Chapter 5

Chapter 5

Disclaimer: Not mine! Well, nothing but the plot, anyway.

AN: Thanks to septentrion and LadySunflower for betaing this.

"Married?" Muted by his loss, Weasley's surprise was not nearly as satisfying to Severus as it would have been without this new Necromancer's handiwork.

"W-what?" Potter spluttered, doubtless being unfamiliar with wizarding handfasting marks.

"I married Hermione yesterday, Potter. If the Weasleys' murderer had really been my wife, she would have had our entwined initials scorched onto both wrists."

"Could it have been covered up with some sort of charm?"

"No, Harry. There's no glamour charm that could cover a bonding brand, as the powerful binding magic would dissolve it," Weasley explained, presumably having learnt the knowledge about the marks from his parents.

"Congratulations, Severus. Now, if I am no longer needed here, I should return to my post. Fleur Weasley should not be left alone. When she regains consciousness, the knowledge of her loss might endanger her unborn child," Poppy said, nodding to Albus and Minerva, patting Weasley and Potter on their shoulders before leaving the room.

Considering the circumstances, Severus was not surprised when Potter and Weasley did not express good wishes on his marriage. But he was not expecting Potter to lurch to his feet and lunge forwards, grabbing hold of the front of Severus's robes.

"If you'd invited us, this might not have happened," Potter hissed, thrusting his face up close to Severus, his eyes bloodshot behind his glasses.

Opening his mouth to protest, Severus's eyebrows shot up when Weasley stepped forward to pull Potter off him.

"No, Harry. Don't. Just... don't. It doesn't matter now. It's already happened, nothing can change it. Not even if we went back in time."

Potter's shoulders slumped, the fight draining out of him as suddenly as it was sparked.

"What matters is bringing my family's killer to justice."

Minerva snorted. "I'm sorry, Ronald, but the only way to bring a Necromancer to justice is to kill them in such a way that they cannot come back. As Albus and I know from our experiences with Grindelwald, that is no simple task."

"I never said it would be easy! First, we've got to find her. But how?"

"Fawkes," Albus called. The phoenix appeared in a flash of fire. "There is a Necromancer on the loose. I need you to find her and subdue her if possible."

But Fawkes just cocked his head at Albus for a long moment, before letting out a despondent squawk.

Minerva rolled her eyes. "Albus, Fawkes is not an owl. Even if he was, he would need a name at the very least, surely?"

Frowning, Albus replied, "Actually, Minerva, Fawkes has been able to track down people for me before with an uncanny ability similar to owls. Admittedly, he did know precisely who he was looking for."

"Albus, it is entirely possible that your phoenix would be reduced to so much ash if he did find Hermione's impostor. It is just as well that we have no way to send Fawkes after her," Severus said grimly. "Although, if we had a name, we might be able to scry for her."

Minerva inhaled sharply, before using her wand to Summon a forgotten book from the floor. It was close enough to the door that it was a wonder that Severus hadn't tripped over it as he had charged inside. "Hermione had this with her. She must have dropped it as she fled."

The book was several inches thick. Severus almost despaired when he saw this, wondering how they were to find whatever Hermione had, when Minerva felt alongside the spine at the top and flipped it open, revealing a bookmarked page.

"Trust Hermione to leave us a clue," Weasley commented, clapping Potter on the shoulder.

Severus could see Minerva's eyes almost blur as they swept across the page in her haste to read. She tapped the page, nodding sharply before looking up. Minerva wasted no time, simply stating the spell that could reveal this hostile Necromancer's identity.

"Sanguis Clamare. From the description, it's blood magic. 'Like calling to like'. We need the blood of a Necromancer..."

"There's still drops of Hermione's on the floor," Potter interjected.

"It needs to be willingly given," Severus stated before Potter could even bend down. "I do have some left over from when Hermione provided me with some, but...." Sighing in resignation, he made no move to collect it. "I have heard of that spell. We cannot perform it until nightfall."

Both Potter and Weasley looked more than a little disgusted that Severus would have some of Hermione's blood in his possession. He idly wondered how much more disgusted they would be if they knew precisely how that blood had been 'given' to him.

"It is as you say," Minerva reluctantly agreed, closing the book with a snap in her frustration.

"Pity that Accio Necromancer won't work, then," Potter grumbled.

