Chapter Five
Revelations
Training for the red squadron commenced the next
morning at 0700. Every evening after they returned to their
dormitory all of the team members just dropped to the
closest unoccupied chair; too exhausted to do anything more.
It was a rare occasion indeed if any of them felt up to travel
down to the many flights of stairs to the Great Hall for meals.
To say the least the team often looked forward to the small,
simple meals Dobby and the rest of the house elves would
leave for them in their common room.
Each one of the team members had a specialty
chosen for them by Sergeant Duckhorn. "I can't believe
she chose me to be the field medic! I have the most
most medical training she said. " Hermione groaned
one early morning.
"Well, Hermione, you technically do. Your parents
are dentist remember?"
"I know that, Harry, but its not like they told me
anything about it."
"Oh, come on, Hermione. Don't act like you don't
enjoy the excuse to put your nose in a book." Ron rolled
his eyes as he followed the two of them down the corridor
to their morning meal.
"Yeah," Heather agreed, "and of course may I point
out you still know more about magical and muggle forms of
first aid? You'd think it would be me since my mom is an
OB/GYN, but I honestly could care less about the subject."
Heather paused then giggled. "Do you realize what kind of
trouble we'd all be in if they chose Ronny here?"
"Hey!"
"She's right though, Ron." Hermione offered
"I know, but she doesn't have to rub it in." Ron
defended as the group reached the Great Hall. The smell
of sausages hung heavily in the air. Ron practically ran to
the Gryffindor table to be the first to grab some.
Once the group was seated, Sarah, Anthony, and
Kamal joined them. Sarah smiled at Harry as she inquired
about his classes. "How is your wand-less training going?"
Instead of Harry, Heather answered. "Doing very
well considering."
"Considering what?"
"Considering our Uncle Severus is the one
suppose to be giving him lessons." Heather rolled her
eyes. "I've looked in on one of their classes and let's just
say there is a reason why I've started personal tutoring
during our free period."
"Is her really all that bad?" Sarah asked in disbelief.
"He's a giant git." Ron commented as he took a
hard boiled egg.
"You've never really had him in class and be
very thankful." Hermione offered as she took out
her medical terminology book.
"Yes be very glad." Harry sighed. "You'd
think finding out he's my uncle would have changed
things for the better, but I wouldn't be that lucky."
"I'll bet you anything he's the one who has the
Onyx Spell Book." Ron accused. "He use to be a
Death Eater after all."
"Really, Ron? Professor Snape?" Hermione
almost laughed. "Every other time you have accused
him of something it's always been the complete
opposite."
"Its not a crazy as it sounds, Hermione."
Harry defended. "He's hiding something."
"Just because he's hiding something doesn't
mean he has the Onyx Spell Book."
Kamal then offered. "For all we know it
could be he wants to dress in drag and do the hula."
"He's been there, done that, has the pamphlets,
and bought the t-shirt." Heather waved the idea off.
Kamal raised an eyebrow at her. "Okay, then.
Maybe he's always wanted to dress in pink tights
and prance around in a tutu."
"He's already done that too." Heather counted
off. "That was after the whole Kimono incident."
"The point is," Kamal grew irritated, "maybe
what he is hiding has nothing to do with it. Maybe its
not what we think it is."
"Then again it could be very well be what we
think it is." Ron defended.
"Wait a minute." Anthony's eyes were as large
as two golden snitches. "Snape dressed in drag and
did the hula? Are we still talking about the same Professor
Snape? You know, Mr.-anal-gothic-crappy-attitude-I-know-
more-than-you-and-I'll-take-away-points-from-Gryffindor-
even-though-you're-not-a-member-of-the-school-nor-a-
member-of-the-Gryffindor-house Snape?"
"Yep. Same one."
Anthony was floored. "When?"
"Last year," Heather grinned evilly, "but it wasn't
exactly his choice though. He was being an ass and so
since no one decided to do anything about it I decided
to take him down a few notches."
Ron gasped as he tried to breathe from laughing
so hard from the memory. "That was truly classic, Heather."
"Remember that it carried on for at least a week
until Professor Shift figured it out." Harry laughed.
"She told me at the end of the year that she knew
all along it was me."
"Why didn't she do anything about it prior then?"
Hermione asked.
"She thought he was a git and needed to be
brought down a few notches. She said the reason she
stopped me is because the image of Snape in the
bikini was rather wrong a tasteless."
"Okay so if its not Snape, Hermione, who then?"
Harry requested.
