Whatever It Takes by SanctuaryAngel
Summary: Taking place directly after the Battle of Hogwarts, Harry is trying to deal with his trauma from the course of the events of the war and struggles to confront it, along with trying to manage his grief. Snape survived but disappeared in shame and remorse after the battle. Harry finds him, and they both discover that they have more in common now more than ever - Both are struggling with their sense of self and purpose. But stray Death Eaters from the battle are re-grouping for a final stand to take out the great Harry Potter, and their traitor, and Harry and Snape must put aside their differences to end the fight once and for all, whilst dealing with Snapes' illness along the way. Explores darker themes of grief, self-blame, PTSD, depression, and suicidal ideation.
Categories: Misc > No category on the site fits Main Characters: .Snape and Harry (required), Arthur, Draco, Fred George, Ginny, Hermione, Luna, McGonagall, Molly, Narcissa, Neville, Ron
Snape Flavour: Snape Comforts, Snape is Depressed, Snape is Desperate, Snape is Stern
Genres: Action/Adventure, Angst, Drama, General, Hurt/Comfort, Tragedy
Media Type: None
Tags: Abuse Recovery, Depression Recovery, Injured!Snape
Takes Place: 8 - Post Hogwarts (young adult Harry)
Warnings: Character Death, Eating Disorder, Panic attack, Self-harm, Suicide Themes, Torture, Violence
Challenges: None
Series: None
Chapters: 65 Completed: Yes Word count: 443363 Read: 26332 Published: 01 Feb 2023 Updated: 02 Sep 2023
CH 23: Shards of Glass by SanctuaryAngel
Author's Notes:
The plot thickens with this fiery chapter!
There was no plan. No inkling of a strategy. Just all hands-on deck once they arrived at Godrics Hollow, of all places to be.

It was only shy of seven o'clock that night when Neville had received a startling message from Hannah, as she notified him of a Death Eater attack at the village where they lived. Once Neville warned the others, it was complete chaos from there. Harry made use of the charmed master DA coin and signaled to the others in hope that they would hear the call. That wasn't even a debate. Once Hermione and Ginny hastily responded to the distress call, they appeared back at Grimmauld Place from their excursion to the Hogwarts library, delivering a stack of books in their attempt to find a solution for Snape. However, there really was no other time to waste, and Harry didn't even give it a second thought as the five of them raced out of Grimmauld Place and apparated directly into the village. Almost immediately, they were fired upon.

A jet of red whirled past Harry's head, as he rolled to the side, hitting the floor. He watched as a masked silver-masked Death Eater advanced on them, but Ron fired a hex back and knocked him right off his feet.

Ron extended his hand, to help Harry up, "You alright?"

Back on his feet, Harry clutched his wand tightly in his hand, "Yeah, I'm fine." He looked around, as Hermione, Ginny, and Neville quickly convened around them. They heard yells and screams in the distance. "Quickly, let's go!" Without wasting another second, the group burst into a run towards the strained voices they could hear, trying to take in the situation at hand as everything happened so fast.

A billow of smoke appeared on Harry's left, and three Death Eaters apparated and immediately advanced to fire, completely catching them off-guard.

"PROTEGO!" Harry fired off a Shield charm, repelling one of the spells from the opposition. Another curse flew by, exploding the cobblestone ground from beneath their feet. He heard Ron yell out a string of profanities, as both Ron and Ginny were completely knocked off their feet by a stray curse. Hermione hit back with a non-verbal Reducto, giving them a taste of their own medicine as the spell found its target. One Death Eater was knocked out cold, leaving two more advancing on them once more. Once Ron and Ginny clambered back up onto their feet, Neville threw himself in front of the pair.

"OI POTTER! A little rusty, are we?" One of the Death Eaters threw back a sniggering laugh.

"Oh, sod off!" Ron yelled.

Seething, Harry swung his wand arm furiously over his head as he fired, "INCENDIO!" A powerful jet of flames hit the second Death Eater in the chest, sending his robes on fire as he flew backward. Harry watched as he scrambled to douse the flames with a water charm, but the remaining Death Eater was eager to finish one of them off. Once he could see that he was far outnumbered, he disapparated away with his wounded comrade, leaving behind the unconscious one.

"Well, at least we got one, " Neville shrugged, looking over at the fallen opponent, "I'm going on ahead to see who needs help."

