22

Chapter XXII: A Bargain

(Harry P.O.V)

The undeniable anger that burned in Harry's chest made it difficult to focus on anything else. It was only through Daphne's batch of Dreamless Sleep potions did he actually manage to get some shut-eye. Something that had been unbelievably foreign to him since Tonks' capture. Tonks, Harry whispered to himself, looking up at the flat wooden roof of the Gryffindor boy's dormitory, even the memory of his sister's name had filled him with pain.

Focus, Harry, He whispered to himself, As bad as it is, I can't afford to rush this, one misstep, and she could-, He forced those thoughts down, I need to catch Snape alone if I'm to have a chance, if not… Narcissa, I'm sorry. He shook his head violently, the purring of Loki's resting frame acting as a metronome of sorts to him as he downed the vial of Dreamless Sleep before resting his head against the soothing cold silk pillow. Hazily, he reached out his hand, expecting to feel Daphne's soft touch only to be met with what little remained of the unused mattress space. He sighed, for as bad as his nights were at times, sitting next to Daphne had made everything feel, at least, slightly easier.

When Harry stirred from his slumber, the noise coming from the Common Room had been so loud that Harry's heart began to race. As if he were struck by a bolt of lightning, he jumped from his bed, landing on his feet much like his kneazle as he drew his wand. Though the panic faded as his ears piqued to the nature of the noise, they weren't shouts of fear, rather, celebratory cheers. He furrowed his brow, summoning his clothes to his side, rapidly slipping into his uniform before pushing back his hair.

His descent from the boy's dormitory had been one laced with intrigue, yet all the intrigue had metamorphosed into a wave of relief as sitting in the center of the cheering crowd, looking tired, but very much alive, was none other than Gryffindor's fallen chaser, Katie Bell. Harry smiled, waving at the girl, who waved back weakly before being wrapped tightly in the arms of Lee Jordan, the boy looking about ready to crush his girlfriend with eager joy.

Yet there was one face in the crowd that looked to be suffering from a deep conflict, and that was the substitute chaser, Astoria Greengrass. It wasn't that Astoria looked miserable to see that Katie was safe and sound, but it was clear that Astoria knew her time as a starter was coming to an end, and Harry couldn't imagine how crushing that must have felt. Still, he sent his little sister a comforting smile, one she weakly returned, though it looked like Harry's glances had redirected Katie's attention causing the room to split as Katie rose and began to walk towards the second-year Gryffindor.

"I'm glad to see you're doing okay," Astoria said softly.

"And I'm glad that you did a great job filling in for me these last couple of games," Katie said, "Angelina might have finished me off herself if me being absent was the reason we lost." A light chuckle filled the room as Angelina fought back against the notion, her dissent hardly being audible over the laughter. "But since you did a great job, I have a favor to ask you," Katie whispered, "Finish this year up for me. Healers say I should 'refrain from any strenuous activities' for a while as I recover, and I think that training with Angelina would definitely be considered, 'strenuous', wouldn't you agree?"

"You really mean that?" Astoria said, her eyes wide with joy, "You'd really let me fill in for you for the rest of the year?"

"Sure," Katie said with a smirk, "The way I hear it, you're kicking everyone's butt, I couldn't think of a better replacement for me."

"I'll drink to that," Lee said with a smirk.

"It is literally eight in the morning," Alicia whispered, shaking her head.

"Then I hope they'll have some butterbeer for breakfast," Lee said, causing the rest of the house to release a damn near comical sigh.

"Well," Angelina said, "As great as this morning gift was, we can't afford to waste time bumming around all day, so let's get ready to head on down to breakfast, classes start in full force today, and with Slytherin leading in House Cup points, we can't afford to be late if we want to win it." A lion's roar filled the room before, with a smile, the quickly dressed Gryffindors headed down towards the Great Hall.

Clamoring from tables behind the mahogany doors of the halls made it clear that their little party in the common room had made them the last to arrive, thankfully, there was no penalty for being late to breakfast. Harry would've known, skipping meals was how he fit in much of his practice time. Even so, it was long until food piled up on their plates, and the breakfast festivities had begun. Yet, Harry wasn't feeling particularly hungry, as he felt three sets of eyes falling on him, each making him uncomfortable for a myriad of reasons.

The first was Slughorn. Harry had never been good at apologizing; he was often thankful that Daphne had been a girl who hardly needed them to forgive him for his idiocy at times. And yet, as he looked at the Potions Professor, he felt nothing but a thick weight of guilt over his heart. He'd played the man that had been nothing but kind to him for months, and while it had been for the 'Greater Good' as Dumbledore put it, the thought of him becoming more like the Old Headmaster had frightened him. He had to apologize, he just wished he knew how.

