To Shop or Not to Shop

A/N: I'm sorry that this update took a little more time than usual. My extraordinarily kind beta, Vaughn, got it back to me practically overnight, which is the only reason I'm able to post this in time for the weekend. The lag was completely my fault. My work is exceptionally busy right now, and I have to use so much of my brain at work, I've had very little left over when I come home in the evening. Next week is Tech rehearsal, so I won't be doing much writing I'm afraid, but then things should cool off a bit, and I'll have more brain for writing. Which is the way I like it!

Big thanks to all the people who were kind enough to leave me reviews for the last chapter! It's so interesting, and useful, to see what folks are thinking about the fic so far. I'm especially enjoying people's theories about what is going to happen next, but I'm trying hard to be a good Pook, and keep my big mouth shut about it! ;)

As always, I couldn't do this without Vaughn. Well, I could, but who would want to read it?! She wields one mean comma, she finds lost words, and she helps me keep all those buggering little canon details straight. I've said it before, and I'll say it again, Vaughn rocks!

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True, we love life, not because we are used to living, but because we are used to loving. There is always some madness in love, but there is also always some reason in madness.

-Francesco Petrarch 1304-1374

Ten minutes later, Hermione, Ron, and Harry were still a little gobsmacked by Severus' demand.

"Listen, Hermione," Harry said, "let's forget about how difficult it will be to get everything on that list for a moment. I'm far more worried about having someone whose mental facilities are unstable brewing something complicated in my house. I know it's not much of a house, but it's the only one I have. Are you certain that there isn't some other way to get Severus' cooperation in destroying the cup?"

"Absolutely not. I tried, Harry, I truly did. He said that he did indeed have information that would help me, but he wouldn't even give me a hint until I get every single item on that list of his."

"Would he tell you what he was planning to brew?" asked Ron.

"He said it was none of my business," Hermione growled in exasperation.

"Everyone always talked about how good Severus was at potions back at school," Ron said, "I know he's nutters, but is there really any danger? There's certainly nothing wrong with his magic, from what we've seen so far."

"Casting a spell is a very different thing from brewing a complex potion," Hermione said with a sigh. "Potion brewing can take hours of concentration. One slip can mean the difference between a completed potion, and an explosion."

"Well," began Harry hesitantly, "we can strengthen the protection wards on the lab easily enough. That way, he might blow up the lab--or himself--but at least the house won't fall down around our ears. But I'd feel safer if I had any inkling of what the bastard was up to."

"So would I," said Hermione. "And I'd much prefer it if he didn't blow anything up," she finished softly.

"That goes without saying," Ron said with a grin. "After all, you wouldn't want him losing his wedding tackle..."

"Oh, shut up, Ron!" Hermione snapped. "This is serious!"

"We've all been busy and distracted lately," mused Harry. "Remember, Hermione, when you said that there was something wrong with that Killing Curse that Severus used on Albus?"

"Yes, of course I remember. I couldn't put my finger on it, but there was something off about it. I remember that we were going to look into it."

"I think that the time has come to do so," Harry said firmly. "It didn't seem to matter much to me one way or the other when Severus was no more than a rather difficult house guest. But if he's going to be doing odd magics down in my basement, I want to know exactly what happened up there on that tower. It might give us some clue about what he's up to, or at least help us know what his motivations are."

"You're right, Harry," Hermione agreed. "It's past time that we took another look at that situation. But first I really think that we need to get these ingredients sorted, and I just don't see how we can."

"Let's take a look at it, then," said Ron.

The three friends gathered on the sofa. Doing her best to flatten out the worst of the wrinkles in the parchment she'd clutched so tightly, Hermione laid it out on the table so that they could all see it. The list was extremely daunting.

"Eighty-seven," muttered Ron. "Eighty-seven ingredients...and you're right, Hermione, some of those are quite pricey. He wants six strands of unicorn hair, for fuck's sake! That alone will run about six hundred Galleons."

"Even if we cleaned out my vault, that wouldn't pay for half of this stuff. Wait a minute," Harry said excitedly. "Hagrid's got a braid of unicorn hair hanging in his hut! I've seen it! I'm sure he'd give us six strands if I told him it was Order business."

"Harry, you're brilliant!" Hermione said with a smile. "I bet he'd have a few more of the animal ingredients, or at least know where to get them. I'm certain he'd have the Thestral bone, and he might even have a few Knarl spines as well. I wonder if he'd have any Chinese Chomping Cabbage? I know that's not an animal, but Hagrid would probably think they were cute."

"Hagrid might not have any," said Ron, "but we know someone else who might have access to one. Neville's still at the school, and from what he tells me, Sprout pretty much lets him have full access to the greenhouses."

"Ron, that's a fabulous idea!" Hermione said. Rising from the sofa, Hermione rushed over to her desk to collect some quills and parchment. Returning to the boys, she handed them out. "Harry, write down everything on the list that's animal in nature. Ron, you take the plants. I'll do mineral and miscellaneous. We can split it up this way. One of us can go to Hagrid, one to Neville, and one can go shopping."