"That's the thing isn't it? It's probably someone
we know. Someone who wouldn't mind to kill us and
who wants revenge."
"Anyone in particular?" Anthony asked as he
took a bite of his French toast.
"You see that's the other thing. It could be
anyone of the Death eaters of their bastard children."
Heather rolled her eyes.
"Death eaters?" Anthony gulped.
"Voldermort's followers." Hermione clarified.
"They either went into hiding once Voldermort was
defeated or were imprisoned in Azkaban. Heather
is right, though. It could be anyone of them."
"Have you heard anything from Danielle
MacNeal lately?" Harry asked beginning to sort
the whole situation out.
"You know what? I actually haven't. That's
pretty strange for her. Normally she does something
to let me know she still detests me. The only thing
I know at this point is that she's still at the Chicago
Institute. If you'd like I can contact Mika and India
and they can tail her for us. It might be a little bit
difficult for them to do that right now since the
C.I.W.W. is on spring break, but they'd be willing
to do it."
"How long is the break?"
"A good 2 weeks."
"Whoa, wait a minute." Anthony waved his
hands. "We can't just allow these civilians in on this.
Not only would it unto our element of surprise, it's
against regulations. We can't tell them anything."
"That's the beauty of it. We won't have to."
Heather smiled evilly.
"Why do I get the idea this is just another
excuse for you to pull another prank on her?"
"Because my dear brother, that's exactly
what I want them to think."
*****
"Potter, you're not concentrating!" Roared
Professor Snape as he wiped his long greasy black
hair behind his ear. The potion's master had been
flung to the floor in Harry's attempt to perform a
wand-less shield charm.
Groaning, Harry took the wand-less defense
position like he had taken several hundred times
before. By this time in the afternoon his sister and
himself would take their leave in the Defense
Against the Dark Arts classroom, but she had taken
one of Hermione's evening patrol shifts since Hermione
had covered her morning one. Hermione briefly mentioned
his sister hadn't been feeling well. To Harry it was beginning
to form a pattern. "Maybe I should drag her to go see
Madame Pomfrey…"
"Potter!" his Uncle yelled again as he tethered
mid air by one of his ankles. "Get me down from here.
As Harry began to pull out his wand, the older
man stopped him. "No, use wand-less magic, boy.
That is what you used to get into this mess."
Harry groaned again as he put his wand back
Into his holster and extended his wand hand. He closed
his eyes to concentrate and focus his power. "Finite
Incantatum."
To his surprise, the potion master hit the floor
with a resounding thud. "Potter, you did that on
purpose. Ten points from Gryffindor."
"You can't do that anymore. I don't go to school
here."
"Well, I just did." Snape's eyes narrowed as he
eyed Harry. "Try to stop me."
Harry's eyes narrowed in defiance. The school
Trembled and they heard several terrified screams out
in the corridor. Several bottles of potion ingredients
shattered on the Potion master's desk as they fell from
the shelves. Instinctively, Snape reached for the bowl
sitting on his desk with a silvery liquid inside to keep it
from the same fate as the bottles.
Once the tremors stopped, Snape growled. "Do
you realize what would have happened if this bowl broke?"
Stepping out of the man's arm range, Harry
answered. "You'd loose the memories stored there?"
"Yes and it would pose a small problem with
keeping Petunia's treatment on track. The healers are
hoping with the memories surrounding the actual time
she was cursed it would force her to remember. Not
that this is any of your business. Now get back over
there and do it again."
Harry walked back over to where he was
suppose to conjure a shield charm. As he turned
back around to face the professor, a thought
occurred to him. "You were the one who put
the spell on my aunt, didn't you?"
"What are you talking about?"
"The Alzheimer's curse. You're the one
who conjured it. That's why she couldn't remember
anything about us. You had her thinking she was a
muggle to protect her. You just didn't realize she
was pregnant. Hormones always have an effect
on spells. That's charms first year."
Severus Snape went silent for a moment
and Harry wondered if he was trying to figure out
what to say or trying to control his temper. When
he did speak, the older wizard's tone surprised him.
"When I went undercover for Dumbledore…If
anything would have happened to her…"
"You were afraid if Voldermort found out
you were spying for Dumbledore he'd go after
her. You performed the curse to protect her…"
"I just didn't know…" He chastised himself.
When he looked up at Harry, his eyes filled with
anger. "Get out."