The next was the Old Man in question, the twinkle that once resonated within his sparkling blue eyes had vanished as nothing but a look of exhaustion was left. It wasn't that Dumbledore was ever a plump man, but the elderly wizard was looking frighteningly thin, and his stumbling around during his return to Hogwarts speech had made one thing frighteningly clear to Harry, the man's timetable was wrong, his fate wasn't months away. With the way he looked, Harry gave the man a little more than a few weeks, maybe a month. He was going to be in full command soon, his body trembled at the thought, Am I ready for this?

Harry swallowed his fear, as allowing those who looked at him like a saving grace to see his concern wasn't worth it, any hesitation on his part could build panic, and panic led to betrayal. Each day, the weight of command got heavier, the war was yet to be widespread, and Harry had felt as if his shoulders were about to break. His peers seeing his weakness, however, was only a secondary concern, as more threatening was the eyes of the black bat that drilled through his skull. It didn't matter to him what Dumbledore thought of him, as far as Harry was concerned, Snape was enemy number one.

His eyes shifted away from the Staff table back towards Katie, the girl's arm still trembling as she tried to lift her fork. "Long recovery ahead of you, huh, Bell?"

"Longer than I'd like," Katie whispered, her eyes dripping with venom at the weakness in her body.

"I know you've probably been asked non-stop since you woke," Harry whispered, "But it's important for me to know, how did you-"

"Get the necklace in the first place," Katie said, her eyes sinking, "You're right in saying every single person who has seen me wants to know the same thing. The sad thing is, I don't have anything to tell them. I really don't remember. I had just left the bathroom at the Three Broomsticks and then… I ended up in St. Mungo's."

A complete memory erasure? Harry thought to himself, No, even someone as talented as Snape would need longer than a few seconds to wipe someone's memory so cleanly, and that would certainly arouse suspicion, plus, he was already at the castle when Katie got cursed… meaning only one thing. "When you lost track of your memories, did you feel really good, almost like you were flying?"

"Yeah, I did," Katie said, her eyes widening in shock, "How did you know?"

"The Imperious Curse," Harry whispered, "Which means that you were probably ordered to bring that necklace to Dumbledore, the only question is by who? But even then," Harry's eyes drifted towards the blonde snake, his skin aging like milk, "It's not all that mysterious if my theory is right?"

"Y-you think that Draco did this to me?" Katie whispered.

"It's just a theory, but it is possible," Harry said softly, "Just watch your back around him, he's acting differently than normal this year. While you were gone, S.P.I.R.E has been in full swing, if you think you'll be up to it, you're still welcome to come, but don't push yourself alright. Just… Try not to walk around alone, okay? With all that's been going on in this castle, we can't afford to be relaxed when it comes to safety."

"Right," Katie said with a nod, "Thanks, Harry."

"Yeah, no problem," Harry said, rising from his seat, taking one last glance at Dumbledore before turning heel towards the exit, hoping to catch Slughorn early. His plan had been slightly altered as Michael rose from the table, catching up to his side as the two left the hall. "What's up?" Harry whispered looking at Michael's well-hidden but still readable eyes.

"Dumbledore," Michael muttered back, "Do you think-"

"Yeah," Harry said with a nod, "He's dying, and fast."

"What's the plan moving forward then?" Michael asked.

"I don't know," Harry said with a shrug, "I suppose the school would take a break as they try to reorganize themselves after Dumbledore's passing, I doubt he's told anyone outside of Snape. If the school reopens, I guess I come back to make sure everyone finishes the year safely, if not, I'm leaving Hogwarts to focus on the Order full time."

"My main focus right now is clearing my conscience with Slughorn and getting the plan rolling with Snape," Harry said with a sigh, "Both much easier said than done, but I can't keep letting Tonks suffer. We need to move fast, and discreetly, plus I need to plan a lesson for S.P.I.R.E and meet with Morgana." Harry cracked his neck before shaking his head, "So much to be done in so little time."

"Don't worry about S.P.I.R.E," Michael said, "I can take care of the planning for this week, you just work on getting Tonks back."

"You sure, normally you hate extra work?" Harry whispered back.

"I guess it just becomes part of the job when being friends with you," Michael smirked, "Seriously, Rook, I got it, okay?"

Harry nodded falling silent before smiling, "Yeah, thanks Chipper." Michael's magic had faded shortly after his face had vanished from his view, as Harry began his descent into the dungeons, his potion book somehow feeling heavier from within his bookbag. As he predicted, his arrival to the dungeon classroom had been met with nothing more than a dark classroom.

"Uh, Professor, sorry for tricking you for all these months but I-," Harry shook his head, "No that's terrible." He sighed, as he paced the floor, "Professor, I'm sorry that I acted so coldly to you I- argh!" Harry growled in frustration, "Why is this so hard?"