Arcane runes flashed into being, sparking across the structure of the castle within sight. A heartbeat later, everyone within the room flinched as the wards all but cried out, a high pitched wailing within Severus's head. Looking at the others, he gathered from their screwed up eyes that they were experiencing the very same thing. Potter and Weasley had covered their ears with their hands, a futile effort considering that the wards were sounding the alarm without passing through any auditory nerves. Even Fawkes seemed affected by the racket: his feathers were ruffled.

Albus got to his feet with a fair turn of speed for a man of his advanced age, raising his hands as he mouthed an incantation. It was possible that Albus had chanted it; Severus was incapable of telling with his ears ringing in protest, despite the fact that the din was only mentally inflicted.

Unfortunately, Albus's spell failed to quiet the wards. The wailing wards only increased in volume to the point where all those who could hear them were forced to their knees. His chain of thought continually broken, Severus managed to wonder whether the entire castle was experiencing this alert before he slumped to the floor, insensate.

Warbling phoenix song roused Severus, who raised himself up on his elbows, blinking up at a similarly groggy Albus, whose head was resting on his hands, slumped at his desk.

"The wards!" Albus suddenly exclaimed, as he sat bolt upright.

Severus's eyes widened as he registered what Albus had seen, scrambling to his feet to stagger closer. He touched a shaking hand to the runes scorched onto the walls, mentally gibbering at what it might mean.

Albus was frantically manipulating some of his mysterious instruments, tugging at his beard in obvious distress.

Muttering something vicious under her breath, Minerva sat up, gingerly climbing to her feet to sink into a chair next to the desk.

Potter and Weasley grunted as they helped each other to stand, moving to hover beside Albus and Minerva.

"Albus, what happened?" Minerva asked, her voice growing more strident when he failed to answer. "Albus?"

"Tell me that these scorch marks do not mean what I think they do, Albus," Severus almost pleaded, turning to face the venerable wizard, who had dropped his face into his hands.

Inhaling deeply, Albus raised his head. He heaved a sigh, looking sadly from one expectant face to another. "The impossible has happened; the wards have failed. They collapsed within the last five minutes. Fawkes did his best to keep us conscious."

"She's here," Weasley whispered, voice trembling and eyes wide with fear.

"Necromancer or not, how did she shatter the wards? Surely no one is that powerful?" Potter asked.

"According to these records, the attack on the wards came from both within and without the grounds. But we have no time to find out exactly how it was done." Albus got to his feet.

'Caught between a rock and a hard place,' Severus thought, regretfully tracing the scorched rune on the wall.

"We must evacuate Hogwarts, Albus. Immediately."

"Indeed, Minerva, although it may already be too late. I only hope all of the students are wearing their uniforms... and that the staff are wearing the requisite piece of jewellery." Albus murmured, referring to the contingency plans arranged after the defeat of Voldemort. A little too late for those who died in the battle on the grounds, but it seemed that the plans would be of some use now.

Severus reached into one of his pockets to remove the brooch he used to fasten his cloak closed. Minerva pulled a jewelled hairpin from her tightly wound bun, placing it beside the brooch Severus had just placed on Albus's desk.

Albus gave them a resigned look. "I cannot afford to be distracted; none of you are likely to survive battling a Necromancer."

"What? Professor, you can't make us leave," Potter protested.

Mortally afraid or not, Weasley had enough substance to vehemently agree with Potter.

"This is most inadvisable. If you will not leave, I must summon the rest of the Order. There is safety in numbers, after all. Fawkes! Get help, as fast as you can." Albus reached down to tap his wand against a model of the castle.

"We can only hope that everyone will have been Portkeyed out of here, including the occupants of the hospital wing. You did include a way to check into our contingency plans?"

Albus raised an eyebrow at the portraits looking on with some interest. Within a minute, word had been passed along his internal spy network to check on the castle's occupants. The information trickled back rapidly, allowing Severus to see how effective the portraits were in action. He made a mental note to ensure that the house-elves hadn't sneaked an oil-based spy into his chambers.

"Nobody left? Including the house-elves? Excellent. I would advise every portrait in the castle to move to canvases in other locations. Now, in the interest of minimising any damage to the structure of the castle, we should try to confront this hostile Necromancer on the grounds."

Before they could leave the office, Potter almost tripped over as his limbs stiffened. "Impossible," he breathed. "Oh, God, no."

"What is it?" Minerva snapped, gripping Potter's shoulders tightly, her nerves too tightly wound to be gentle.

"I... I just heard something horribly familiar. The Basilisk."

