The Use of Spies

Disclaimer: Nothing you recognize belongs to me. Just borrowed. Will be returned. Snape is welcome to stay, though.

A big Thank You goes to my beta-reader and brit-picker, Melusin, who transfers my babble into language, sorts my random punctuation and is a good friend.

This, the last chapter of Part 2, is dedicated to all of you, my valued reviewers. Thanks to you, it's still fun and rewarding to write this.

Chapter 23 – The Use of Spies

6. Knowledge of the enemy's disposition can only be obtained from other men.

7. Hence it is that with none in the whole army are more intimate relations maintained than with spies. None should be more liberally rewarded. In no other business should greater secrecy be preserved.

18. Be subtle, be subtle and use your spies for any kind of business.

27. Hence it is only the enlightened ruler and the wise general who will use the highest intelligence of the army for purposes of spying and thereby they achieve great results.

Spies are a most important element in water, because on them depends an army's ability to move.

(Sun Tzu, The Art of War, XIII. The Use of Spies)

After having witnessed Ron's triumph, Hermione activated the Protean Charm on her locket. Severus' own locket, well hidden under his robes, would now get warm and alert him to the successful diversion of the first group of Death Eaters. Opening the locket, Hermione whispered a question to its inhabitant.

"They are ready to move, Hermione. The first group with You-Know-Who and Severus is supposed to Apparate directly to the gates by the forest, behind Hagrid's hut. The second group is to go and take the Ministry."

"Hold on," Hermione whispered. She took one of the mirror shards and hissed, "Harry!"

"Here."

"Gates behind Hagrid's hut. Tell Tonks. Ministry, tell Kingsley. Now."

"Good! On my way," Harry said, and then only quick footsteps could be heard.

"Bellatrix has been ordered to stay behind with the third group and keep an eye on the seer. She's supposed to take her to Hogwarts in half-an-hour...together with her group. They'll go as backup for the siege, and Sibyll is supposed to observe You-Know-Who's victory."

"Thank you, Ethel," Hermione whispered and closed the locket. "Shit, shit, three times cursed shit. We'll have to deal with the Lestrange woman. Damn." She took a deep breath and turned to Parvati. "This is it. We'd better get ready." She took a phial out of her pocket, left the sheltered space under Parvati's knees, being careful to stay out of the area that was visible from the door window, and drank the potion. A moment later, she had regained her normal size. She produced Parvati's wand out of the same pocket and gave it to her. Parvati cast a Disillusionment Charm on Hermione, hid her wand in her robes and resumed the humming.

They waited. Hermione stood at the side of the door, carefully peeking out through its window. So far, everything had worked out as planned. The gates behind Hagrid's hut were where Severus used to Disapparate when Summoned while still a teacher. He had told Voldemort that he knew that area of the Forbidden Forest best and that he had hidden his family's old flying carpet there. This was the only means of secretly accessing Hogwarts' grounds since they had been protected against Apparating and flying in by broom. Flying carpets had been overlooked; no one had used them for decades in Britain. Therefore, using a carpet would be the stealthiest way for Voldemort to enter Hogwarts' grounds with a select group of followers and for starting the attack on Harry. Thankfully, Voldemort had followed Severus' logic.

Hermione shrugged off her self-congratulatory thoughts and focussed on the task ahead. Why wasn't Lestrange here yet? Hermione fidgeted impatiently until she finally saw Bellatrix hurry towards the room. She turned to Parvati and hissed, "Now."

Parvati jumped up, crystal ball in one hand, the other outstretched towards the door. When the door opened, she whimpered, "I saw you coming. You're not supposed to harm me."

"I'd love to play with you, but my master forbids it," Bellatrix shrieked. "Move along. We're leaving." She grabbed Parvati's arm and pushed her out of the door, marching her at a fast pace towards the entrance of the building. Hermione followed, being careful not to be detected. A group of, maybe, thirty Death Eaters, some of them with brooms, had gathered at the entrance.

"Off we go.This is the day of victory for our Lord," Bellatrix crowed. She opened the door and stepped outside, dragging Parvati behind her. That was the moment. As soon as Parvati and Bellatrix were outside the building, Hermione ended her Disillusionment Charm, slammed the door behind her and pushed Bellatrix away from Parvati. She took hold of Parvati's arm, ready for side-along Apparition.

"Oh, no you don't," Bellatrix shrieked, getting hold of Parvati's robes. Her group of Death Eaters had managed to block the door behind them by trying to open it and run through it at the same time. Hermione Disapparated.

They reappeared at the shore of the Black Lake, Bellatrix still holding on to Parvati's robes. It had started to rain; the slight rumbling in the distance heralded an approaching thunderstorm.

Hermione turned around and fired a hex at the Death Eater.

By blocking the hex, Lestrange had to let go of Parvati, and both young women used the opportunity to run for the lake shore. A small boat, hastily Summoned by Parvati, floated towards them at breakneck speed.

Bellatrix wasn't idle. She cast one hex after another towards them, and just before they were able to board the boat, Hermione slipped in the mud, and a Cruciatus Curse hit her square in the back. With a scream, she fell to the ground, trying to crawl to the boat but being unable to move in any defined direction because of the pain. She felt as if her bones would burn to ashes, as if her eyeballs would pop out, as if every nerve ending was being stimulated with hot iron rods.

