The death of a git, the rise of a hero...

\"What happened Harry?\"

Harry looked to the Headmaster and in a croaky, breathless voice began to tell them of arriving at Hagrid\'s, of Hermione seeing the purple smoke and her telling them to run.

Snape\'s eyes darkened at this latest piece of information, looking decidedly unsettled. \"She saw purple smoke?\"

Harry looked irritated to Snape and offered a snappy, \"Yes.\" Before he turned back to Dumbledore who looked more befuddled than before, now not so strong as Harry had thought so many years ago.

When Harry had been just a child attending Hogwarts he had always thought of the mighty Albus Dumbledore as infallible. He was a friend, a comrade and a hero to him. The old wizard had come to Harry\'s aid many times and surely would time and time again, but he also saw Dumbledore\'s flaws as he entered adulthood himself, and he didn\'t like them one bit.

\"You see we were running, and then suddenly these two DeathEaters came out of nowhere, chasing us.\" Harry continued, feeling Snape\'s unrelenting gaze on him, probably trying to get into his mind to rifle around a bit. \"I went to grab my wand, but Here sae said that we didn\ave ave enough time. There are almost upon us.\"

He stopped, pausing to take a sip from the large goblet Albus had summoned for him, looking to toy woy with decidedly harsh eyes. It was a hard time for everyone, especially him. He knew the fall or rise of the Dark Lord was upon them, but where he was lurking or what his plan was, he knew not.

Snape had been standing impatiently, looking at Harry with snake-like charm. His lips were thinned as the boy gobbled down the w as as if he\'d been traveling for days in the desert and had just stumbled upon an oasis. When the greedy little pig made for another glass Snape had had e ene enough.

\"And so, then what?\" he snapped, his small patience lost. Ron suddenly started in, feeling that Harry was too shaken to continue, and he looked to Snape timidly a moment before shifting his gaze to the usually warm Dumbledore.

\"Then Hermione grabbed us and we started running to the Whomping Willow.\" He saw their puzzled faces and felt compelled to explain their tactic. \"We were going to Hogsmeade, Hermione said she knew it was Harry they wanted.\"

\"But,\" Albus was beyond help now, sputtering in indignation. \"Why not the school?\"

\"She said not to run to the school.\"

\"And why not?\"

Obviously Albus had taken it as a personal insult that they hadn\'t rushed for the doors of Hogwarts and come to him straight away. He must have felt that they though his defence to be of no use and in turn was a bit hurt. Ron didn\'t see this flash in the older man\'s eyes, and merely continued a bit wobbly in speech.

\"She said we\'d guide them right to Professor Snape...blow his cover.\"

Snape raised an eyebrow in surprise, Harry looked disgusted, as did Ron. Albus nodded his whitening head and looked to the two young men with sorrow in his eyes. Ron continued darkly, and everyone could tell that he was trying not to cry, his voice was choked and his blue eyes glazed.

\"So we were close to the Whomping Willow and suddenly, I dropped my wand...\"

Snape sneered, and contained a shake of his head. How typical.

\"...Hermione saw this and ran back, trying to drag me up.\" he recounted, his chin quivering, \"But I was taking so long because I couldn\'t find it in the grass. So Hermione yelled at me to go to Harry and she shouted some spell at the Deatheaters.\"

\"Oh my.\" McGonagall said. They looked at her a moment, having forgotten she was there. She looked so frail all of a sudden; the mighty Head of Gryffindor House no more, just a scared, old woman.

\"Well,\" Ron continued slowly, \"This red stuff came out of her wand and I ran over to Harry at the Whomping Willow, thinking Hermione was doing the same.\"

\"Red?\"

\"Yeah. But the DeathEaters were too fast, and she tried running, screaming at us to run as they brought out their wands. Harry and I were safe, but Hermione...\"

He broke shakshakily, and Harry continued with a dark look in his eyes. He was making fists with his hands at his side, not making eye contact with anyone. Not even Albus.

\"I tried to go back to save her...but Ron held me back. Said it was stupid to go marching out there. That they\'d just kill both of us.\"

\"A wise decision.\" Dumbledore said swiftly, giving Ron some hope as the Weasely boy looked to him with relief. It hadn\'t been his fault. Harry seemed to be quite the opposite, as if Dumbledore\'s words were a personal slash at him.