"Neville, I'll go with you, mate!" Ron offered. Harry watched as both Neville and Ron darted off toward the village center.

Hermione cast Incarcerous, bounding the remaining enemy in magical ropes. Tilting her head, he watched as she picked up the fallen wand at his side. She looked back up at Harry's puzzled face, "…Well, you can't expect me to just leave it here."

"We've done enough wand theft for the year. What's another one?" Harry responded.

Satisfied with their capture, Harry took off on his heel once again with the remaining Hermione and Ginny by his side. As they passed several more streets, more familiar faces came into view, leaving Harry feeling relieved that they weren't alone there. They passed Dean, Seamus, and Hannah dueling against their own enemies, in what appeared to be an even match. But they pressed on forward once they saw them handling that situation without them.

However, something burst into flames beside the trio. Startled by the noise, Harry and his friends turned to find a house caught on fire and witnessed a black-robed figure dart away from the scene. Hermione immediately burst into a run after the culprit, despite Harry's verbal protests after her, but she was long gone, leaving Harry and Ginny to try and douse the flames with a water charm. In their collective effort, they were able to extinguish what they could, when Harry immediately burst through the hot, burnt front door. Ignoring the sprayed embers, he looked around for any sign of life. Ginny followed closely behind him, recognising Harry's intention.

"Harry!" Ginny called out to Harry, "Please be careful! This place is going to collapse any minute!"

Frantic, Harry responded, "I know, but – Someone might be hurt in here."

They took a few minutes to rummage through what was left of the building when Harry stopped to find a fallen figure sprawled on the floor in what was once a sitting room. Harry's stomach lurched at the sight of the extensive burns this person had, but they were too horribly disfigured to identify. They were unmoving, without a breath. Lifeless. They couldn't be saved. He wasn't even sure if they were Muggles, or not. There was no wand to be seen. Ginny clasped his shoulder, knowing too well they were too late for this poor soul.

Suddenly, they heard a small whimper on the other side of the room. Harry turned to find an unburned section of the damaged rubble being shifted. Turning to each other in shock, Harry and Ginny raced over and began to shift away what they could. Eventually, they uncovered a young child, buried under the rubble. The child appeared to have a few burns to his arms, and legs, and a few cuts from the collapsed wall, but he was alive. Immediately, Harry picked up the child, and he and Ginny raced back out of the house in time to see half of the house collapse from the extensive damage.

Taking the child a short distance away, Harry placed the frightened little boy on the unsinged grass, but the child was too scared to pull away. Ginny and Harry tried desperately to peel away the clothing around the boy's burns on his arms and legs, as they conjured soaked bandages to cover them. Once they managed it enough, Harry knelt on the grass beside him, with his arm gently around the boy's shoulders, as Ginny stood anxiously on guard. Terrified, the boy clasped Harry's clothes like a lifeline.

"What's your name?" Harry asked the boy, who appeared to be about five or six years old.

The boy whimpered again, likely still shocked to cry. He peered up at Harry's face under his messy ash blonde hair, furrowing his brows in thought, "Um…Um…My name. Elias. "

Harry tried to offer up a comforting smile to the young boy with intense blue eyes, "Nice to meet you, Elias. My name is Harry. We are going to keep you safe. I promise -"

"- Harry," Ginny watched as another figure ran over to them, with their wand to their side. The woman looked familiar, "- Hey, is that one of the Aurors stationed at Hogwarts?"

Curious, Harry squinted his eyes to get a better look through the smoke emanating from the house. It was one of the female Aurors, with wavy blonde hair. She appeared in her mid-thirties and sporting a slightly torn dark purple dress coat, with some remnants of what was left of the silver sequins along its hem.

"Mr. Potter? Oh, brilliant, you're alright, " The annoyingly perky Auror took a sullen glance at the destroyed house behind them, and back at the little boy huddled with Harry, "Oh dear."

"One person inside didn't make it. I don't know if they were Muggles…" Harry looked worried, "You're one of the Aurors the Minister sent to Hogwarts, yeah?"

She nodded, "Yes, yes. I am Dawn Rheingold. The Minister sent word for a few of those in our squad to investigate. Let me tell you, I didn't expect this. What an absolute mess!"

"Is anyone else hurt?" Ginny asked.