"Sorry, Hermione. Just a sec..." Parvati whispered after having cast an Impediment Jinx. She unceremoniously heaved Hermione into the boat and dropped her. The boat started to move, but the Cruciatus Curse still hadn't been lifted from Hermione and was making her twist, jerk and scream in pain.

Parvati muttered jinxes and hexes until the boat picked up speed. A whispered 'Finite Incantatem' finally released Hermione from her torture. Trembling violently, she leaned out over the side of the boat and forcefully ejected the contents of her stomach.

"What's she waiting for?" Parvati murmured and slowed the boat down.

"Hasn't she Summoned them, yet?" Hermione asked weakly.

"No––wait. Now she's doing it."

"I'll get you, little girls, never fear," Bellatrix cried in a singsong voice and then put her wand to the Dark Mark on her forearm. A moment later, her group of Death Eaters Apparated all around her.

"Accio boats!" At breakneck speed, five small boats, coming from the direction of Hogwarts, shot past Parvati and Hermione and towards the shore where the Death Eaters were waiting. The Death Eaters who had brought brooms were already following the boat.

"Here we go," Parvati said and sped their boat up. After a few moments, with the Death Eaters still in tow, Hermione poured a bottle of ink into the lake. The tip of a tentacle emerged. Hermione sighed contentedly, and the boat moved even faster.

Screams and swearing made them look back. The Giant Squid had plucked the Death Eaters on broomsticks out of the sky and was now pulling them under water, only letting them resurface every few minutes to gasp for breath. Merpeople had capsized the pursuing boats and dragged their prey under water as well. A few of the Death Eaters had escaped and were trying to swim back to the shore as fast as they could but were eventually captured by the Squid and Merpeople, including Bellatrix, who was desperately struggling against one of the Squid's tentacles.

"Excellent," Hermione whispered. She was still trembling from the torture. As soon as the boat entered Hogwarts through the secret gate, she jumped out, almost losing her footing because her knees were so weak, and stumbled towards the Chamber of Secrets.

"Let's see if everyone is in position. Then I have to go."

"Perry!" Parvati exclaimed, and indeed, Perry Price was waiting outside the Chamber. The two lovers fell into each other's arms. Hermione tactfully looked away. She had to get out and meet Harry and Severus outside the grounds.

"Is everything going as planned?" she asked Perry, interrupting the kissing couple.

"I haven't heard anything from the Ministry, yet, but our evacuation is going well. Irma is rounding up the last stragglers. Some of the fourth-year students are hiding because they want to join the fight, obviously, but Irma will soon have tracked them down. Voldemort and his group have entered the castle, but they can't move very fast. I bet he didn't expect so much resistance."

"All right, that's my cue. Good luck." Hermione cast a Portus spell on a small key in her pocket and disappeared a moment later.

---

She reappeared in the middle of some dense shrubbery behind Hagrid's hut, a risky landing point at best, but well sheltered from unfriendly eyes.

"Nightshade?" That was Severus' voice. He must have heard the noise when she clumsily performed one of the awkward Portkey landings.

"Nundu," she reassured him.

"Over here," he whispered.

Hermione fought her way out of the shrubbery and squinted. She could hardly see anything. The slight rain from earlier had transmuted into a downpour. She saw a dark figure beckoning her towards him. That was Severus; she would have recognized his silhouette anywhere. A few quick steps brought her to him. He briefly squeezed her hand.

"Where's Harry?" Hermione whispered.

"Talking to the snake."

"Did you...?"

"Yes. And it worked just as we had hoped it would. The snake's fine and finally free to do as it wishes."

"Good," Hermione choked out. She wished the business with Harry's Horcrux were over already, too. "Where's the Dementor?"

"Waiting for my next command...over there." Severus pointed at a dark spot under a tree, which almost looked like the rain and fog surrounding it only a bit darker.

The bushes rustled. A gigantic snake slithered out, raised its head and looked at Hermione, its tongue moving in and out and smelling the air. It wavered briefly, then checked out Severus as well, hissed, and disappeared towards the forest.

"That was that," Harry said. He had followed Nagini and was now standing before Hermione looking tense, his face pinched in worry and fear.

Severus had begun to chant his Summoning Charm, and the Dementor was slowly gliding towards Harry, who had closed his eyes. Hermione felt very cold and very depressed all of a sudden. She knew that this was the Dementor's effect on her, but that didn't stop her from wanting to cry her heart out and never stop. She couldn't let that happen, though. She reminded herself forcefully that she had work to do. Harry needed her.

Looking at him, Hermione saw that he was breathing heavily and very fast. Cold sweat was appearing on his forehead, and his skin was very pale. The Dementor bent over Harry's face, its toothless mouth positioned over the scar, and inhaled.

"When do we...?" Her words were cut short by a low howl coming out of Harry's scar and then out of the Dementor's mouth. The Dementor swallowed visibly, and the howling stopped. The Dementor, however, wasn't sated. It moved its mouth towards Harry's. Harry sat there motionless; he had probably lost consciousness again, Hermione thought worriedly.

"Stop," she hissed, but Severus had already cast the banishing charm, and the Dementor was forcefully pushed away from Harry. It seemed to struggle against Severus' command but finally gave in and disappeared in the rain.