"Why is what so hard?" A calm voice called out, "Also, you're a bit early for class I fear." Harry's eyes shot towards the voice, finding the plump Professor waiting in the doorway with a soft smile.

"I was um-," Harry sighed before whispering, "I'm sorry, I-"

"It's okay," Slughorn said calmly.

"I didn't want to deceive you, but I really needed the information for the mission and I feared that you weren't going to part with it willingly, and-" Harry stopped finally hearing the words of the Professor, "Wait, it's okay?"

"Yes," Slughorn said, "It's okay. I understand why you did what you did, I wasn't being cooperative and I had the information you needed. You did what you had to do to achieve your goal, a goal that betters the word no less. The only surprise I have is the fact that you wear a lion rather than a snake on your robes." Harry stood, jaw agape as the Professor continued, "I apologize for making you have to jump through all these hurdles to get the memory, and I hope you don't think less of me. You are a good man, Harry Potter, you make your mother proud."

Harry stood there in silence as he watched Slughorn place his hand upon his shoulder, "You have nothing to apologize for my boy, in fact, I should be thanking you, you made my party a smash hit." Harry's shock turned to a smile as Slughorn continued, "Now go on, my boy, find your seat, I suspect your fellow students will be joining us shortly."

(Daphne P.O.V)

Harry had looked tense, tenser than Daphne had ever seen, and that was certainly saying something given all the shit the two of them had been through. And yet, for as level headed as Harry had been in even the most frightening situations, the idea of confronting Snape had left the boy stressed, to the point Daphne felt certain she was sensing the volatility of Harry's magic.

The two sat in silence, looking over the marauder's map as their eyes followed the trail of footsteps labeled Snape, the man was simply sitting in his office, though much to their annoyance, he had a visitor, and it was becoming a frighteningly long visit. "What could they possibly be spending so much time talking about?" Daphne whispered, her eyes glued to the page.

"Probably or all the ways they'd like to serve me to the Dark Lord," Harry said, earning a firm elbow nudge from Daphne causing him to shrug, "What, it's true? What else could Draco and Snape be talking about for damn near an hour?"

"I'm not saying you're wrong," Daphne relented with a sigh, "I just- Snape, he helped me a lot when I was a new student. I know that doesn't mean I should overlook everything, I just- I want to believe he's not as bad as you think he is."

"A broken clock is right twice a day," Harry muttered out, "That's how the saying goes right? So he did a good thing once or twice, it doesn't make him a saint." Daphne had wanted to retort but was silenced by Harry jumping to his feet, "Draco left," Daphne looked up before taking Harry's hand, "Come on, we can't let this chance slip away."

"Right," Daphne said with a nod, "Dobby!" Before she could even finish her sentence the bouncy elf appeared, dressed in an old t-shirt he'd found somewhere with what Daphne could only assume was seven full layers of socks. "Dobby? Where did you get all those socks?"

"Dobby found them, Ms. Greeny, Dobby thinks they are very comfy."

"Good to know," Daphne said softly, Guess I know what to get him for Christmas next year, "Dobby, I was hoping you could do me a favor. Do you see this spot," Daphne said, pointing to the map before them, "Can you take us there out of sight?"

"Yes Ms. Greeny, of course Dobby can!" Daphne smiled at the excited elf, both she and Harry reaching out their hands, their fingers getting clutched by Dobby before they vanished from the Room of Requirement with a pop.

Not being transported the dungeon had still managed to remain a shock, as for what felt like years, the former potion master made the dungeon his home. The fact that the room she'd always associated with the revolving door of Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher now belonged to her Head of House was still a difficult concept to grasp.

She turned behind her, finding Harry's narrow eyes, the bookbag at his side that contained the prophecy pressed close to his hip. She shifted from Harry, giving Dobby a thankful smile before turning back to face the empty hall, the moonlight shining through the corridor's windows. "Ready?" She whispered; her eyes set upon the door.

Harry nodded, the two taking a calming breath, before racing towards the door throwing it open. "What seems to be the problem now, Dr-" Though he paused, his eyes catching the faint glimmer of Harry's stern expression, "Ah, Mr. Potter," Snape said with a sneer, "What is the reason that you've come to bother me at this hour?"

The pressure Daphne felt from behind Harry, as the two men gazed upon each other, never so much as blinking sent chills down her spine before Harry whispered, "Let's give it up," he said calmly, "Your occlumency is too strong to be broken by my passive legilimency, and your passive legilimency is nowhere near what's required to enter my mind. We could draw our wands, but that would cause more commotion than necessary."

Snape nodded, abnormally quiet before he sighed, "Well, seeing as I can predict what it is you want from me, I suppose I'm forced to listen to your mindless drivel."