\"Was it?\" Harry spat angrily at the Headmaster, his green eyes flashing. \"Because of our cowerdice, Hermione is probably dead.\"

\"She isn\'t dead, Harry.\" Dumbledore said confidently. He looked to the rest of the room, \"Would you all mind giving Professor Snape and I a moment alone?\"

Ron and McGonagall nodded and headed out of Albus\' office, probably waiting for Harry on the other side. But, the boy wonder had his feet planted firmly on the carpet below him and didn\'t seem to be moving anywhere.

\"That includes you Potter.\" Snape hissed malevolently. Dumbledore tried to explain to Harry that this was an urgent matter he needed to discuss with Professor Snape alone. Harry may have been swayed in many subjects, but when it ever concerned Snape he never trusted it. He need only think of Sirius Black\'s near execution in his third year to surmise that.

Severus Snape had been the eternal thorn in Harry\'s side, all because of Harry\'s parentage. Harry had tried to be a good student, had taken notes from the stupid lecture Snape gave...but instead had been humiliated as he favored Draco. Snape had from his first day managed to make Harry\'s life near impossible to enjoy. He was always there, insulting his Father or friends, and he knew he\'d never trust the git. Ever.

Now the greasy git was staring at him as if trying to read his mind, and Harry quickly looked away, not tolerating his ugly gaze more than necessary. Harry shook his head at the two older men.

\"Anything you\'re going to say about Hermione I want to hear. I want to help. Its my fault she got kidnapped.\"

Snape suddenly twirled around and leaned over Albus\' desk, his face scant inches away from the boy-who-lived-to-be-his-own-personal-hell. His hands were on the desk, propping him up and the knuckles were white. His nostrils flared with anger as Harry met his eyes defiantly.

\"Listen here boy.\" he growled, \"We\'ve no time for your moral good tidings. Either you want your know-it-all friend to survive, or you want to play the hero of the day and have her killed. Your choice.\"

He straightened, looking down his long nose at Potter as the boy\'s eyes seemed to grow brighter before sticking to a dulled green. He looked more angry than sulky, not that Snape really cared to differentiate. All that mattered was that Harry was torn.

\"Fine.\" he finally answered as he looked to Dumbledore. \"I\'ll leave.\"

\"Indeed?\" Snape mocked, \"Then exit.\"

Harry gave one last furious look at Snape before turning on one heel and making his way out of Albus\' office. Snape took one last look at the little prat and sighed exasperatedly.

When the door shut the two of them looked to one another in desperate panic. What would happen to Miss Granger? What was Voldemort planning?

\"Do you have any idea what may have conspired?\" Albus said dimly, his voice small in the large office. Fawkes gave a screech as Snape rubbed his temples ruefully as Albus continued darkly. \"For once I\'m at a loss.\"

\"No sir.\"

Snape was immediately face to face with Albus as the elder wizard glared at him slightly. Taken aback Snape glared at him as he waited for an explanation, and when it came out, it was harsh.

\"Did you know about this?\"

\"Of what?\"

\"Of the attack.\"

Snape\'s eyes darkened if possible, and a flurry of emotions rose up within him. The once so trusting and kind Albus Dumbledore was now boldfaced accusing him of being in on the attack. He felt anger, guilt and a bit of offhanded hurt at the old man\'s accusations. Not that it mattered; he knew what the truth was.

\"No.\"

\"No?\"

What? Did the old man think that he\'d suddenly switched his mind in the two seconds it took for him to respond? He felt his skin prickling with anger and he steadied himself with a small intake of breath.

\"No. I. Did. Not.\"

Albus sighed darkly, shifting back into his seat and wearing a worried look upon his gaunt face. He shook his head, looking decidedly ashamed. \"I believe you Severus. I apologize.\"

Snape didn\'t answer, feeling that he didn\'t deserve a word he said. Yes he was a spy, and yes he was an ex DeathEater, but he had worked damn hard enough to garner a smidgen of respect, even from the infallible Albus Dumbledore.