"Harry, are you all right?" Hermione had rushed over to her friend and was now kneeling besides him, not caring about the fresh mud on her already soiled jeans. "Harry, Harry, wake up." She shook him while Severus looked on with a frown.

"I knew it, I knew it. It was far too dangerous," Hermione said shrilly, feeling close to hysteria. "Harry, wake up. Harry!"

"Quiet," Severus commanded coldly. "Calm yourself, Nightshade." He stooped and lifted one of Harry's eyelids briefly. "Rennervate!"

Harry's eyes flew open, and he gasped, his eyes darting about in all directions, widened fearfully.

"Harry, are you OK?" Hermione shook his shoulders again.

"Yeah... Is it... Is it gone?" Harry's eyes slowly focussed on Hermione.

"The Dementor is gone, Potter," Severus whispered. "And obviously you haven't lost your mind––the little there is of it."

The absurdity of the situation hit Hermione fully and relaxed her at the same time. She snorted. "If you ever lose your sarcasm, Nundu, I'll know that the world has ended. How do you feel, Harry?"

Harry shook his head to clear it. "I feel... fine, actually. Not much of a difference. How can we be sure that the Horcrux is gone?"

"I saw the Dementor swallow, Harry." Hermione smiled, looking at her friend. "And your scar's not red any longer."

"What?" Harry rubbed the scar. "Yeah... it's... I can hardly feel it any more. Uh... and what about my magic? With that soul fragment gone, will it be affected?"

"We shall check that in a moment," Severus whispered, listening intently for any sounds. "Your training should have taught you to compensate for that loss. But we can't stay here for much longer; we can't afford to be seen..." The Dementor-caused fog around them had lifted almost completely now, although it was still raining heavily.

"Watch it, Harry." Hermione had raised her wand and cast a nonverbal Stinging Hex at her friend but was blown off her feet by Harry's silent, 'Protego'.

"Your magic looks just fine to me," she muttered when she got up, trying in vain to brush the mud off her backside.

"We need to move," Severus urged them on. "Tonks will only be able not to fall over her feet for so long."

"Right," Harry said, a steely gleam in his eyes. He cast a Disillusionment Charm on Severus and Hermione and threw his Invisibility Cloak over himself. Severus took Hermione's Hand, Hermione held on to a fold of Harry's cloak and slowly they made their way to the castle. It was an awkward way of moving, but they couldn't afford to lose each other nor could they afford to be seen by friend or foe.

While they walked over the lawn towards the front steps, screams, yells and red and green flashes told them that the fighting had begun in earnest. The Death Eaters and giants were supposed to be laying siege to the castle, but as soon as they had Apparated outside the gates and fence, the Underground and Order members had attacked. Severus had ordered them not to wait for news from him or anyone else inside but instead to incapacitate as many enemies as possible.

The screams were horrible, and there were loud howls and cracking sounds. Hermione was worried that the protection on the grounds had been broken already; the fighting sounds were too close, too wild. This was not good. The protection should at least have held up until they were safely inside the castle, on their way to the Chamber of Secrets where Voldemort would be waiting, his most trusted Death Eaters at his side and Severus among them. This, at least, was what Voldemort had been led to believe.

In reality, it was Tonks who was impersonating Severus the Death Eater. They had made the switch after the Death Eaters had Apparated to the gates. Severus had gone into the forest to retrieve the flying carpet where Tonks had been waiting for him.

Tonks as Snape had gone back to the gates and flown Voldemort and his Death Eaters to the castle. Meanwhile, the real Severus had stealthily moved to the sheltered area behind Hagrid's hut where he'd met Harry. Harry had called out to Nagini in Parseltongue; Severus had Summoned a Dementor, and Nagini had been relieved of her uninvited guest.

So far, everything had gone like clockwork, and as soon as Voldemort and his followers had entered the castle, Minerva had received a signal from Severus to be prepared.

And now, soaked to the bones from the downpour, Severus, Harry and Hermione walked quickly through the main door. They were moving towards the marble staircase when a hex hit Hermione from behind. Harry caught her and prevented her from falling to the ground.

"What is this? Who are you?" One of the Death Eaters, who had entered Hogwarts' grounds earlier on, apparently had stayed behind at the doors. He had been hiding behind the suits of armour but was now carefully glancing around the armour in their direction, his wand raised.

"Shit," Harry whispered and let go of Hermione. A red flash from his wand hit the attacker. The Death Eater fell like a log.

"How...?"

"The mud! Look at our clothes." That was Severus' voice.

Hermione couldn't believe her eyes. Mud on their robes and shoes showed the outlines of their feet and legs, despite Invisibility Cloak and Disillusionment Charms.

"Evanesco." A wave of Severus' wand, and the mud was gone. Hermione added a drying charm for good measure. "Let's move," Severus whispered hoarsely.

Holding on to each other again, they hastened upstairs to get to Myrtle's bathroom but were delayed by the moving staircases. They had reached the fourth floor instead of the second floor, so now they would have to go through the library to reach the next flight of stairs down.

"Damn. Now is not the time to be acting up, " Severus swore at no one in particular but stopped short when they heard screams and running footsteps. All three of them flattened themselves against the wall when the footsteps came closer. A moment later, two students ran around the corner...with three Death Eaters in hot pursuit. Ginny and Pansy. Looking terrified, they opened the door to the nearest classroom, ran in and locked it. The three Death Eaters stood outside and laughed before they blasted the door out of its hinges.

