It Happened One Hallow's Eve

Disclaimer: All recognizable characters belong to JKR. All situations are mine. No $$$ is being made from this fanfic.
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Chapter 25 ~ First Day of Training

Severus and Harry stood on the Hogwarts grounds near the Whomping Willow, Harry all trussed up from head to toe in black protective gear, holding Godric’s sword in his right hand and his wand in his left. A burlap dummy stuffed with straw lay on the ground to the left of them. Severus was dressed in his black winter robes with his hair tied back in a pony-tail so it wouldn’t get in the way. He didn't have a sword however. It was Harry's first day after all.
In the branches of the Whomping Willow, Crookshanks looked down on the wizards with interest, his tail lashing. The tree itself trembled a bit at the proximity of the wizards. It had been disabled, but longed to whomp just the same.

“Now Mr. Potter, the sword you are holding is called a cutlass. It is sharp only on the outside edge, shorter than the average sword and curved. Godric Gryffindor had a love of the sea and traveled extensively before settling down and constructing Hogwarts. When he had the sword forged, he chose to have it formed in this manner because he was familiar with it. The cutlass is best known as the sailor's weapon of choice, robust enough to hack through heavy ropes, canvas, and wood and short enough to use in relatively close quarters. One of the main advantages of the cutlass is its simplicity of use. It requires less training than the rapier or small sword, and is a more effective as a combat weapon than the full-sized sword. Are you taking this in, Mr. Potter or am I talking to myself?” the Potions Master said.

Harry was staring at him with a rather blank expression. It was obvious the young wizard was daydreaming.

“Pay attention!” Severus bellowed at him, startling the wizard so he dropped his sword.

“Imbecile,” Severus hissed under his breath as Harry retrieved the sword. “Now pay attention!”

Harry apologized and listened to the dark wizard. He had been thinking about Ginny.

Severus scowled and continued.

“When fighting with a cutlass, the general rule is to hack at one's opponent. Thrusting or stabbing is done with rapiers or swords. Thrusting takes longer, and if you’re not careful your blade could get stuck. Hacking means you can just as easily immobilize your opponent by chopping off his hand rather than stabbing him in the gut. This also explains the design of the blade. Curving the blade makes it easier to control while hacking, and the added thickness insures that it will cleave through bone and muscle,” the wizard said as Harry examined the sword again and made a couple of hacking motions with it.

“Since time is of the essence, we are going for the guts of cutlass swordplay. I will teach you the seven primary cutting methods, eight essential parries and give you several cut, thrust and parry drills to practice. But first, I’d like to see how you do on your own. Put away your wand,” Severus said, a nasty little smirk on his face as he drew his own wand.

Harry didn’t have anyplace to put his wand so laid it on the ground. Severus pointed his wand at the burlap dummy and it rose from the ground. He looked at Harry who held the sword in front of himself awkwardly.

“I want you to keep the dummy off of you as best you can. It isn’t armed so can’t hurt you,” Severus said.

Harry nodded, his eyes on the dummy. His glasses were well tucked into the tight hood that covered his head. He looked as if he were wearing a padded wetsuit. He was hot too.

“Defend yourself!” Severus yelled, using his wand to propel the dummy toward Harry. The young wizard raised the cutlass and tried to hack the dummy as it slammed into him, knocking him to the ground. Severus then proceed to beat Harry with the solidly packed dummy as Harry struggled to get up, swinging his sword, grappling and scrambling, the dummy knocking him down over and over, then falling on top of him heavily.

Severus was openly grinning as he used the dummy to pummel the-boy-who-lived, letting Harry almost get to his feet before ramming into him again with his burlap assailant.

“Good thing he doesn’t have a sword, Mr. Potter. You’d be little wriggling bits by now,” Severus called to him as the dummy knocked him down again.

“Give me a chance to get up!” Harry yelled back at him, kicking at the dummy, the sword forgotten on the ground.

“Give yourself a chance,” Severus said, making the dummy fall on top of him again.

Finally Harry managed to get up and grab the sword, now dancing out of the way of the attacking dummy and even got in a slash or two. But damn, he was tired. Severus continued another five minutes until he was satisfied Harry developed a bit of footwork then let the dummy drop to the ground. Harry stood there panting.

“That wasn’t fair. You kept slamming him into me,” Harry gasped.

“What do you think, Mr. Potter? That Voldemort is going to stay a polite distance when you face off? You can count on physical contact,” the wizard replied, frowning. “And if you believe this stuffed dummy gave you a hard time, give it five days…then you will be facing me. And I am no dummy, Mr. Potter. Now, give me your sword, and watch what I do.”

“Can I take off this suit?” Harry asked the Professor as he handed him the cutlass.

“No, get used to it. It’s weighted so you will be stronger,” Severus replied, taking a stance of readiness. “These are the primary cuts to make. I expect you to practice them on your own time.”

Harry watched as Severus went through a number of slashes several times, trying to memorize them. Some were overhead, others underhanded, direct slices and so forth. Severus was handing the sword back to Harry when he suddenly gasped and grasped his left forearm, dropping the cutlass. He looked at Harry, his eyes glazed with pain.

