Tangled Web

A/N: Sorry this has taken a while to update. Please read and review! And, as always, thanks again for snapeaholic for beta-ing this!


Chapter Threalm alm Before the Storm

Hermione was sitting in a rather stiff black chair in the study of Grimmauld Place, leafing through Hogwarts: A History. She was still tg tog to find something that would help them take Hogwarts back, not to mention that this book was her comfort book. She needed it after what had happened to Professor Dumbledore. She hadn\'t always agreed with the man, but he had been a great wizard and would be greatly missed.

She was very worried about Harry. He had taken Dumbledore\'s death hard. She knew that he had spent some time with Ginny, but she had a feeling they didn\'t talk much. After Ginny had gone back to Voldemort, Harry went to Sirius\' old room and had spent a lot of time with Buckbeak. She had been unable to get him to come down, not even to eat meals with the rest of those staying at Grimmauld Place.

She turned the page, re-reading about the anti-apparition boundary as someone else came into mind. Severus Snape.

She was a tad worried about where his loyalties lay, especially since he was already debating whether to change sides or to stay with his original plan. She hoped that and and McGonagall had persuaded him to play the spy a little longer. A sigh fell from her lips as she continued reading.

**********

Severus stood in the Great Hall of Hogwarts. The tables that once lined the Hall were no more, just like the students who once attended the school. He glanced around at his fellow Death Eaters who filled the room from corner to corner. All were there except for Voldemort and his chosen few, who were in an important meeting that he was not privy to, though he had tried. Crabbe and Goyle the younger had been sent to block the door because those dunderheads wouldn\'t think to listen in on their conversation. He was starting to wish he had a pair of Weasley\'s Extendable Ears.

Unfortunately, the Weasley twins would not be making those ever again, not that he would miss their childish antics, of course.

He was pulled to attention as the door opened. The way parted as the Dark Lord and his inner circleeredered. He pushed his way nearer to the front and spotted Ginny looking in his general direction. She gave him a slight nod, which he returned.

Voldemort rose to the front, looking out amongst the sea of black. \"My family,\" he stated almost reverently. \"The great headmaster Albus Dumbledore is dead.\" Many Death Eaters clapped and cheered as Voldemort laughed in a high pitch. \"Now is the time for us to make our stand. The Phoenix has risen for the last time, and it\'s only a matter of time before Potter and the rest fall.\"

He paused dramatically, noticing that his followers were hanging onto his every word. \"We are close to victory!\" Cheers rose up. \"The purebloods will take back their rightful place. The half-bloods and Muggle-borns will listen to us. We will reign supreme over them, and we will put the Muggles in their place!\" The cheering in the room rose to a roar. \"We march on Dover tonight. Get the ranks together. We leave in half an hour.\" He paused. \"To victory!\"

The Death Eaters cheered and spread apart to make a path for their leader and his inner circle. Voldemort exited in a flourish of dark robes, followed closely by Lucius Malfoy, Ron Weasley, and the others. Ginny trailed behind, managing to brush against Severus, who had made his way to the center as they passed. He felt a slip of paper placed in his hand as she went by. He quickly stuffed it in his pocket. The rest of the Death Eaters were leaving to ready themselves for the attack on Dover. He knew that a predominantly wizard community lived there, right along those white cliffs.

He left the Great Hall and went down to his private rooms in the dungeons. Once he had set his wards, he took out the note, reading it over. Ginny wanted him to warn Potter about Dover. He destroyed the note, but hesitated to contact the Order. He owed Potter nothing, but he also knew what would happen if he didn\'t warn them.

With a sigh, he grabbed a small hand-held mirror. \"Grimmauld Place,\" he stated, seeing his reflection swirl until he could see Grimmauld Place. \"Potter?\" He paused. \"Potter!\" He still didn\'t see anyone coming to the mirror. He had to warn them, and he was getting angry that he hadn\'t received an answer. \"POTTER!!\" he roared, glad that he made his rooms soundproof.

Hermione heard someone calling from the other room, and she sat down her book as she went to the mirror hanging in the hall. She saw Professor Snape there. \"Harry is in his room. What is it?\"

Severus knew that there was no time to wait for Potter himself, and he figured that the little know-it-all was smart enough to be able to take a message. \"We\'re moving out in twenty minutes to Dover - the wizarding part of town. We need the Order to come immediately before the town is completely devastated.\"

\"I\'ll tell Harry. We\'ll be there.\" She left, knowing how important time was. Everyone was spread out, and it might take a while to reach some of them.

After she left, Severus cleared the image on the mirror and closed it back up. With a flick of his wand, he let down a few of the wards, not wanting to draw Voldemort\'s attention to his rooms. He placed the Death Eater mask on his face and filed in with his rank. The sky was overcast, and he was really starting to hate the rain as he waited for the rest to apparate.

Hermione ran upstairs and knocked briefly on Harry\'s door before bursting in on him. She saw him sitting on the bed, absentmindedly petting Buckbeak. She stopped, catching her breath and noting how horrible he looked. \"Harry, the Death Eaters are attacking Dover in fifteen minutes. We have to go and help.\"

Harry slowly looked at her, running a hand through his messy black hair. He nodded. \"Go and get ready. I\'ll notify everyone.\"

\"Do you need any help tracking down people?\"

\"No, I got it. It\'s my responsibility.\" He pulled out his wand and cast a cleansing spell, then went and sent out the call to everyone and the instructions to meet at the edge of Dover and to push in toward the cliffs. It was yet another battle. They didn\'t have a choice as it could mean the end of the wizarding and Muggle worlds as they knew it if Voldemort won. He didn\'t wait for responses from the troops, and he could only hope that the Order would show up in full strength, especially as the sight of ominous dark gray skies did not sit well with him.


A/N: Thanks for reading! Please review!