"Nowhere to hide, girls," one of them shouted, and the other one laughed nastily as they made their way through the dust and debris of the door, following Ginny and Pansy into the classroom. A moment later, Hermione heard a low 'thud', a grateful, "Thanks, guys", and a relieved looking Pansy came out of the door, wand in hand.

"Bloody hell, that was too close. Why are there so many of them?" she said while Ginny repaired the door. "I'd never thought I'd be so grateful to see a bunch of house-elves."

"Think nothing of it," a squeaky voice said. A house-elf appeared on the doorstep stealthily looking up and down the corridor. Hermione stared. The house-elf was wearing a knitted hat. One of the hats, from the looks of it, that she had knitted in her fourth year in her misguided effort to free the elves without first finding out about their needs and wishes. What was going on here?

The elf stared directly into her eyes, and Hermione got the distinct feeling that a Disillusionment Charm didn't work with elves. Just to be on the safe side, Hermione put her finger to her mouth and was relieved to see the elf nod slightly.

They waited until Ginny and Pansy had disappeared around the next corner, then Severus pulled the Invisibility Cloak off and shook a dazed looking Harry out of his daydreams. "We cannot afford to linger," he hissed, finishing his and Hermione's Disillusionment Charm. "We're taking too long. Hurry!"

Hermione lagged behind and turned towards the house-elf who had watched them in silence.

"Why?" she mouthed.

"Slaves cannot harm wizards," the elf squeaked.

So that was it. In order to protect Hogwarts, the students and themselves, the house-elves had to be freed. Freed with her knitted hats, no less. Not quite certain if she should be amused or affronted, Hermione let herself be pulled away and down the corridor towards the library.

The doors of the library, which reached from floor to high ceiling, stood wide open, the glass shattered. A cold breeze hit them when they carefully stepped up to Madam Pince's desk.

"Dementors," Harry hissed.

"Where?" Hermione couldn't see any.

"Damn it," Severus swore. He stooped down at something behind the desk. Hermione went to his side and, crying out in shock, kneeled down. "Ernie!"

Ernie MacMillan didn't react. He sat slumped against the desk, slack-jawed, eyes open but unseeing. He neither reacted to Hermione's shaking him nor to Severus' "Rennervate."

Harry watched stony-faced and very pale.

"He's gone. A Dementor..." Severus looked around wildly. Hermione watched him, wide-eyed.

"No! Mother!" Severus jumped up and ran towards Madam Pince's office. "Filch?" he cried. "Where is she?"

"I'm here, Severus."

"Thank Merlin."

Hermione and Harry followed him and looked into the office. Filch lay on the floor, looking exhausted. His head was in Madam Pince's lap, a wand held in his trembling hand. "They're safe," Madam Pince whispered. "They all are. We got them all to safety, thanks to Argus."

Madam Pince was Severus' mother? Hermione's mouth fell open; a glance at Harry showed her that he was similarly baffled.

"Bloody hell," Severus whispered. "What happened here?"

"Dementors. The Ministry has fallen, and they got in. A whole group of them, just when we were getting the last students through. Ernie was trying to protect us." Madam Pince's voice faltered. "I added my Patronus to his, but we weren't strong enough, and I couldn't leave the students." She started to sob softly. "I wanted to help Ernie, but the children..."

"I see," Severus whispered softly, squeezing her arm. "And then?"

"One of the Dementors attacked Ernie and kissed him. I was so scared, I couldn't produce another Patronus, and there were still two children to get through. I was prepared to shield them with my body when the Dementors came towards us, but then Argus took my wand. He... he cast the spell. And it worked. Argus cast a corporeal Patronus...and a very strong one at that. The Dementors scattered in all directions, and we managed to get the children through. And then you came..."

"I've never heard of anyone coming into their magic so late," Severus whispered and looked at Filch with wonder in his eyes. "But you must go now. We must end this. Take him with you." He gestured towards Ernie.

"Yes," Harry said grimly. "Let's end this once and for all."

Madam Pince and Filch grasped the Portkey that would take them to Nan Guthan, made sure that Ernie touched it together with them, counted to five and disappeared.

"Madam Pince is your mother?" Hermione whispered. She couldn't think straight. If she did, she would remember Ernie's fate. And if she let that thought into the forefront of her mind, she'd lose it completely, she knew. Hannah was so looking forward to seeing Ernie again, and now... Hannah was in charge of the evacuated children... She'd be there when Ernie appeared. Hermione swallowed violently, the tears threatening to fall.

Severus scowled. "We must focus on what lies before us, Nightshade. We're soldiers."

"Right," Hermione whispered, swallowed again and turned away from the spot where Ernie had lain just moments before.

At top speed, the three of them ran towards the rear exit of the library and down the next flight of stairs. Thankfully, they didn't change direction. While they ran, Hermione activated the Protean Charm on the old coin from their fifth-year DA training.

And so it happened that they arrived in the bathroom on the second floor where a group of friends and allies was already waiting for them.

There were ghosts and house-elves. There was Remus Lupin, Perry Price and Parvati, still in the disguise of Sibyll Trelawney.