"What if Hagrid or Neville can't get a hold of something?" asked Ron, who was already scribbling away on his bit of parchment.

"Then we'll have to add it to the shopping list, but at least it's a place to start."

When the list had been copied into three parts, Hermione sat shaking her head at the list she held. "I don't know, Harry. Even with the animal and vegetable bits left out, this list is still going to cost an arm and a leg. Moonstone's not bad, but sapphire dust is almost as dear as unicorn hair."

At that moment, Severus walked into the room to find the three friends looking rather morosely at Hermione's list of ingredients. "Is there a problem with my request?" he asked the ceiling light warily.

"Yes, Severus, I'm afraid that there is," Hermione said, sounding a bit defeated.

"Is a bit of shopping too mundane a task for three brave Gryffindor whores such as yourselves?" he said disdainfully.

"No, Severus," Hermione said with as much patience as she could muster. "It's not the shopping, it's the expense. All of us work full time for...er..."

"I know who you work for, little whore," Severus snapped. "Get to the point."

"Well, we each get a small stipend for that, but it rarely even covers living expenses. Harry has to add to it from his personal account just to keep us going. We are thinking of ways to get some of these ingredients on our own, but we still don't have the funds to purchase the rest."

At this confession, Severus looked shocked. Dropping his gaze from the ceiling fixture, he regarded Hermione with serious eyes. "Pretty little whore, I asked you to go shopping, as it is unwise for me to do so myself. However, I never expected you to pay for my things. I do have my own money, safe in a vault in Gringotts."

"But, Severus," Hermione began hesitantly, "what if the Ministry has seized your account? Er...they think...well..." Hermione's voice trailed off in uncertainty. Some subjects were hard to discuss with Severus. A wrong word might set him off, but too much skirting the issue often made him snappish.

"I'm well aware of what the Ministry thinks about me, which is why I can't go shopping myself. But seize my account? I'd like to see them try!" Scowling, Severus crossed his arms over his chest. It looked as if he was ready to battle the entire Ministry personally.

"Hermione, what are you on about?" asked Ron, tilting his head in puzzlement.

"Well, in the Muggle world, if someone is suspected of a serious crime, the government might put a hold on their bank accounts, so that they couldn't use the money to escape," Hermione explained.

"Weird," said Ron. "Severus is right. I'd like to see the Ministry try to mess with a Goblin bank. They wouldn't get very far."

"But aren't the Goblins under Ministry rule?" asked Harry.

"Sort of," replied Ron. "I mean, technically they have been under Ministry rule since the Goblin Rebellion--but in reality, they pretty much govern themselves. It's pretty complicated, from what Bill has told me. That's why Goblin banks are so safe. The Ministry doesn't mess with Goblin holdings, and the Goblins don't get involved in wizard infighting. If you put something in a Goblin bank, it stays put until you take it out again."

"So," said Hermione, wrinkling her nose in concentration, "even if there is a wizard war, the Goblins stay out of it. They stay neutral."

"Exactly, little whore," Severus said, finally softening the scowl that her questions had caused. "No one wants to put their money into a bank that will go belly-up at the first sign of trouble. Those knee-high whores charge well for their services, but it is worth the expense to know that your valuables are safe."

"Rather like Switzerland," mused Harry.

"I suppose that Switzerland has Goblin banks as well," Ron said, scratching his head in thought, "but what does that have to do with anything?"

"Forget Switzerland," Hermione said. "Severus, how do we get money out of your account? It wouldn't be safe for you to go to Diagon Alley yourself."

Walking over to his desk, Severus opened a drawer and removed the leather pouch he had been wearing when he first came to the house. After retrieving a small object from it, he replaced the pouch in the drawer. Then he sorted through the tidy stack of parchments on his desk until he found the one he was looking for. Returning to the sofa, he handed both items to Hermione.

"Here is my key, do try not to lose it," he said with an attempt at a glower that wasn't all that successful. "This," he said, handing her the parchment, "gives you permission to access my vault."

Glancing at the parchment, Hermione was startled by what she saw there. "Why, it's written in Gobbledegook!"

"What else," Severus said, raising an eyebrow. "It's for the knee-high whores, after all. They have ways of verifying my signature, but the language it is written in will give it additional authenticity. Not many wizarding whores can write Gobbledegook."

"That's true enough, Severus," Harry said. "How did you come to learn it?"

"That," Severus said with a crooked smile, "is none of your business. If you want to destroy that cup, I suggest that you fuck off to the shops."

"We aren't going this afternoon," Harry began. When Severus scowled fiercely at him, he hurried to continue. "We'll get on it first thing in the morning, I promise you, but Hermione and I have a bit of work to do today."

When Severus continued to scowl, Ron spoke up. "Severus, there's no reason that I can't get started. I've...er...got a friend who is good with plants. I'll take my list over to him and see what we can do."

"I suppose that will have to do for a start," Severus grumbled. "But do make sure each plant is collected properly. As I recall, Herbology was never your strong suit, redheaded whore. If, indeed, you have a strong suit."