Worried, she bit her lip, "A few of my own have been injured. One dead. However, we did manage to capture two Death Eaters, so there's that."

Harry slowly rose up off the ground, with Elias still clutching tightly to his side. "I have to find my friends. Have you seen any of the other Hogwarts students?"

She shook her head, "I'm afraid not. Well, I didn't really have time to look. Though I did see Professor Flitwick – I think that's his name – Somewhere near the cemetery. It's been chaos since I got here. "She beckoned to them, "Come on, let's get you to safety. We have a make-shift Infirmary already…"

Harry looked at Ginny, as they both followed the Auror down the street. Some persistent tugging by Elias told Harry that he didn't want to walk anymore. So, without further protest, Harry picked up the boy and held him up against his left side as they continued forth. He couldn't have felt more awkward by this point, and he tried his best to avoid the small grin from Ginny beside him.

They passed down several more streets, avoiding stray spells from the duels within their view. Eventually, they spotted Luna running after another Death Eater in the distance, but they were too far away to call out to her. Ginny made a move to run after her, but the Auror blocked her exit, raising her wand as a blockage.

"You must stay close!" Dawn warned Ginny.

Ginny angrily turned to face her, "She needs help!"

"She'll be – "

Within that very second, suddenly a huge deafening blast exploded in front of them, knocking them all several meters off their feet. Harry clutched Elias tightly as they toppled over, and he watched as Ginny flew further behind. A painful ringing in his ear induced a new kind of headache, as pain ravaged through his entire body. The wind entirely knocked out of him, and he became extremely disorientated by what just happened.

Then there was an eerie silence as the world seemed to stand still.

His vision was blurry; He wasn't quite certain if he had simply lost his glasses or he knocked his head somewhere. The pounding in his head was too great, and all of a sudden, a shooting pain hit his right shoulder. Did he land on it? He could barely process anything at this point. His wand…Where was his wand?! Harry groaned as he tried to push himself up. His right arm was incredibly weak, almost feeling like dead weight. His vision was still blurry; He slapped his left hand to his face and realised that he did indeed lose his glasses. He felt around the ground, feeling the jagged edges of glass shards pierce his skin until he felt the familiar hilt of his wand.

YES!

Clasping his wand with relief, he summoned his glasses. Once repaired, he put them back on his face to survey the scene around them.

From what he could see, a few houses in front of them had completely exploded. The force of the blast hit surrounding buildings, enough to knock them all off their feet. Once his vision became clearer, he looked around for Ginny and the little boy he promised to protect. But he could see neither of them.

"Ginny...Elias…" His voice was dry and hoarse. His heart pumped in overdrive, anxious, and worried. Clutching his pained right shoulder, he turned around and squinted behind to see something moving under the rubble. A mass of wavy blonde hair indicated to him that it was the Auror that was with him. But, something about her looked different. He watched as she slowly clambered to her knees, wand shaking beside her, as she eyed the unconscious injured forms of Ginny and Elias close within her vicinity. She seemed oblivious to Harry at this point. But Harry could see both Ginny and Elias, who were still breathing, which caused him to breathe a sigh of relief.

But everything that followed happened so quickly, that Harry barely had a chance to react.

Finally, the Auror looked at Harry with her hazel eyes; an odd gleam of victory and malicious intent that immediately set off alarm bells in Harry's brain. The closer Harry could see, the less the Auror resembled Dawn Rheingold. A breath caught in his throat, as he froze.

Polyjuice potion -

NO!

In a split second, the Auror impersonator picked up little Elias off the ground, disapparated, and reappeared at Ginny's side, only to soon apparate quickly away, leaving Harry shocked to his core as he sat alone.

No. No, no…NO!

Harry sat there, unmoving. Blinking heavily, trying to clear his vision once more. He wasn't entirely sure that he saw it correctly. She took them. The Auror…Or what he thought was the Auror. She took them both. Ginny, and the little boy he intended to keep safe. Slamming down his left fist on the ground in front of him, he let out a scream of frustration.

How could he have been so stupid?!

Once Harry was able to finally pull himself up off his feet, he stumbled over to the spot where Ginny was laying. There on the ground was her wand. He picked it up and twirled it within his hands as if by a miracle, she'd reappear, and all will be okay. Why didn't she take him instead? It could have been easy to kill him then and there, and yet by some twisted intention, she chose to take Ginny and the poor little boy frightened out of his mind. Was she trying to break him? Was that the plan? Laughing at the weakened Chosen One, so consumed by his inner turmoil already, that it'll be more fun to watch him slowly destroy himself? Harry yelled out again and kicked a piece of rubble out of anger.