Ron and Luna had come. Neville was there, too, and so was Ginny and, to Hermione's absolute surprise and delight, Pansy Parkinson. All of the teachers had come, including Minerva McGonagall, who smiled and walked towards them. Hermione and Parvati drank their Polyjuice antidotes; they wanted to go into battle as their true selves.

"You... You're dead," Pansy cried. "How... what?"

"No time to explain now, but Draco isn't dead, either," Hermione said and flashed the surprised Slytherin a smile. The light shining in Pansy's eyes after this revelation was certainly worth the short delay. From the corner of her eye, Hermione saw Ron watching the exchange with narrowed eyes. He didn't say anything but frowned and nodded slowly.

"There's a group of people who were rescued at the last minute. Some of them work in the background, some will fight here with us tonight," Minerva McGonagall said to the teachers and students who knew nothing of the Underground as yet. Remus Lupin was one of the trusted Order members who did.

"The teachers shan't go down with you," Minerva addressed Harry. "We'll keep your backs covered and prevent any Death Eater from going down after you."

"Good," Severus said. "What's happened at the Ministry? How could it have fallen?"

"We were betrayed," Minerva whispered. "One of the Aurors, not an Order member thankfully, reported to Umbridge that something was being prepared. You know how we wanted to make certain that no one could access the Ministry without authorisation?"

Severus nodded, and Hermione whispered, "Umbridge?"

"Yes. Merlin alone knows what Rufus was thinking by keeping her in office. She'd been moved out of a position of influence a while ago..." Hermione glanced at Harry and saw him nod grimly. "Anyway, one of them must have opened a gate because a great force of armed Death Eaters had stormed the Ministry before anyone could raise the alarm." Minerva sighed shakily and dabbed at her eyes. "They tortured and killed Rufus; they wanted to know why he'd been expecting an attack, but Rufus didn't spill a word."

Severus and Harry had gone very pale.

"Percy? Is he alive?" Ron whispered.

"I don't know," Minerva said. "All I know is that as soon as Rufus was killed, You-Know-Who was appointed Headmaster, and I was fired. This is... I can't quite explain... The castle lets you feel these things, so I know. And Kingsley sent me his Patronus. I closed the Floo connection to the Ministry before the attack began; they had no way of entering that way, but they invaded as soon as the Anti-Apparition spells fell. I've no idea how Riddle learned what happened."

"The Dark Mark," Severus whispered, looking stricken. "It can be used to send simple messages; the burning of the Mark isn't always very intense. While, ah, he is alive, all Death Eaters can activate it, although no one is as skilled in manipulating it as him. During the years of his absence, the Mark was dormant."

"We have to hurry," Harry said urgently. "The Order and the Underground will have a hard time holding the Death Eaters back without the protective spells to keep them out of Hogwarts' grounds."

"Focus on your task, Potter," Severus snarled. "The Underground will deal with the Death Eaters. They won't know what hit them."

"Who is the White Phoenix?" Minerva asked.

"What?" Hermione asked, baffled.

"When Kingsley sent me his Patronus with the message that the Ministry had fallen, he mentioned that the White Phoenix had encouraged our fighters and renewed their faith. He said that they hadn't given up the Ministry quite yet and would do anything to regain control."

"Not as bad as it could be, then, but I've no idea who that Phoenix is," Severus murmured. "But if you meet him, send him down. We need to go before they decide to come back out again."

---

They marched down to the Chamber of Secrets in tense silence. Harry went ahead, closely followed by Ginny, Ron and Luna. Severus, Hermione and their other friends were hot on their heels.

When they finally reached the door to the Chamber, Harry paused and turned around. He looked at each of them with a twisted smile on his face.

"Thank you for being here with me," he said. "I am fortunate to have so many friends who I trust completely. Let's go."

Hermione and the others nodded. Hermione's heart was beating madly, the adrenalin in her system nearly making her sick. Severus had taken her hand and squeezed it. Glancing into his eyes, however, didn't make her feel any better. What she saw there was a good-bye: a fatalistic acceptance of fate, a finality she didn't agree with.

She tried to convey optimism and hope in her glance together with all the love and longing she could put into a brief look.

His lips twitched, and he let her hand go. She gripped her wand tightly. Harry took a deep breath, raised both hands and pushed the door open.

"Looking for someone, Harry? About time, too."

Lord Voldemort and his most trusted followers were standing in a half-circle when Harry and his friends filed into the room.

Voldemort opened his mouth, obviously not quite finished with his little speech, but then became aware of Severus getting into position at Hermione's side.

"Severus?" he asked, unbelieving, and whirled on the spot to look at the impostor in his own ranks. Alas, Tonks, who had morphed back into her brightly-coloured self, threw herself to the floor, rolled towards Harry's group and cast a rapid succession of hexes at the Death Eaters, which momentarily took them by surprise.

That was the signal for Harry's friends, and they attacked.

"Traitor," Voldemort hissed, and a green flash moved towards the spot where Severus had stood a heartbeat before, but Hermione, who was teamed up with him, had levitated him away just in time.

In the meantime, the fighting was in full force. Tonks, Lupin and Neville went up against Greyback and Theodore Nott the elder. The Carrows attacked Pansy, who was assisted by Ron and Luna. Ginny, Parvati and Perry had taken on the Lestrange brothers and Macnair.