\"Why would they take Hermione?\"

\"Bait.\"

\"But surely they would know Harry wouldn\'t fall for such a stupid trick. That he\'d come more than well prepared. Perhaps it was revenge?\"

Snape shook his dark head, his raven locks falling into his eyes before he shook them away. \"The Dark Lord is one for perverse pleasure in pain. If he could kill anyone it would be Potter...\" he paused tapping a tapered finger to his chin, \"I have a feeling he is interested in Miss Granger for far more involved reasons.\"

\"Such as?\"

Snape\'s breathing was the only thing in the room before he quickly straightened his spine even further and went for the door. Twisting the knob he looked over his black shoulder at the confused Headmaster.

\"I must pay a visit to Hagrid.\"

He was gone in a whirlwind of billowing black robes.

* * *

Snape saw the thin mist of purple smoke surrounding the hut and affirming his suspicions. He shook his head angrily, seeing that thankfully no one was around.

Pulling his wand out he pointed it to the hut, and muttered a small spell under his breath, looking intently to the hut that fully glowed a strange, sickening green before going back to normal. There. Done.

He slunk up to the hut, a feeling of dread in his stomach. Hagrid. He waited for the smell of death to wash over him as Snape pounded upon the large door of Hagrid\'s hut, his hand lying over his cloak where his wand lay. Nothing. Snape shook his dark head somberly. Big stupid fellow.

Suddenly some yelling at his right broke him from the maudlin reverie in time to see Hagrid, lumbering from the forest to the hut where Snape stood angrily. About bloody time... When Hagrid was almost to the door, he spoke happily to the Professor, his ruddy face glowing with contentment.

\"Professor! How are ye?\"

His large beard was a tangle of mud and small twigs and his dirty face gave way to the obvious fact that he had been carousing out in the forest, no doubt playing nursemaid to some poor, pathetic creature better off dead.

\"Just what have you done you overgrown monstrosity?\"

Hagrid peered out into the darkened night, a bit perplexed, anxiety clearly showing in his booming voice. \"Wha?\"

Snape sneered at him and pushed his way into Hagrid\'s hut, scanning it for any tell tale signs. Ah, a small cauldron simmering over a long dead fire. He looked back at the orge who looked near tears and frowned deeply.

Hagrid was sensitive. Everyone knew that, and if you didn\'t want to be covered in large, overwhelming tears of his you did your best not to get him down. Sadly pity was an emotion long since lost on Professor Snape, and not one he really missed. Seeing that he was near tears only gave him more fuel for his tirade, and a sense of power over the gentle giant.

\"Got anything to tell me Hagrid?\" he snarled with his arms crossed and features set on almost neutral disdain. \"Anything at all?\"

Hagrid shook his head, looking decidedly confused. \"No Professor.\"

\"What did you do today?\"

\"Er... I was jus\' walkin\' out to...see me frien\' Polly...then..er...\" he looked a bit anxious and quickly ran through the rest of his fable. \"I came home, had some lunch and then weut aut again for...items.\"

\"And Polly is?\"

Hagrid looked a bit wary, looking to the simmering cauldron over the small fire and then back to Snape as if caught in some vicious trap. He pursed his lips in thought and then spoke.

\"Just a pet.\"

\"Indeed? I suspected as much.\" Snape sneered, glowering and coming closer to Hagrid as the ogre stayed by the door, looking at it wistfully. Snape was well acquainted with the look of yearning for escape from his company.

\"So you were out of your hut this entire afternoon and early evening?\"

\"Yeah.\"

\"Mmmmmmm...I see.\" Snape narrowed his eyes on the man of such remarkable girth before him. He spotted the pot simmering and his dark eyes narrowed. Of course. Just as he had suspected. Whirling around he saw Hagrid looking pensive, eyes darting from the pot to Snape who spoke fiercely.

\"Because of you, Hagrid, Miss Granger has been kidnapped.\"

\"What?\" Hagrid roared, lumbering over to Snape as his eyes widened. \"By who? What are ye talkin\' about?\"

Snape recounted the story with boredom to the ogre who stood at rapt attention, listening to everything the miserable Professor before him said, shaking his big head and looking at Snape intently. When the tale had completed Hagrid still looked confused.

