.
“Because that bastard had my family murdered,” Snape snapped. Harry blinked. “My wife and unborn child,” Snape continued, “she was found with her belly slit open; the baby ripped out on the sidewalk beside her.... Yes, that was a sight to see,” he said as Harry and the others blanched.
“Blood everywhere, a perfect child with its own stomach slit open to match the slash of her mother,” Snape continued, painting the picture.
“That’s enough, Severus,” Professor Dumbledore said quietly but forcefully from his chair. Harry thought he was going to be sick, and could feel Ginny’s horror through their connection.
“I remember that,” Mark said quietly after a few moments silence. Harry and the others turned to him. The Unspeakable’s face had taken on a haunted look and the color had drained from it. Amazingly, this man who could so easily cast the cruciatus curse looked more stricken than anyone else in the office. “I was the one who found her. There was writing on the sidewalk, done in blood,” he continued.
“Yes,” Snape said as he slumped heavily into his chair behind the desk. “Die, Unholy Agents of Satan,” he whispered. Mark nodded at him.
“We assumed it was muggles who had somehow found out about our world and her being a witch. We arrested two muggle men and turned them over to the muggle authorities for crimes they had committed in that world. They are still in prision for those crimes and will be until they die. We examined them under veritaserum, and while they were not prosecuted for killing your wife, they were guilty of it. Rest assured, they are being properly punished, Professor Snape,” Mark finished.
Snape sighed. “You go by the name Mark?” Snape asked the Unspeakable.
“Yes,” Mark replied.
“The two men you arrested are being properly punished for the crimes they did commit. One of which was killing my wife and child. They were however, paid to commit the crime by Lucius Malfoy. Their memories were modified, by the Dark Lord himself, so that when you questioned them, they would not be able to give that information away.”
“How do you know this? And why?” Mark asked.
“The Dark Lord didn’t want me to have loyalties to anyone but himself. He thought if he made it look like it had been a random Muggle attack, that it would intensify my hatred of them.
“What he did not count on was a drunken Lucius Malfoy confessing the crime to Bellatrix Lestrange. Nor did he count on me overhearing that confession. He also did not count on the fact, that while I am skilled at occlumency and legilimency, the rest of his followers are not, at least not as much as I am.
“The Dark Lord knows that I am skilled at both the art of occlumency and legilimency, but not that I can actually hide things from him. Oh, he could rip into my mind if he really chose too, but I am very good at giving him what he wants when he invades my mind. He doesn’t believe anyone is capable of hiding things from him so I feed his ego and he just assumes I’m to be trusted.
“I invaded the minds of the Dark Lord’s servants to find the truth. I slipped veritaserum to Lucius Malfoy and got a full confession out of him. I thought about killing him then and there, but I knew I would never be able to kill the Dark Lord. The only way to see him destroyed would be to give him to Albus Dumbledore. So, I became a spy,” Professor Snape finished.
“So, you’re on our side for vengeance then?” Harry asked. Snape glowered at him but the fight seemed to have left him for now.
“It began that way, yes. My wife never knew I was a follower of the Dark Lord. I now know that it was not those two Muggles, Lucius Malfoy, or even the Dark Lord who murdered my wife and my child. It was me who murdered them. They would never have come to his attention if not for my choices. They were killed because of me. I may as well have gutted them myself. I now fight in hopes that they will somehow forgive me,” Snape finished quietly. No one in the office moved or said anything for quite some time. It was Mark who spoke first
“Do you have other deaths to atone for?” he asked.
“I don’t believe so, at least not directly. I have never cast the killing curse or any other curse that would kill someone. That does not mean that one of my spells didn’t result in some innocent person’s death,” Snape replied. Harry wasn’t sure what it was that he saw in the Unspeakable’s eyes as the man measured Professor Snape. In many ways, it seemed to be pity, disgust and respect all rolled into one.
“I’m glad I’m not you,” Mark said. Snape snorted in reply. Dumbledore leaned forward in his chair.
“I think that is enough for now. Harry, don’t you have a meeting of the DA to lead?” he asked.
“Shouldn’t Professor Snape sign the DA creed, sir?” Harry asked.
“He can sign the creed if you want him too. He should not be given the information in the prophecies,” Dumbledore replied.
“I trust him, sir. I would like him to know the truth.”
“I spend too much time in the Dark Lord’s presence to know more than I need to, Potter. A simple mistake on my part could ruin everything we’re fighting for,” Snape said. “Besides, if I think about it, and I don’t, I’m pretty sure I can guess what the meaning of the prophecy says.”
“He’s right, Harry,” Ron said as he stood up. “Just have him sign and let’s get to the meeting. We’re late already.” Harry nodded and turned to Hermione.
“Hermione, you are the first keeper of the creed who lives,” he said.