"HARRY!"

Harry turned around to find Ron and Hermione running towards him, both looking as worse for wear as he was. They appeared to have been caught in the blast as well. But as they arrived by his side, the expression on Harry's face told them that something was horribly wrong.

"Harry, what is it? What happened?" Hermione asked, breathlessly.

Still seething in anger, he clutched tightly over his injured shoulder, "They took her. They bloody took her!"

"Who took who? What are you on about?" Ron asked.

"Ginny, Ron! They bloody took her!"

"Say what?!" Ron's eyes widened in shock, "Who took her?!"

"We were tricked. Ginny and I went to save a kid in a burning house. One of the Aurors from Hogwarts came to our aid, to take us somewhere safe…AH! I'M SO STUPID!" Harry bit his lip, trying to best to contain his anger, but it clearly wasn't working.

Hermione furrowed her brow, shaking her head in disbelief, "But why would she – "

"Polyjuice potion, Hermione. When we got hit by the blast, I saw her face change. But she took Ginny and the kid, and Disapparated. I wasn't able to see her real face."

Ron raised his hand up to his head, "Where on earth are they taking these people?! So what, they are impersonating Aurors now? What's the bet that the ones at Hogwarts aren't the real ones?"

Hermione was devastated, as she clasped her hands to her mouth, "Now we know their reason for the Polyjuice potion. I-I can't believe it…Poor Ginny. Harry, I'm so sorry."

Harry held Ginny's wand up so they could see, "I-I couldn't save her. I know she's alive, but…I couldn't save her. Where do we look now? I don't know where to look -" Harry was clearly losing his mind.

There wasn't another verbal response from either of them, but before Harry could finish, Hermione gathered him up in a comforting embrace. Harry was not thinking straight as he was still trying to process the last five minutes. He simply refused to come to terms with what had just happened. Like Ginny will re-appear any moment, and she'd be unharmed, and probably have a jab at Harry for still waiting around here for her. She was right there, and then like that, she was gone.

But she was alive, right? They wouldn't have taken her if she were dead. And Elias, that poor boy…Harry didn't even know if he had any family left.

Pulling back from the embrace, Harry looked back at his friends, "Anyone else hurt?"

Ron gulped, "Two dead Aurors, according to my dad. Multiple injured. And no one can find Lee Jordan."

"He was fighting alongside Katie Bell just before the explosion hit, " Hermione explained grimly, "She said Professor Snape pulled her out from the rubble. He also helped me subdue a Death Eater - He's here somewhere looking for you, Harry."

Harry's eyes widened, "He shouldn't be here. If he got caught – "

"He's using your Cloak. He must have freaked out when neither of us were at headquarters."

"We did manage to capture a fair few Death Eaters, though. I'll have to ask my dad…" Ron then swore very loudly in a string of profanities that no one else needed to repeat, "…How the hell am I going to tell him about Ginny? He's going to lose it. And mum…" Ron ran his fingers through his hair in disbelief.

Suddenly, Harry felt extremely guilty, "Ron, I'm sorry…"

"Harry, you would have saved her without question. I know you would have. I don't blame you."

"We'll find her, " Hermione reassured, "Harry, please don't blame yourself. That Death Eater caught you both off-guard. I think one tried to take me, too."

Ron snapped a shocked look at Hermione, "Wait, you didn't tell me that?!"

Hermione looked uncomfortable, "He led me away from the fight. If Snape didn't notice, I would have fallen for it too."

"BLIMEY HERMIONE!" Ron was angry.

"Don't get mad at me, Ron! We really have to approach this differently, now, " Hermione exclaimed, "We have to take proper measures, and question absolutely everything. We'll question only the people we know. "

"Which means we can't even trust the Aurors. Great, just what we need, " Harry interjected.

"Also, according to Neville, one of the Carrows were seen here too. He was furious regarding the death of his sister. The Death Eaters are certainly on personal vendettas, so we have to be extra careful."

Harry nodded glumly, "Right, you two go and find the others. I just…there's something I have to do."

"Where are you going?"