\"How is any o\' this my fault?\"

\"You lead them right to Granger, Weasley and Potter.\"

\"How could I do \'hat?\"

\"Polly.\" Snape said darkly, \"Where did you find her?\"

\"\'im.\" Hagrid said crossly, \"And I found \'im in the forest this morning.\"

\"And you brought him back here?\"

\"Yeah.\"

\"And that\'s him, in the cauldron?\"

\"Yeah.\"

Snape strode over to the cauldron; having disarmed it potency from outside he wasn\'t worried. Inside it\'s murky contents he saw the small rat/sloth like mixture floating bloated at the top, decidedly dead. But, that was how the potion worked; he had made it enough times as a DeathEater. He turned to sneer angrily at the worried Hagrid a few feet away.

\"And just how did you know what to do with Polly?\"

Hagrid shifted from foot to foot, \"I found \'im in the forest with a lil\' note in \'is paws. It said to put him in wat-\"

Snape sighed ruefully handing out a pale hand, \"Give me the note.\"

Hagrid looked pained, but obediently went to his drawer nearby, pulled it out, grabbed the note with one beefy hand and then handed it to Snape who stood studiously thinking nearby.



Hello, my name is Polly.

My owner can\'t take care of me anymore, and

I cannot live in the wild. Please take care of me.

All I will require is one cauldron with two inches

of water and lots of love. The water must be filled

with;

1/2 cup of asphodel,

2 dashes peeled Abyssinian

1 droplet of belladonna.

Stir thoroughly.

Place me in the cauldron for 2 hours, and I\'ll grow

to be the best pet you could ask for.

\"You\'re just lucky you were out all day.\" Snape said sullenly, almost as if he didn\'t mean the words. \"Don\'t you understand? This mixture combined with the rare sparksmanian, - that\'s what Polly is...was - create, for lack of better words, a \'Death\' potion.\"

Hagrid\'s eyes were wide, \"Death potion?\"

\"Yes.\" Snape muttered, \"Its only telltale sign is the purple smoke that billows out of its contents.\"

\"I didn\'t see any smoke.\"

\"Of course you didn\'t.\" Snape snapped, \"It\'s only seen by powerful witches and wizards.\" he paused, thinking a moment. But Miss Granger had seen it. Seeing that Hagrid was confused as to how it exactly worked he felt compelled to explain, seeing the guilt written all over the sap\'s face.

\"The cauldron in which this spell is made needs to be in an enclosed space. Equivalent to fatal gas chambers. Your hut is the prime location. The potion in about an hours time to the death of, in this case; Polly, fills up the room, and the minute anyone walks into the room, BAM.\" he smashed his hand onto a nearby wall, causing Hagrid to jump. \"They\'re dead instantly.\"

Hagrid eyed the hut, looking perplexed as Snape continued. \"I disarmed the spell before I came in. Worry not.\"

Hagrid suddenly fell into his chair, large tears plopping from his cheeks onto the ground as Snape watched detachedly, wincing at the embarrassing display of emotion. Hagrid was wrought with guilt as he covered his face in his hands, his voice muttered.

\"I almost killed \'em...\'Arry...Ron...and probably \'Ermione..\" he sobbed loudly, and Snape gritted his teeth. \"I killed \'er. My lil Hermione...always tryin\' to help.\"

\"We don\'t know she\'s dead Hagrid.\" he said, trying to be diplomatic. \"I have a feeling that Voldemort is keeping her there for alternative reasons.\"

Hagrid continued sobbing, and Snape feeling rather out of place suddenly brandished a small black, handkerchief with the initials S.S. from his robe han handed it to the orge.

\"Thank ye\'.\"

Hagrid took it in his meaty paws and dabbed his eyes a bit, sniffling and then sloppily blowing his nose into it. Snape\'s disgust wasn\'t hidden as he grimaced and backed away as Hagrid held it out to give it back.

Snape was about to snarl, \"Keep it\" when he suddenly stopped mid-sentence, his dark mark burning fiercely about on his arm. He gripped his forearm painfully, wincing a bit at the magnitude of the burning sensation as Hagrid watched him darkly.

\"Tell Albus I will return within the hour.\" he hissed, heading for the door to the hut as Hagrid yelled after him, rushing -well for him rushing- over to Snape, with his eyes wild.

\"Where are ye goin\'?\"

Snape turned around, his dark eyes looking somberly to the giant. He had resignedly decided to as usual, do the right thing. No words could express his disdain or guilt from merely having once been attached the feared group. He had a duty, and so he said the first thing that came to his mind that seemed proper without revealing too much.

\"To save Miss Granger.\"