“I must go, Mr. Potter. Practice those moves and I will meet you here tomorrow morning at ten, if possible,” he said through gritted teeth.

“You’re being summoned,” Harry said, his eyes narrowed.

“Yes. I must go,” Severus said, disapparating. Harry’s eyes went wide. No one was supposed to be able to apparate on Hogwarts’ grounds.

Harry pulled off the constricting hood, picked up Godric’s sword and headed for the castle. Hermione would want to know the Potions Master was summoned by Voldemort.

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Severus apparated to his bedroom and quickly donned his Death Eater garb, grimacing as the pain hit him again. Clamping down his Occlumency walls he disapparated.

Voldemort was seated at a large table, looking at maps of Hogwarts and the area surrounding the Ministry, Lucius Malfoy standing at his side and looking over his shoulder when Severus appeared in the stronghold. The Dark Lord looked up.

“Ah, Severus. Remove your hood and mask and approach,” the despot said.

Lucius looked at Severus coolly as the pale wizard did as the Dark Lord asked. His black eyes swept over the maps, noting the divisions of small, robed Death Eaters. He would put the memory in a pensieve for Albus and Kingsley Shacklebolt to study and make their counter-plans.

“I plan to attack Hogwarts on the morning of the fourth, while the students and staff are in the Great Hall at breakfast,” Voldemort said, his red eyes resting on Severus to see his reaction.

“I see my Lord. I am ready to fight by your side,” the Potions Master replied, “To the death, my Lord.”

Voldemort gave him a lipless smile.

“Yes, my loyal servant. But I do not want you by my side, but by Dumbledore’s. Lucius…” the wizard lisped.

Lucius Malfoy pulled a sheathed dagger out of his pocket, reached over the table and handed it to Severus, who began to pull it out to examine it.

“NO!” Voldemort hissed at him. “Do not draw the dagger. If you do, then you must kill with it or it will turn in your hand and kill you, Severus. It is the Dagger of Dresden, a charmed blade particularly dangerous to magical folk. It was created by a muggle sorcerer who used demons to do his magic, a man very jealous of those who could do magic freely. It is extremely blood-thirsty and poisonous.”

Severus dropped his hand from the sheathe and looked at Voldemort, his black eyes glittering.

“Your directive, my Lord?” he asked, already knowing what it was.

“You are to kill Albus Dumbledore,” the Dark Lord said. “At eight o’clock sharp in the Great Hall, just as my ranks overrun the grounds. Then grab Harry Potter and apparate to my side so I may kill the boy. Do you think you can do this, Severus?”

Lucius’ gray eyes studied Severus to see if there was any hesitation.

”Yes my Lord…I can do it,” the dark wizard replied, “but how will you gain entrance to Hogwarts’ grounds?”

“That has already been arranged Severus,” the wizard replied. “Your concern should be killing Albus. Plunge the dagger into his heart. He will die quite painfully, and should distract the others enough for you to grab the boy.”

Severus looked at the Dark Lord…he was truly evil. He was planning on showing the world that he was a traitor. If he did such a deed, he could never show himself in the wizarding world again if the despot failed. Forget Azkaban. He would be executed for killing Albus, the wizard was held in such high esteem.

“Yes, my Lord,” Severus said, bowing and pocketing the blade.

“I am counting on you Severus. This will prove your loyalty to me beyond doubt. If you fail me, it will be your last time,” Voldemort said, his red eyes brightening.

“Yes, my Lord. I understand,” he said.

Voldemort eyed him for a moment.

“Everyone at Hogwarts is slated for death, Severus. Staff and students. There are to be no prisoners. That includes the witch you are fucking. Hermione Granger,” Voldemort hissed. “I want her dead as well. I would have you kill her, but you will have your hands full enough with Dumbledore and Potter.”

Lucius’ eyebrows rose at this bit of news. So, Severus was fucking Hermione Granger, the mudblood brain of Hogwarts. The blonde wizard didn’t know the Potions Master had it in him. Draco ought to find this quite interesting.

"So if I were you, I’d get as much pussy as possible between now and the day of the attack,” Voldemort said. “Because it’s going to grow cold.”

“Yes my Lord,” Severus said, wishing he could kill the despot now.

“You may go. If you hear any important news, activate your Mark and I will summon you. Otherwise you will not hear from me until the day of battle. Return to Hogwarts, Severus…and remember your charge,” the wizard said, dismissing him.

“Yes my Lord. I will remember,” Severus said bowing and backing away from the table. He disapparated.

“So what do you think, Lucius?” the Dark Lord asked the pureblood.

“I’m not sure what to think, my Lord,” Lucius replied, “Severus has never shown himself to be truly evil. He has always managed to keep blood off his hands.”

Voldemort nodded.

“Yes. He does show disturbing signs of conscience. I would have killed him years ago if not for his value to me within the walls of Hogwarts. But now he will be up to his neck in blood. His betrayal of Dumbledore and Harry Potter will mark him throughout history,” the wizard said. Then he looked up at Lucius.