"Within and without...." Albus mused. "She must have been standing right at the edge of the wards, reaching under the very fabric of the castle to bring that monster back to life."

"How are we meant to get out of the castle without that dirty great snake killing us?" Weasley asked.

"Albus, with the wards down, surely it is possible to Apparate within the castle? Without any need for you to lower them?" Minerva suggested, her nails steadily digging into her palms. Severus wasn't too keen on facing a murderous Necromancer himself, but at least this was the first time for him. Minerva had been at the mercy of another Necromancer before Severus had even been born.

"Of course! I would suggest that we Apparate to the standing stones across the bridge. Fawkes will know to bring any help there; it is certainly no longer safe to stay here to await the rest of the Order."

Within a minute after their arrival at the stone circle, thick fog had swirled in. Severus could barely make out the shadowy figures of his allies, let alone the stone sentinels marking out the entrance to the bridge.

"We know that you are here. Show yourself!" Albus demanded sternly.

Laughter came from the direction of one of the stones, but Severus could see nothing.

"Five against one? That really isn't a fair fight." The Necromancer's voice still sounded like Hermione's, but the sound of it raised the hairs on the back of Severus's neck in a distinctly uncomfortable way. That discomfort only deepened when she continued speaking. "Just as well that fair fights never concerned me."

Before any hostilities could start, someone stepped forward. Minerva, by the sound of her voice. "I-I demand to know who we face. We know that you are not Hermione. Your murderous ruse at the Burrow failed."

"You actually think that my only reason for culling the Weasleys was to turn you against your pet Necromancer?" Their unseen foe laughed shortly. "It seems that you need a translator. Perhaps when your cowardly friend shows her face, you can ask her."

Bristling, Severus was about to make a sharp rejoinder when Weasley spoke up, voice trembling.

"You proved yourself to be inhuman when you murdered my family. At least show me some decency by giving me the name of my enemy!"

There was silence for a moment, before she spoke, this time her voice far closer. "Tell the ferryman that Atropos sent you."

That was an assumed name if Severus had ever heard one. Before he could analyse the significance of the name, Weasley gasped. Severus spun on his heel, wand upraised. There was nothing to be seen but swirling fog and a slumping shadow that had Weasley's long limbs.

Before anyone else could attempt to help the unfortunate Weasley, a huge mass of shadow suddenly appeared out of the fog, almost giving Severus the impression that one of the standing stones had moved to their defence.

"Leave Ron alone, yer monster!" Hagrid bellowed. He swiped at the air around Ron, trunk-like arms flailing. Severus surmised that the half-giant at the very least managed to clip Atropos when the fog abruptly lessened, a pained groan muffled almost instantly. When Hagrid lunged for the origin of the sound, it was obvious that the Necromancer had not been injured too grievously. With a hoarse cry, Hagrid's massive body collapsed, his breathing strenuous.

"Hagrid!" Potter all but screamed, echoed by Weasley's weak cry from the ground.

"Harry, no!" Before Potter could even try to attack, Albus held him back. "We will be picked off one by one if we do not act together."

"Too late," Atropos sneered. If he could have cried out, Severus would have, as what felt like an icy hand gripped his heart, stilling it. Distantly, he heard his wand clatter to the ground as he clutched at his chest, falling to his knees.

The pressure eased, allowing him to register the after effects of the hexes that had strewn the space around him as those still standing acted to save him. The fog had lifted further still, allowing Severus to more clearly make out Albus, Potter and Minerva.

For a tense moment, it seemed as though this Atropos had been hexed into the next life. Then Potter grunted, staggering backwards into Albus and Minerva, who were barely able to keep the brat on his feet.

Severus snatched up his wand, staggering to his feet. He could hear his pulse hammering in his ears, his legs feeling as though they were going to collapse at any moment. Shaking his head in a futile attempt to clear it, he hissed one of his specialised curses, modified with a foe-seeking charm.

Blood spurted onto the ground almost within reach of Severus. The flow was stemmed almost immediately, but not before Severus lunged. For a moment, he had Atropos within his grasp, his hands tightening around her unseen neck. Then he only knew pain.

"C'mon, Snape. They need us."

Slowly, Severus uncurled from his foetal position on the ground. He squinted up at where Weasley was crouched beside him, snatching his hands away from their position shielding his groin as he saw the corner of Weasley's mouth twitch. Severus refused to look at him as he wiped the damp tracks of tears from his burning cheeks, his teeth grinding together when he heard a poorly disguised snigger from the whelp.