"Just…I need some time to process what just happened. I'll see if I can find Snape before he has my head on a pike."

Hermione's face dropped in concern, "…Would you like one of us to stay with you?"

"No…Really. I'm going to see who else needs help. I'll see you later. I'll be fine."

Hermione nodded, "Alright. But Harry, please be careful! We'll meet you back at Grimmauld Place. I might suggest to the others to stop by for an urgent meeting. Please, don't be long."

Harry nodded in agreement as he turned away from his friends and wandered back through the village center. From what he could see, some of the other witches and wizards were beginning the cleanup operation of the damaged buildings. He dreaded seeing the Daily Prophet in the morning. They were right screwed at this point, and at the end of it all, the Death Eaters still got the upper hand. Without a master now, it was free reign. They could kill who they wanted, torture who they wanted, and kidnap who they wanted. They no longer had Voldemort to answer to, and that made them even more dangerous.

Harry passed by the Potter monument on the way through the city center, but he could barely glance up at it without feeling torn up inside. Originally, he wanted to go back to the cemetery and see his parents, but he was still consumed with a wave of seething anger from watching Ginny be taken away from him, that it was probably a bad idea to visit them at this point. He was far too much in shock and disbelief over what had just transpired, that he figured he'd make that a task for another day once it was safe enough.

As Harry wandered past one of the empty cobblestone alleyways looking for any of the fallen, he felt a forceful tug at the front of his shirt, as he was suddenly hauled around and held up against the wall.

"WHAT-"

"-That was absolutely reckless, Potter!"

Well, he found Snape. Or rather, Snape found him. "Hey, let go of me!" Harry felt the invisible force let him go immediately, as he rubbed his chest, "You could have just yelled out!"

"What the BLOODY hell were you thinking?!" Snape lowered the hood of the Invisibility Cloak, revealing his absolutely livid face. The alleyway was dark and unlit, so he could barely see the raven-haired man anyway. Harry's eyes darted down to see that Snape was sporting a tight bandage around his wrist. Anything to distract him from the fury etched on the man's pale face.

Frowning, he finally snapped his gaze back to Snape, "They needed our help, so I went to them! Why is that a problem?! I don't need your bloody permission!"

"I didn't just waste my time trying to find you tonight – "

"- They took Ginny!"

Snape's face fell in mid-speech, "…What?"

"A Death Eater disguised as an Auror. Ginny and I rescued a kid and she…ARGH!" Harry cried out in frustration, clutching his right shoulder as he grimaced in pain, "After the blast, they took them both…"

"…The Polyjuice Potion, " Snape gritted his teeth once he realised, angry at the entire situation, "This is WHY you cannot just run into a battle unprepared, Potter! This could have been avoided!"

"IT'S NOT MY BLOODY FAULT!"

"CALM YOURSELF, POTTER!" Snape pinched the bridge of his nose, trying to steady his own breathing as his adrenaline of the evening amped up. Eventually, his breathing became steady and controlled, and his onyx eyes found the green ones once more, "From now on, you listen to me. Really listen, because any wrong move could get you killed. You are no longer privy to the blood protection of your mother, or the Dark Lord's soul fragment. You are vulnerable like the rest of us, and it is crucial that you listen to my expertise to avoid any further disastrous mishaps."

"Why didn't she just kill me? She had the opportunity to do it – "

"- They want you to suffer, Potter! That is their intention. Killing you now would be far too easy."

Harry stood there in silence, breathing heavily from his outburst. But with every breath, a shot of pain radiated from his shoulder.

Snape seemed to do his best to calm himself, too. He looked at the stressed-out teenager before him and finally adopted his self-controlled neutral expression once more, as he darted to the area the boy was clutching. "Allow me to look at your shoulder."

Harry hesitated, but it was obvious to the man that it was contributing to his distress. Without a word, he nodded breathlessly, as he pulled down the collar of his shirt and jacket to reveal a green and purple bruise across his shoulder. Lighting up his wand with Lumos, they were both able to get a better look. It appeared to be slightly bent at an awkward angle. He watched as Snape carefully prodded the area with his fingers, looking for any further signs of damage. Once the man was satisfied enough with his assessment, he looked back at Harry with a raised eyebrow.