"But Professor…"
"Get out!" Snape breathed as he pointed
at the door. Harry did what he was told and left
the room, but as he turned around to look back
at him before heading up the stairs; he witnessed
the man throw one of the stools across the room
with wand-less and incantation-less magic with
great control. A feat, Harry both secretly envied
and feared.
*****
Harry raced back to the red squadron's
common room. Once he arrived, he blurted. "It's
Snape!"
"What?" Ron exclaimed from the common
room couch. "What are you talking about, Harry?"
" No joke." Harry confirmed and retold his
story to Ron and Hermione. The two of them were
waiting for Harry and Heather's return to the common
room. "He confessed to it while I was in training today."
"I always thought he had done something
like that the giant git."
"He's not a git, Ronald. He was trying to
protect her the best way he knew how. Considering
he was a spy, Voldermort could have had him kill
her at a moments notice."
Heather bounced as she called from
the doorway. "Sorry, I'm late. Anthony was late
taking over patrolling duties. What did I miss?"
"Harry found out who put your aunt under
the Alzheimer's curse and Ron is having the
emotional range of a tea cup about it."
As if on cue, Harry began humming the
Tune of "I'm a little tea pot." After the first line of
Song, Heather laughed as she joined in. "Here
is my handle here is my spout…"
Giggling, Hermione helped the duet
finish the song. "When I get all steamed up
here me shout. "Tip me over and pour me out"."
"What the bloody hell?" Ron looked at them,
thinking the three of them were temporarily under
the Imperious curse.
"You mean to tell me, you never learned that
song when you were a kid?" Heather asked, surprised.
"I thought every school kid learned that song. Granted
I always thought it was about someone transfiguring
themselves into a teapot, but I thought everyone knew
the song."
Ron shook his head, not really knowing what
else to do. "Must be a muggle song, I think. I've lived
in the wizarding world my entire life. Maybe that's why
I never learned it."
"Harry, guys! Come quick!" Sarah Campbell
raced into the common room. She quickly paused to
catch her breath then huffed three very important
words. "The dark mark…"
"Where?" Harry went immediately to command
mode.
"Outside by the lake. The teachers are racing
to count the students. All they know is someone is
dead."
Harry didn't have to glance at them to know
the fear they shared. "Let's go!" He commanded
as he raced for the door. "Let's move it people."
The five of them raced out of the dormitory
into swarms of Hogwarts students racing to head
back to their common rooms. They went down the
main stair way through the main doors of the school
to where the dark mark glowed above the spot. It
grinned at them like a dog that just finished a ham
bone. They were greeted by Headmaster Dumbledore
and Sergeant Duckhorn gazing down at the body of a
sixth year boy. Once the group moved closer, Harry
knew who it was. A sharp in take of breath in surround
sound was all it took for Harry to know Heather, Ron,
and Hermione knew who it was as well. Dennis
Creevy's body lay motionless on the ground. His eyes
were wide in terror and Harry's stomach lurched. Harry
controlled his gag reflex; however, his sister couldn't
as she walked away looking pale. As Anthony and
Kamal approached, Kamal looked in on Heather's
condition. "What happened?"
"You tell me." Sergeant Duckhorn offered.
"What can you deduce from this scenario from the
evidence given?
"He was murdered by a death eater." Anthony
concluded as sounds of retching began. Ron had
followed not too far behind and now was holding her
hair as she disgorged her previous meal.
"Or a mimic, sir." Hermione offered. "The evidence
given is not as consistent as those of a Death eater. There
are small minor details, such as the way Dennis is laid that
makes me wonder if the person who did this didn't research
all the details."
"Correct." Sergeant Duckhorn then smiled to the body
as she waved her wand to revive the fallen student. "Thank
you Mister Creevy for your assistance. Twenty points to
Gryffindor I believe."
"You mean this was a set up?" Sarah scoffed.
"Teaching purposes, of course." She smiled wickedly.
"To remind you that it is often during times that we are most
comfortable the enemy will attack. I suggest you keep your
guard up."
"Constant vigilance." Hermione offered.
"Correct." Professor Dumbledore offered his
handkerchief. "Miss Potter, I am sure Madame Pomfrey
can give you some assistance."
"Thank you, Professor." Heather wiped off her
face with the Headmaster's handkerchief.
"You'd better get use to it, Potter. I have a feeling
you'll be seeing more of it now days." Sergeant Duckhorn
ordered.
Harry rolled his eyes and shook his head. When he
Looked over at Hermione she snorted. "Maybe now they'll
actually teach us something at Great Lakes."
*****