Wormtail and Bellatrix stood at Voldemort's side, wands raised. Wormtail looked as he usually did: shaggy and slimy but basically unhurt. Hermione wasn't too surprised that he had escaped the Acromantulas; he wouldn't have fought in the front line, anyway. Bellatrix, however, looked rather battered. She was sporting a black eye; there were scratches and bruises on her arms and face, and one prominent purple circle on her left cheek told Hermione that the Giant Squid must have had her in his clutches quite firmly. She wondered how the Dark witch could have escaped.

"You cannot win, little Harry," Voldemort whispered menacingly. He flicked a finger at Bellatrix and Wormtail and hissed, "Kill him."'

"Still relying on your Horcruxes, Tom?" Harry mocked while Severus and Hermione duelled Wormtail and Bellatrix.

"Because if you are, you're in for a surprise," Harry said while ducking the Stunner cast at him. "We found them all and destroyed them. Nagini sends her regrets, but she prefers to live her own life from now on."

"Is that so? Then I shall simply make a new one." Voldemort's red eyes didn't show any emotion, but his voice sounded even more threatening now. "Well, well, well. I suppose our dear Severus taught you all you needed to know, didn't he? How illuminating."

Voldemort's voice had become very smooth. "Here we have a wizard who has been honoured beyond belief by his master, but is that enough for him, I ask myself? And I must answer: No. It is not enough for him. He wants more."

Voldemort stepped to the side and elegantly dodged the curses Harry cast at him, blocking them in almost casual dismissal.

"Look at you, Severus. Who'd have known that you were such a traitor? You who were my right-hand man, my most trusted servant."

Wormtail whimpered in protest and turned around to complain. The Full Body Bind cast by Severus hit him full in the back, and he fell to the ground, as stiff as a log.

"Yes, my most trusted servant." Voldemort dismissively released Wormtail from the Petrificus Totalus and took on Harry and Severus at the same time. Wormtail sniffled and crawled out of the way.

"Here you are, Severus. And young Harry, too. Both of you here, together with me. We are the three abandoned boys who could have ruled the world together as men. Three wizards, tainted but also strengthened by Muggle blood. But, alas, it's not to be. The three of us are like the heads of the Runespoor, don't you think, Severus? Now, which one do you think you are? The planner? Hardly. The dreamer? No, that's dear Harry, here." Harry barely managed to jump out of the way of the curse flashed his way at lightning speed. "No, Severus, you are the critic. The one whose head always gets bitten off."

Voldemort whirled around and Disapparated, reappearing a heartbeat later behind Severus' back. Hermione cried a warning, unable to react quickly enough while holding Bellatrix at bay.

Severus spun around, but the "Avada Kedavra" had already left Voldemort's lips.

Hermione saw the green flash leave Voldemort's wand and heard the sound of the powerful force rolling towards Severus, but she was frozen to the spot. Everything seemed unreal as if it were in slow motion. At the last moment, she threw herself towards Severus, trying to push him out of the way or taking the curse in his stead, but while she was jumping, she realised that it was too late. She saw how Severus eyes widened and then closed.

"Noooo!" she screamed, but before the curse hit, a scarlet and golden flash appeared in front of Severus and swallowed the curse. Fawkes burst into flames and fell to the ground. At the same time, Hermione reached Severus and pushed him to the side, just barely escaping a curse cast by Wormtail. They both fell into a heap on top of each other, but they immediately turned around, ready to cover each other's backs.

Harry hadn't been idle. He had used the distraction to bind Wormtail in ropes just as the latter was about to attack Severus and Hermione from behind.

"I'm the one you want to fight," Harry said quietly, casting a Sectumsempra towards Voldemort that was quickly blocked by the Dark Wizard after a warning from Bellatrix, who was now covering Voldemort's back.

Hermione and Severus got back on their feet. Hermione used the brief reprieve to check what was going on with the others while Severus carefully picked up Fawkes and put him into his bottomless pocket.

Tonks was lying in a heap opposite an unmoving MacNair. Remus stood protectively over her, desperately trying to fight off Greyback.

Parvati and Perry stood back to back, fighting Rodolphus Lestrange and Alecto Carrow.

Ron and Luna had just managed to stun Amycus Carrow, and Ginny was duelling Rabastan Lestrange. Pansy hurried to her aid.

Neville was without an opponent, looking around wildly for where his help might be needed most.

"So that's how it is?" Voldemort asked gleefully. "Holding on to your spy, are you? Well then, you'll have to do, little Harry." He stared into Harry's eyes, causing the younger wizerd to cry out and fall to his knees.

"Harry, we're here," Hermione cried and tried to move to Harry's side but was blocked by Bellatrix.

Dodging the Cruciatus Curse thrown at her, Hermione cried, "How did you get in here, anyway?"

"The pipes," Bellatrix screamed and laughed like a maniac but continued casting curse after curse at Hermione.

Damn, Hermione thought. They had completely forgotten about the pipes. If the Basilisk could get out of the Chamber through the pipes, there had to be a way in as well. She dodged and jumped, blocked and cast spells, but as well trained and skilled as she had become, Lestrange was still stronger. Her madness seemed to give her extra strength; her ruthlessness allowed her to attack without mercy, no matter the method. She neither cared about herself nor others as long as her actions benefited her master.