"Partial dislocation. You might want to brace yourself for this one, " Snape extended his other hand and firmly held it up against Harry's opposite shoulder in order to steady him. He slowly raised his ebony wand, and without waiting for another second, muttered a spell under his breath. With a sickening pop and a yell from Harry, his shoulder was set back into place. Snape flourished his wand again, and Harry felt a thin layer of frost coat the extent of his shoulder, immediately cooling the area and providing much-needed relief as it subdued the swelling.

Harry carefully pulled away from Snape, clasping his shoulder, "…Thanks. I didn't know you were that skilled in healing spells."

"As a spy, one needs to be self-sufficient in the field. I am not just a mere Potions teacher, Potter."

"Clearly."

Noticing the worry on Harry's face, Snape lowered his voice with concern, "We'll find her, Potter. But you must take extra care. You are to return to headquarters immediately and wait for me there. I need to do a further sweep of the area for any injured."

"I think Hermione is gathering everyone for a meeting. We need to warn everyone else about what happened."

"A wise decision. Take this as a valuable lesson learned, Potter, and I will see to it that you don't make the same mistakes again. That goes for all of you," Snape crossed his arms over his chest, and stared directly into Harry's gaze, making him feel slightly uncomfortable, "Now go. Before I drag you there myself."

Clenching his jaw, Harry Disapparated away, and reappeared across the road from Grimmauld Place, immediately storming inside the familiarity of its walls. Once he walked through the doors, a chorus of voices yelled out during a heated discussion in the dining room, indicating to Harry that all hell was about to break loose once more. He was in no mood to be dealing with any of it at this point, but he had to face them sooner or later.

As he made his way halfway down the corridor, Molly Weasley was slowly descending the staircase and spotted Harry instantly. Harry's stomach lurched as he noticed her reddened eyes which indicated to him that Molly had been crying.

"Oh, Harry!" Molly approached him in short, but quick steps, and clasped both hands on his shoulders. Harry winced slightly at the contact to his injured shoulder, but that was the least of his worries, "Harry, what happened? Is my Ginny alive? Please, tell me…." She looked distraught.

Harry's cheeks grew hot with shame, "She is. She's alive. I couldn't- Molly, I'm sorry. It all happened so fast; we didn't know…"

"Ron told me," She enveloped Harry in a hug, as she buried her face against his shoulder. Harry succumbed without protest, but after a few moments, they eventually pulled away, "I can't believe it. Arthur is at the Ministry in discussion with Kingsley. I've contacted Minerva, and she has banished the Aurors from Hogwarts for the time being. She couldn't take any chances. She sent for Filius, Pomona, Horace, Rolanda, and Sybill to remain at the school. She couldn't leave it unprotected."

"Has anyone found Lee?"

Molly shook her head, "No, I've not been informed. He's not here. "

Harry extended his hand to the back of his neck, rubbing away the building tension and feeling distressed at the current situation, "We'll find her, Molly. I promise. We'll get her back."

Eyes brimming with tears, Molly nodded sadly. He watched her try and smile, but Harry's heart further broke for her. Eventually, Harry left the Weasley matriarch's side and wandered into the dining room, suddenly faced with a room full of his classmates, like it was an impromptu DA meeting. Scanning the room, they all seemed to be engaged in their own little heated discussions, most likely relaying what they had just dealt with. Harry wasn't sure who had shown up to Godrics Hollow to defend but looking at the injuries they seemed to have sustained, most of them were there, oblivious to him.

Harry stood at the doorway unmoving, watching as everyone was engaged amongst themselves. Much to his relief, they hadn't noticed him there yet. Katie Bell sat nursing a heavily bandaged leg, as she sat beside Seamus Finnigan, chatting. Hannah Abbott was sitting closely beside Neville, as she attended to some of the cuts and bruises on his face – which Harry amusingly observed to be a little more a tender moment. Moving his gaze away from them, he saw the Patil twins together towards the back, sitting in silence. Much to Harry's relief, they appeared unharmed. Harry took notice of George Weasley beside Ron, burying his head in his hands. The disappearance of Ginny would have hit him hard, and so close in time to losing his twin brother Fred, and the sight of his distraught state made Harry's heart drop to his stomach. Hermione was sitting with Luna, with her arms around her shoulder in comfort, while he noticed Angelina Johnson and Susan Bones finally making an appearance since abandoning their coins at the revived DA meeting at Hogwarts. And yet, still no sign of Lee. Or Dean Thomas.