"Not to worry. My friend knows what he's about around plants and such. I'm certain that he'll know what to do." Though Ron kept his temper, he did roll his eyes a bit.

"Make certain that he does," Severus snapped. "Any item that I find that has been improperly collected or stored will have to be replaced." That said, Severus turned abruptly and quit the room.

After Ron had taken his list and left for Hogwarts, Harry and Hermione gathered in the sitting room with the Pensieve. They had thought about using the library, but with Ron out of the house, they decided that the sitting room would be more private. Neither of them wanted to try to explain to Severus what they were doing should he chance to interrupt them.

"Harry, what did it look like when Cedric got killed?" Hermione asked softly.

"I don't know, actually," Harry admitted. Closing his eyes to concentrate, he absentmindedly rubbed at his scar with one hand. "When Voldemort arrived, my scar hurt worse than it ever had before. The pain brought me to my knees, and I think I had my hands over my eyes. I heard Voldemort tell someone to kill Cedric, and I heard the spell. I think that is was Wormtail who did it, but I'm not certain. The voice was loud and screeching. Then I heard Cedric fall to the ground. When I was able to look, he was lying there, dead."

"Then you didn't see it at all?" Hermione asked for clarification. When Harry nodded in reply, she continued. "It doesn't matter. I'll be able to see it in the Pensieve. Harry, I know revisiting that night will be painful for you. I need you to put the memory in the Pensieve, but you don't have to go with me if you would rather not."

"Thanks, Hermione, but I'm going," Harry said, his shoulders straightening and his chin lifting with determination. "I know it will be difficult...that's not a memory I would ever want to revisit...but if I want to help you figure out what happened on the tower, I need to see what happened with Cedric."

"All right, Harry. Merlin knows we'll need all the help we can get to figure this out. Go ahead and put it in."

Having had so much practice, it didn't take Harry long to extract the memory and add it to the Pensieve. As the silvery strand dropped in to the bowl, the liquid within swirled and glowed, casting an eerie light into the small sitting room. Harry and Hermione exchanged a determined glance before they bent towards the Pensieve.

Harry had obviously cut it rather close when he removed this memory. When they appeared in the dark cemetery, Harry was already on his knees with his fists rubbing into his eyes. Cedric was standing near to Harry, his wand drawn as he peered into the gloom warily. From what sounded like high above them, a thin voice said, "Kill the spare."

Noticing a dark, robed shape moving in the night around them, Hermione's eyes flew to the lone figure that approached Harry and Cedric. Harry had been correct; the figure striding out of the gloom was Peter Pettigrew. Poor Cedric never stood a chance. Before the poor fellow could even turn to face the approaching threat, Pettigrew was pointing his wand at his chest.

The spell flew from his lips, "Avada Kedavra," in a loud, screech of sound. A brilliant flash of green light speared straight from Wormtail's wand into Cedric's chest. Then it was as if someone had suddenly turned off Cedric's power switch. He made no sound. He made no expression of pain or fear. He simply crumpled to the ground, lifeless, as if some mad puppeteer had abruptly clipped his wires.

Shortly after that, the memory ended. Harry and Hermione reappeared in the sitting room in a flash of silver light. As Hermione quietly watched Harry return the memory to his head, she decided that she didn't mind the shortness of the scene. They had seen what they needed to see; she didn't blame Harry for not wanting to relive any more of that terrible night than necessary. After a moment of silence, Harry lifted his head to look Hermione in the eye.

"I already see one thing about that curse that was very different," Harry said quietly.

"It was rather hard to miss," Hermione agreed. "Cedric fell where he stood. The spider that Moody, or rather Crouch did the Killing Curse on also dropped dead. Certainly it rolled onto its back, but it didn't move much other than that."

Running a hand through his untidy hair, Harry said, "Albus was thrown clear off of the tower when Snape hit him. That's not like the Killing Curse at all; that's more like a strongly cast Disarming Spell. Could Severus have cast two spells? An audible Avada Kedavra and a silent Expelliarmus?"

"I don't see why not," Hermione said, "but why would he want to? If he'd already killed Dumbledore with the Killing Curse, what possible reason could he have to toss the headmaster off of the tower?"

For a moment, both Harry and Hermione sat in the small room, lost in thought as they wracked their brains trying to come up with an answer.

"To be honest," Harry began, "I'm surprised that Severus said the words of the Killing Curse at all. He's exceptional at silent magic. I think that the only times I've ever heard him verbalize a spell was when he was demonstrating something. He verbalized during the Dueling Club fiasco, and when he was teaching Defense Against the Dark Arts, but that's about it."

"Maybe that's it!" Hermione said, the fire of discovery lighting her eyes. "He is really good at silent magic. Harry, if one can do silent magic, is it possible to say the words to one spell and cast another?"

"Merlin, Hermione! What a thought! I've never even considered such a thing, but I suppose we could try it and find out."

"We will," Hermione agreed, "but first I want a good look at what happened on the tower. Instead of things getting clearer, I've got more questions than ever now."

Her thoughts whirling in her head, Hermione tried to wait patiently as Harry once again extracted a memory and added it to the Pensieve.