Hermione breathed heavily. She was getting tired, but she had to hold out as long as possible to keep Bellatrix off Harry and Severus' backs, for Severus had come to Harry's aid and was standing at his side, attacking Voldemort fiercely with the full arsenal of Dark hexes and curses at his command. Voldemort couldn't keep his hold on Harry's mind, released him and instead returned Severus' attacks with similar ferocity. Dark green and purple mists were rising between them, and Voldemort was laughing, obviously very much enjoying himself.

"Spy," he spat out. "What do you think you're doing? Useless traitor, cowardly stool pigeon."

Severus didn't let himself be provoked. He continued his attacks until Harry quietly stepped next to his side and said softly, "Now."

"I am a spy," Severus proclaimed loud and clear. "And as such I must be as subtle as a shadow. I am the shadow man. But subtlety is something you've never much appreciated, have you?" He jumped when angry flashes shot from Voldemort's wand. "Be subtle, be subtle and use your spies for any kind of business." Running and jumping, Severus raised his wand towards Harry and continued, "To you, the son of a beloved friend, the best friend of a beloved woman, I lend my strength." He chanted the incantation they had chosen from "Body and Soul: How the Greatest Power of All Holds it Together."

Harry seemed to stand straighter, a faint bluish glow surrounding him.

Dammit, Hermione thought. She should be included in what was to come, but instead she was wearing herself out fighting Lestrange. She somersaulted across the room, hoping to distract the vicious witch, but to no avail. While Hermione was struggling to her feet, Belatrix had caught up with her, grinned like a madwoman and closed in for the kill. "Avada Ke..."

"Sectumsempra."

Hermione watched incredulously as Neville's spell cut into Bellatrix Lestrange's neck with a sickening noise and cleanly severed her head. With open eyes, still staring in surprise, the head landed on the floor a few feet away from the body that hadn't even slumped yet.

Hermione felt very sick, and Neville must have felt likewise since he had gone very pale, but he also looked determined. A fierce glimmer brightened his eyes, and he shook the shock of having killed someone off him like a duck shaking water off its back.

"Harry needs us," Hermione whispered, staring around wildly. Remus and Tonks, who had regained consciousness, were now fighting both Lestrange brothers and Fenrir Greyback.

Perry Price lay on the ground next to an unconscious Pansy, and Parvati stood protectively over both of them; their opponents were lying motionless in a corner. From the empty expression in their enemies' eyes, Hermione surmised that they were dead.

Wormtail was nowhere in sight.

Luna, Ron and Ginny hurried towards Remus and Tonks and, in a joint effort, Stunned and bound the Lestrange brothers, but then Fenrir Greyback went berserk and jumped at Remus' throat.

Tonks tried to help, but a swipe of Greyback's huge claw-like hand sent her flying across the room. Greyback's other hand had closed around Remus' windpipe, and he slowly opened his mouth wide, grinning at the struggling Remus, ready to rip his throat open with his teeth.

Hermione stared in horror, just like her three friends who had wanted to come to Remus' aid. When Greyback's teeth buried themselves in Lupin's flesh, a squeaked, 'No!' briefly distracted the vicious creature. Hermione watched in disbelief as the rat that was Wormtail Transfigured back into his human form and buried his silver hand with surprising force in Greyback's chest. With a sickening crunch, Wormtail ripped Greyback's heart out.

"I hope you'll live, my friend," Wormtail said with a glance at the bleeding Remus and transformed back into his rat form, scampering away.

Ginny, Luna, Ron and Hermione stared at each other. Tonks in the meantime had rushed back to Remus' side, tending to his wound and chanting healing spells.

"He'll live," she told Hermione. "Go and help Harry."

Harry and Severus were fighting for their lives. Voldemort had laughed when Severus had chanted the spell from the ancient book and attacked them both with a fierceness that belied his earlier exertions, a fierceness which would have brought any ordinary wizard to exhaustion.

If they didn't defeat him now, they never would, Hermione thought. Swiftly Apparating to Severus' side, she cried the incantation that would add her strength to Harry's.

"Here is the best friend of your foe, who lends her love and strength. I am Hermione Granger whom you believed to be dead. I am the dead woman who is united with the shadow man, the man who is the clever spy," she cried, revelling in the shocked and slightly fearful look Voldemort gave her. "For Spies cannot be usefully employed without a certain intuitive sagacity."

Harry breathed deeply and cast, "Imperio!". Voldemort laughed, shaking his head. "Is that all you have to defeat me, little Harry? For I counter with 'Neither shall live while the other survives', and I shall make very certain that you'll not be the one to survive. Avada..." He stopped, shaking his head. "Get... out... of my head, little Harry." But apparently he couldn't break free completely since he didn't repeat the Killing Curse.

"That's right." Ron had joined them. "And I add my strength and the love of a best friend to Harry." He chanted the incantation. "And about spies... They cannot be properly managed without benevolence and straightforwardness.

Harry's hold on Voldemort's mind seemed to become stronger for Voldemort lowered his wand, closed his eyes and murmured softly to himself.

Ginny had joined them as well. "All my love and strength goes to my soul mate, the love of my life," she said softly, eliciting a deep sigh from Harry while she chanted the ancient spell. She added, "Give up, Tom. Your spy has beaten you. Without subtle ingenuity of mind, one cannot make certain of the truth of their reports. And ingenuity of mind is something you always lacked."