He heard a shuffle of footsteps behind him in the main corridor and turned to see Snape talking with Molly. He didn't catch the verbal exchange as he was so caught up with the crowd in the other room, but Snape seemed to stiffen slightly when he saw Molly rest her hand on his arm in gratitude. Molly nodded tearfully, as she walked away back into the kitchen to keep herself distracted. Snape turned around to find Harry watching him, causing the Gryffindor to withdraw slowly back into the dining room. Frowning at the seemingly harmless eavesdrop, Snape strode directly past Harry and entered the dining room with a cold authority, reminding Harry of being in one of his classes once again.

As soon as Snape entered the room, everyone fell immediately silent, as he made his way to the head of the table, with his arms clasped tightly behind his back. The man scanned the room, eying each individual with a piercing gaze, remarkably without moving his head. Harry slipped into one of the middle seats quietly.

Snape drew in a deep breath as he addressed the room in a stern callousness that Harry thought he wouldn't ever have to see again, "Well, well. I could start off by telling you all how undeniably reckless you all are, but I believe you are already aware of that. Now…" Snape darted his gaze around the room again, frowning upon the realisation of another missing individual, "Where is Mr. Dean Thomas?"

"I took him to St. Mungo's, Professor, " Hannah Abbott spoke timidly, with a hand half-raised, "He had a moderate head injury, and needed overnight care. He'll be okay."

Pursing his lips, he redirected his attention to the rest of the room, as his deep, booming voice resonated amongst them, "In light of the most recent attack at Godrics Hollow, it has come to my attention that a common trait appears painfully absent with you all, as you attempt to advance on an…elusive enemy," Snape clicked his jaw, as he paused, "As it stands, the remaining Death Eaters have utilised Polyjuice potion in an attempt to emulate the identities of Aurors. However few of the Death Eaters were eventually captured, and a few students were also taken. I cannot stress enough the seriousness of this situation. If you intend to leave a battle unscathed, then you do well to heed my upcoming warnings and advice."

Seamus growled, "I didn't come back here for another Defence lesson."

Snape shot an immediate scowl directly at Seamus, "Considering your brawn and no-brain approach, Finnigan, it does not surprise me at the very least that you would choose to dismiss such a lesson that can potentially save a life. Now if you had any measure of common sense left in that noggin of yours, I'd suggest you stay seated and keep your mouth shut," Snape turned his attention back at the rest of the room, "That goes for the rest of you. Merlin help me, as I teach a majority of a room full of Gryffindors about common sense."

With a deep breath, the Potions Master began to pace the room, "From now on, no one goes off into battle by themselves. No matter how dire the situation is, you must remain with a trusted ally at all times. Assemble in pairs, if you must. Play to your strengths. No mindless heroics. Be aware of your surroundings. And question absolutely everything. Do not communicate with someone you do not know, especially now in this case, an Auror. Am I making myself clear?"

"What if an Auror is trying to help us?" Parvati Patil spoke.

Snape stopped to answer, "Trust no one but your own. A Death Eater disguised as an Auror is at an advantage because you likely wouldn't know them. They are purposely taking advantage of your ignorance. Therefore, your questioning is limited. Do not follow them. You must be cautious. They will do anything to bring you down, and they will attempt to separate you in order to do it."

"How are we going to find my sister? And Lee? And everyone else?" Ron interjected, ignoring the cold stare from the man across the room.

Snape leaned forward clasped over a vacant dining room chair, drawing in a shuddering deep breath. Harry could tell instantly that he really didn't want to be here giving everyone a serious pep talk. The man looked tired and weary, and Harry could see the blood seeping through his bandage once again, causing Harry to feel even worse about the new situation they were faced with. The man was ill, and it was already bad enough that he was risking his life out there rounding everyone up like a shepherd herding sheep. They hadn't even begun to find a real solution to Snape's problem, and yet, now they were faced with something even more worrying. If they all didn't start to work properly together again, then the entire group was more than done for. Harry didn't waste his time initially rounding everyone up for it all to crumble, causing people to get injured or missing.