“But I want you to keep a close eye on him at the battle, Lucius. If you see any sign of betrayal, I want you to kill him immediately,” Voldemort commanded.

The pureblood’s gray eyes flashed.

“Yes, my Lord.”

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Albus turned the sheathed dagger over in his hands.

“He wants you to kill me with this, does he?” the wizard said soberly.

“Yes. But I have other plans for the weapon,” Severus said darkly.

“Then I will have to hold back,” Albus said, “If I am seen, then he will know you have betrayed him.”

“The moment the Order members appear, he will know either I or Draco have betrayed him,” Severus replied as Albus handed the knife to him.

Kingsley Shacklebolt finished viewing the pensieve.

“Apparently he will have twenty-five hundred Death Eaters here at Hogwarts and fifteen hundred at the Ministry waiting to ambush the Aurors, hoping to divide the Order,” the black wizard said. Kingsley served as the Master Strategist for the Order. “I think it best if we wait on the Hogwarts grounds, utilizing the new invisibility spell Orday developed.”

Orday was the Order’s Spells Master. Quite an inventive young wizard. He adapted the disillusionment spell to render the caster completely invisible, allowing light to pass through the body rather than bend around it, thus removing the telltale shimmer. However the spell had a weakness.

Severus frowned.

“But that spell is faulty, Kingsley. It only renders complete invisibility if one holds completely still. Any movement results in momentary visibility,” the Potions Master said.

What happened was the witch or wizard would blink in and out as it was impossible to hold completely still for an extended amount of time. They would be seen.

“Yes, but Orday designed another spell to work around it. He adapted the Totalus Petrificus spell, so it could be applied and removed with a thought invocation. The Order members will be completely stiffened until they release the spell. They will not be seen until they want to be,” Kingsley said with a grim smile.

“Brilliant,” Albus said. “But Voldemort must not be touched. Harry must have the opportunity to engage him first. If he fails…”

”Understood,” Kingsley said. “More than likely he will have a contingent of skilled Death Eaters surrounding him. We have to get him near the Whomping Willow, however.”

”That won’t be a problem,” Severus said, “I am to deliver the boy to him. I can bring Mr. Potter to the willow. As long as the boy is delivered, and the Order hasn’t yet attacked I will not be suspect. Until Harry draws his sword that is. I will take cover in the base of the tree when that occurs.”
Inside the Whomping Willow was a passageway that led to the Shrieking Shack, a small house that Remus Lupin used to stay in when the moon was full. Severus could defend the entrance easily from the inside if necessary. He would also be close enough to help Harry if the opportunity arose.

“We’ll hold back until all the Death Eaters are on the grounds,” Kingsley said. “There will be two Order members at the gate. They will ward the gates back so the Death Eaters can’t escape, then reapply the altered disillusionment spell to themselves. Hopefully they will not be seen. I will be one of them. Tonks the other.”

Tonks and Kingsley were more than fellow Aurors and Order members. They were lovers too. They were also top-notch fighters…the best of the best. If anyone could pull it off, they could.

“We will attack when Voldemort and Harry face off,” the wizard continued. “We will have six thousand Order members on the grounds and will most likely overwhelm them through sheer numbers. Hopefully there won’t be a large amount of causalities in our ranks. Another four thousand will apparate outside the Ministry and take care of the Death Eaters waiting there. The Ministry will extend its anti-apparition charm to cover the surrounding area immediately after the Order members appear, cutting off any escape for Voldemort’s followers.”

Albus and Severus looked at each other, then at Kingsley.

The Headmaster nodded soberly.

“Sounds fair enough, Kingsley,” Albus said, “Make it so.”

Kingsley nodded.

“It looks like this might be the end of Voldemort’s reign, if he can be destroyed. The worst case scenario is that he escapes…but he will not have his ranks to support his madness. He will have to start over. I think it will be more difficult for him to raise an army a second time around. He may just go into hiding,” Kingsley said.

“He cannot escape,” Severus said, his eyes glittering. “He has to die. As long as Voldemort lives we will all be in danger. We and our loved ones.”

Kingsley and Albus looked at each other. Had Severus Snape just indicated he had loved ones? If he did, were they on this planet? Then Albus’ eyes began to twinkle as the truth sunk in.

Hermione.

“Hopefully, Harry will succeed in fulfilling the Prophecy, Severus. We can only hope,” Albus said, trying to sound reassuring.

Severus stood up.

“Trust me, Headmaster…I intend to do much more than hope. I’m not going to leave my future happiness in the hands of Harry Potter. Good evening,” the dark wizard said, exiting the office with a billow of robes.

Kingsley looked at Albus.

“Loved ones?” he asked the Headmaster. “Severus?”

“It’s a rather complicated story, Kingsley. I will tell you about it sometime…in the far future,” Albus said with a smile. “Now come, let us have a small firewhiskey to celebrate an excellent plan.”

Kingsley heartily agreed.

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A/N: Please review.