Voldemort had started to sway on his feet, a soft hum coming from his mouth and his nostrils. Hermione felt a wind rising and wondered what he still had in reserve. Harry's strength should have become irresistible, even for Voldemort. She knew that Harry didn't want to kill and hoped that he'd succeed in getting Voldemort to surrender.

"Without our spy, Tom, you would have won," Harry said. "But our spy has achieved great results for us; he is valued beyond compare. For spies are a most important element in water, because on them depends an army's ability to move.

"Give up, Tom. I have the means to make you human again. Join us; repent and be a wizard again, not a monster. I don't hate you. I can understand you and so can Severus. We are, as you said yourself, three lost boys who could achieve great things together as men. I can feel your pain. I willingly give you a part of my own soul." He chanted the ancient incantation that would reunite the soul fragments, and the very moment he finished, the hum that came from Voldemort rose to a thunderous roar, and a vortex of magical mist started to form around him. The force was so strong that it made the sparse furniture in the Chamber fly around in circles, carried and broken by flashes of magic, green, red, and blue, zapping through the mist. Hermione watched in horror as one of the red flashes hit Severus full in the chest. Blood was spurting from his wound, and he slumped to the ground like a puppet whose strings had been cut. A moment later, something hit Hermione's temple, and everything went black.

Epilogue of part 2

I feel lonely. After my return to the place with the big walls and the abundance of rodents, my human neglected me. She is not here. I want company. I want to talk to her. I am her familiar, after all.

I go and search. I get distracted; there are interesting smells here. This one is from the cat-who-isn't. She is marking everything with her scent and showing everyone who is in charge. Should I pay her a visit? Perhaps later.

There is the smell of the fierce one. Her human calls her Mrs. Norris. She is true-cat; she is beautiful. She is strong. She has a mind of her own. I adore her. But she isn't here anymore. I shall look for her. Later.

But here it is, the scent of my human. This is where she walked, together with the one who has become almost as dear to me as her. They understand me both. I can speak with both of them, although they aren't aware of it. I want to be with them. I shall look for them. Now.

My search leads me through the place of musty smells, of banished mice, of paper and glue, leather and cardboard. My mistress stays here often, but this time she just passed through. Stairs. Downstairs for two flights. Here is her scent. A door, quickly opened. I don't have my reputation of being a particularly clever cat for nothing.

Behind the door, a bathroom. A gaping hole in the wall where one of the ponds should be. The humans call the ponds basins, I believe. My human's smell leads down the tunnel. How interesting. Is she catching mice? I follow.

A door. The smell is strong. She must be in there. I enter.

A lot of people are in this room. A short sniff in the air makes me locate my human quickly. She lies there, half-slumped over her mate...the other human I love. I go to them and check them out. They're asleep, lazy buggers. Their chests move slowly but steadily. I climb on my human's lap, tread, turn around, settle down and watch.

The crowd in the middle of the room behaves strangely. A bald man with slits as a nose stands there, brown eyes wide open, looking young and innocent, a small smile on his face. A young man with the green eyes of a cat stands opposite him and gapes. A very old man with long, white hair and a white beard stands at the young man's side and hits him on the back repeatedly, uttering a 'Well done, Harry. Well done, all of you." I've seen this man before. I think he was in charge of the place before the cat-who-isn't became its mistress.

The others stand and gape at the man in white.

And there it is, the smell of the rat. I stand up and stretch.

The young man now smiles, stretches a hand out towards the befuddled, slit-nosed wizard and says, "Come, Tom. There is much you need to learn, now."

The smell of the rat gets stronger; I get up from my mistress' lap.

"You're not letting him live? Are you crazy?" It is the rat-who-isn't. I've encountered it before. It is an enemy. The dog-who-wasn't told me that.

The-rat-who-isn't takes a knife out of its pocket, thrusts it into the hands of a brown-haired, puzzled looking, young man and forces the young man's hand to slit the throat of the slit-nosed wizard who stands in the middle. The rat's thrust is so strong that the wizard's head is almost separated from the body. There is a lot of blood.

The green-eyed, young man cries, "Neville!"

Another young man, a ginger, cries, "Wormtail!"

"Just making sure the prophecy is fulfilled, as well as my life debt to you, Harry." The rat-who-isn't grins and transforms back into its rodent form. This is my moment.

I jump off my human's lap, and with much-practiced, smooth and soundless strides, I leap towards the rat before it can scamper away. No playing with the prey this time, too risky. With a deep satisfaction that puzzles me a bit, I strike and bury my sharp claws in the rat's body. It squirms, fights and threatens to bite me, mangy thing that it is. I bite its head off.

Why everybody is yelling is beyond me. The green-eyed man lets out a high-pitched wail and falls to the ground. I'm sorry that I couldn't do anything for the befuddled, slit-nosed wizard who lies on the ground, too, not breathing any longer, a gaping wound in his neck. But I know that the other one, the one with the green-eyes, will live.

I'm not sorry for having finally disposed of the rat-who-wasn't. It feels like revenge and late satisfaction for my friend, the dog-who-wasn't. He hated that rat with a fierceness that astounded me. We don't usually hate prey; we merely kill it.

My work is done. I just need to wait until my human and her mate wake up. In the meantime, I shall take a nap.

End of Part II