"For now, Mr. Weasley, it is most wise to further focus on the recovery of our injured until we can discuss a viable solution. I can't have you all hobbling after Death Eaters, incapacitated, putting you all further at risk," Snape pinched the bridge of his nose, as he stood up straight once again, "Our numbers are dwindling far too much for you all to take such risks now. This adolescent defense group is more than just a rebellion now. You are a united front. You fought together to defend the school and your allies at the Battle of Hogwarts. Don't allow your strength to falter now. This war isn't over yet until we are working together to make it safer."

There was a pause and a silence in the room, as several others started to nod their heads in understanding.

Luna tilted her head to the side, with an odd smile plastered across her face, "That sounds like something Dumbledore would say," Snape's eyes widened with the remark, looking quite offended, "…Sorry, sir. It's not a bad thing."

"…Too soon, Luna, " Ron whispered.

Harry shifted uncomfortably, as he leaned forward resting his arms on the table in front of him, "What Professor Snape means, is that we need to go about this differently now. If we are to get our loved ones back safely, we need a proper plan. The Death Eaters don't have a leader now, so it's free for all."

"Yeah well, neither do we. Since when do you work with Snape now?" Seamus crossed his arms.

"Since I know he's on our side now, you insensitive git, " Harry snapped, "Stop making this difficult. I'm really not in the mood for you. Besides, you all wanted me to lead the DA back when it started. When I left Hogwarts with Hermione and Ron, Neville took charge. We've had leaders, and still do. Besides, Snape is with us now."

Snape frowned at Harry, as he flared his nostrils in contempt, "Potter, I said I'd oversee, not lead."

"No, but you see. You know the Death Eaters. You can help us coordinate against them. I can't think of anyone else more capable to direct us, than you. We need someone, well…level-headed. Right now, it can't be me, " Harry admitted, "I want nothing more than to go back out there and find them all, but that could do more harm than good for everyone right now."

"Gryffindors, a few Hufflepuffs, and Ravenclaws, lead by a Slytherin. What can go wrong?" Seamus retorted a little too angrily.

Snape looked oddly triumphant, "Everything, if you don't listen to my advice, Mr. Finnigan."

"I trust Harry's word, " Hermione spoke, as she addressed everyone, "Besides, we need a proper plan. We can't go in blindly next time. I think we've learned that the hard way tonight. We can't afford any more mistakes." She turned to Snape, "I also think it'll be a wonderful idea if you could teach us what you know, Professor. You're right – we are not just a rebellion group anymore. Fighting at Hogwarts made that very clear, and after tonight, we need to learn more than just minor defense."

There was a pause, as everyone looked toward Professor Severus Snape at the front of the room. Harry could see the man wrestling with the decision that they seemed to corner him into. It wasn't a bad idea. In fact, that may have been the best idea that they had at this point. What better opportunity than to be mentored by Snape – Master spy, ex-Death Eater, Portions prodigy, and an expert with the Dark Arts. Not to mention his extensive knowledge of healing and injuries, which makes him the perfect go-to. Well, almost perfect, if he wasn't usually bitter and spiteful.

Eventually, Snape's eyes scanned the room of willing participants once more until his obsidian eyes rested upon Harry's emerald ones. Snape raised his chin slightly, "Very well. Seven years of education, and you all still have so very much more to learn," He turned to the rest of the room, as he crossed his arms over his chest once more, "Go home, and recover…Class dismissed."

Without another word, most of the occupants shuffled out one by one out of the dining room and through the front door. Molly left together with George, leaving Hermione and Ron to stay behind at Grimmauld Place once again. It felt strange without Ginny. The absence of one person, made the entire house seem completely empty without her. The four of them, including Snape, remained behind once everyone left.

Reaching into his pocket, Harry retrieved one of the spare DA coins he had from one of the other students who never reclaimed theirs. He extended his arm out to Snape, revealing the fake Galleon for him to take, "Here. I have the Master coin. Whenever we plan a meeting, I activate it to time and place."

Eyeing the coin with curiosity, Snape gently retrieved it from Harry's hand, observing it. He raised his eyebrow to Harry, "Hmm. So this is how you did it. The Protean Charm? Ingenious."

Harry nodded, "As of recently Hermione added another charm to act as a beacon. By speaking Mitto Auxilium, it will send a charge to the other coins allowing us to Apparate to their location. You're now an honorary member, sir. Saves you giving up the identity of your Patronus -"

"- Harry," Hermione gasped.

Startled, Harry turned to her, "What?"

"I think you just found a way to find Ginny."
The End.


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