"What happened?" Severus said, glowering over at Weasley as he sat up.

"Um, well, I guess that bitch kneed you in the..."

"After that," snapped Severus, narrowly resisting the temptation to insult the grieving fool.

"Seems Dumbledore was right about us lot being a liability. Atropos," Weasley spat the name, "is using Harry and McGonagall to herd 'em towards the castle. Towards the Basilisk. We have to help them!"

"Weasley, we would be better off waiting for the rest of the Order to... Weasley!" Severus growled under his breath, lurching to his feet and hobbling after Weasley, who had set off across the bridge.

'Doesn't Weasley realise what the road to hell is paved with?'

By the time Severus had arrived, the foolhardy boy had either been caught in the crossfire or used as a human shield by Atropos, for he was slumped against the entrance to the castle. He still appeared to be breathing, although somewhat raggedly.

It was alarming to see Albus clearly flagging, exhausted by the constant battle to keep himself and the others alive. Minerva and Potter were managing to get a few hexes off, but the invisible Necromancer they were fighting was occasionally putting their hearts under strain much like she had done earlier with Severus, and presumably Weasley and Hagrid. Severus got the sickening impression that Atropos was merely playing with them. He only hoped that he was wrong, or none of them were likely to survive this encounter.

"Enough!" Atropos snapped from behind Severus. He spun, wand at the ready, only for it to fly out of his hand. Four other wands flew past him, to land along with his own out of reach on the ground. "As supposed heroes, you're all pathetic, even Albus Dumbledore of Necromancer killing fame."

Severus shifted his weight slightly, seeing Potter do much the same behind him. Both sprang forwards towards the wands, only to fall short as that horribly familiar sensation started again. This time, Severus couldn't breathe either.

"Thought that you'd catch me monologuing? Not a mistake either of you will make again."

His ears ringing, Severus failed to catch what she said next. He was vaguely aware of Albus bellowing something. His sight was fading, black spots clustering together to block out everything. A bone deep chill took hold of him, splintering his thoughts beyond incoherency.

Just as Severus's battered, exhausted body could take no more of the punishment being inflicted on it, the Necromancer's attack abruptly ceased. His heart began to beat again, thudding reassuringly within his chest. The blotches in his vision cleared as he sucked in a shuddering breath. As he raised himself up on his elbows, Severus noted that Potter was doing the same thing, although wobbling a bit on one arm as he straightened his glasses.

Atropos had shrugged off her disguising robes, now a burning heap on the ground, and was using her wand to rapidly extinguish the flames burning on her underlying clothes.

Facing her stood Hermione, Fawkes perched on her shoulder. Her wand still had flames flickering from the tip. Looking at her, Severus felt a jolt of primal fear at the feral expression on her face, not helped by the bloodstained condition of her robes. His wife's eyes were still brown, but were growing darker by the second.

Glancing over at the other Necromancer, Severus blinked. It was like looking at a twisted reflection of Hermione, although at the moment both looked almost identical, equally enraged. Either Hermione's impostor was still taking Polyjuice, or something else was at work here.

Fawkes flew over to land beside Weasley in an effort to revive him. Hermione reached down to help Potter up, then stepped towards Severus, gripping his hand to assist him to his feet.

"Granger," Atropos sneered, inclining her head mockingly as she patted out the last smoking parts of her clothes.

If he had not been an Occlumens, Severus wouldn't have noticed Hermione slip into his thoughts using her contact Legilimency. As it were, her foray into his mind only took a heartbeat.

"Strand Breaker," said Hermione, referring to the mythical Atropos. Contempt dripped from her voice as if she had said 'murderer'.

Despite the seriousness of the situation, Severus's lips twitched. Even when confronting evil Necromancers, Hermione was still a know-it-all. His smirk faded as the words reminded him of something... but what?

Minerva inhaled sharply from close behind him, presumably recognising the same thing as Severus had.

Albus muttered something from his position next to Minerva, but the words were muffled by his beard. Severus was about to ask him to repeat it when a horribly familiar spark leapt from Atropos's outstretched hand towards Hermione. The heat emanating from the atomising ember threatened to singe his eyebrows, making his eyes water in protest. Heart in his mouth, Severus breathed a sigh of relief as he watched Hermione casually swat the spark away to be extinguished on the ground.

"I may have atomised myself before, but that doesn't mean that you'll be able to," Hermione snorted derisively. "Necromantic powers are neutralised when used on a Necromancer. But just in case there's an exception...." She stepped forwards, her eyes darkening to deepest black as the atmosphere tingled, an electric tang in the air.

Both Necromancers staggered back as though struck by unseen blows. Severus could feel the Dark magic roiling between them, shadows gathering where there should be none. Barring himself, those watching were breathing raggedly in response to the corrosive nature of Dark magic on the soul, although Severus felt a little nauseous. The Dark magic he had practised on occasion paled in comparison to that inherent in Necromancy.

Quickly tiring of trading blows that seemingly had little effect, Atropos smoothly switched into a duelling stance, wand held at the ready. She didn't bother to bow, instead launching into non-verbal attacks immediately. Hermione dodged the first few attacks, readying her own wand to counter-attack.

Severus stepped back, preventing Potter from sidling towards their wands with a hand across his chest.

"Don't even try, Potter. That's some seriously Dark magic being unleashed by that creature. Even an Auror-in-training should be able to detect that."

"Perhaps I can be of assistance," Albus murmured, reaching a hand towards the wand. The skin around his eyes tightened as he expended the effort to wandlessly Summon them. Severus found it reassuring to feel the familiar carved handle of his wand as he took it from Albus.

Before they could support Hermione, her attempted shielding charm had an unforeseen reaction when Atropos's next hex struck it. The spells connected in a shower of sparks, a thread of golden light connecting their wands, fast spreading to form a web of light around both Necromancers. A deep rumbling resounded from the vibrating wands, causing the hairs on the back of Severus's neck to stand up again, an uncomfortable instinctive reaction.

"Priori Incantatem," Albus stated, echoed by almost everyone present. It was not advisable for outsiders to interfere. Severus suspected that attempting to would risk injury to those outside the effect, if not within as well.

The expression on Hermione's face was inscrutable as she stared from the connected wands up to Atropos. The other witch was eyeing her wand with some alarm, the vibration increasing.

The rumbling emanating from the wands abruptly ended in a pained-sounding roar. The golden light binding the wands tarnished rapidly until it was as if a web spun by shadows incarnate bound them.

Someone beside him choked. Severus could understand why, he was resisting the urge to vomit himself as a deep sense of wrongness permeated him to the bones.

Jerking her wand to point straight up, Atropos broke the connection. Her face white, lips tightly compressed, she dropped her wand, stepped back and Disapparated.

Hermione staggered back, her face just as pale as Atropos's had been, her eyes wide, staring down at the trembling wand in her hands in dismay. She glanced over at Atropos's wand where it was shaking on the ground, biting down on her lip until blood stained her teeth and trickled down her chin.

"All of you, get out of here, now," she ordered, stepping towards the other wand.

Severus protested, reaching for her shoulder. Hermione twisted away, turning her head to give Albus a meaningful look.

"Fawkes, go to the Standing Stones and take Hagrid to safety." Albus sounded more weary and saddened than Severus had ever heard him. The phoenix obeyed instantly, disappearing in a flash of fire. "Can you stop it?" Albus asked.

Hermione didn't answer, her attention focused on the currently sparking wands.

Swallowing hard, Severus again tried to reach for her, fully cognisant of the fact that the Chimaera scale core within her wand – and presumably within Atropos's, too – was on the verge of exploding.

A hand closed around his shoulder before he could grab Hermione, dragging him into the claustrophobic squeeze of Side-Along Apparition.

"No!" Severus exclaimed, jerking himself free of Albus's grip. They stood on the outskirts of Hogsmeade, the turrets of Hogwarts' castle still visible. Minerva had grabbed hold of Weasley while Albus had taken Severus and Potter..

Steeling himself, Severus tried to Apparate back to Hermione, only to fail. It felt like the usual wards present at Hogwarts had been erected where they currently stood. A sharp screech from behind him made Severus jump. Fawkes was perched on Hagrid's unconscious body, eyeing Severus reproachfully. The phoenix was obviously in possession of more powers than he had realised....

An almost blinding flash from the direction of Hogwarts caught Severus's attention. Someone cried out as the familiar turrets collapsed, an ominous mushroom cloud of dust rising from the ruins, the sound catching up with the sight in time to rock the ground beneath their feet. From the raw feeling in his throat, Severus had a suspicion that he had been the one to cry out.

Hogwarts had fallen, but that was immaterial to Severus: Hermione was nowhere to be seen.