"Don't worry, Professor," Harry said calmly, the words turning into daggers the moment they left his tongue, "I'm not here to drivel for long." Daphne watched silently as Harry pulled the orb from his bag, "I'm here to ask for your help making a deal."

Snape's eyes widened, though somehow, Daphne struggled to decipher how genuine the shock was. "By your expression, I assume you know what this is?"

"And if I say I do," Snape hissed, "What would you have me do?"

"I don't care what Dumbledore believes about you," Harry pushed on calmly, "Spy or not, it doesn't matter for what I need you to do." The crystal ball almost seemed to shutter in Harry's grasp, "Voldemort has something precious to me. Hidden away in a place only Merlin knows where, and as you can see, I have something important to him as well. What I'm proposing is simple, an exchange, I'll hand over the prophecy, if he hands over Tonks alive and untouched. If he doesn't comply, I'll have you deliver the smashed bits instead."

"And pray tell me, if you do believe that I am a spy, Potter," Snape said, his voice frosty as he stepped closer, "What's to stop me from taking the prophecy by force and charming your memory?"

Daphne felt her whole-body quake as Harry smirked, venom dripping from his eyes, "You're welcome to try it."

"Harry," She whispered, placing her hand atop the boy's shoulder, "This isn't helping." Harry turned to face her with a heavy sigh as she continued. "Look professor, Harry doesn't trust you, but I don't think you're one of them, I never have. We're asking for your help; I'm asking for your help. Please Professor, Tonks is important to the Order, we need here if we want to win."

Snape stepped back, his eyes drifting from Harry onto hers, "You're a fool to trust me so much."

"You protected me when you didn't have to," Daphne whispered, "I'm asking you to prove to me that you're not as bad as everyone else believes."

The Head of Slytherin House closed his eyes, releasing a deep breath of his own before nodding curtly, "Very well, I'll be sure to pass the information along. But don't expect a positive response, the Dark Lord isn't one for negotiations."

Daphne nodded, taking Harry's hand in hers as she headed to the doorway, "Thank you, Professor." She hadn't given Snape a chance to reply as she pulled out into the hall once more. "That went smoothly."

"Yeah," Harry grumbled, "A bit too smoothly."

Daphne gritted her teeth in frustration as she looked up at the stone-clad roof. Why is it that I feel that every time we try to make the first move, we're always a step behind.

(Michael P.O.V)

His muscles throbbed as he dropped the metallic sleeve onto his workbench, finally releasing his held breath. Michael's head tilted, his eyes roaming the length of his craft, his fingers rubbing over the masterpiece in his hand. He smiled, wiping the sweat from his brow before with a snap, the bracer and sleeve switched onto his arm, leaving rubber bands on the slab where the arm once rested.

Michael grunted, the weight of the armor making itself instantly known as he curled his arm testing the flexibility. "It's definitely lighter than an arm of pure steel would be," Michael muttered, "But it's certainly not as light as I had first imagined it."

Claire raced to his side, her grey eyes roaming the steel with care, "Wow, this is… not as flashy as I thought it would be."

Michael chuckled, bringing a smile to Claire's face, "You just wait till I add the cosmetic flare, then it'll be runway ready." She rolled her eyes as Michael lifted his hand, spinning to face the target behind him as he fired off a reductor curse.

The metal along his arm vibrated, rattling the bones beneath his skin, but the cushioning of the Dragon-Hide had certainly helped minimize the recoil. "This is going to take some getting used to before it's fully operational, but we're certainly off to a good start." His gaze re-focused upon Claire's soft grey eyes before smiling, "Alright, let's test this thing out. Ready?"

"Are you-," Claire muttered, her blue fire forming in her palms, "Are you sure you want to do this?"

"The only way to test this suit's limit is to push the boundaries," He said with a smile, "Now come on, hit me."

"If you say so," Claire sighed, as Michael watched the girl fling the fire from her palm like a trebuchet. The heat was undeniably apparent as the blue fire spread across the metal. Moisture rose from his arm, evaporating almost as quickly as it appeared before with a grunt, he swung his arm, banishing the fire from existence.

He panted, gazing upon his arm. It tingled, and to an extent, the feeling of a phantom fire flickered on his skin, but the arm's metal had prevailed… the runes had worked. He tightened his trembling hands into a fist before throwing them up in the air, a roar of excited laughter erupting from his lips as Claire bolted to his side, wrapping her arm around him, "It worked! I can't believe it actually worked!"

"Well of course it worked," Michael said with a smirk, "I'm the one who designed it, after all."

"Yeah, yeah, don't go getting a big head or anything," Claire said, shaking her head as Michael leaned down, quickly catching a taste of her lips. They broke apart, giving each other some space as Michael snapped once more, the rubber bands taking the spots where the armor had once been.

"Well then, Mr. Engineer," Claire teased, "I'm afraid you'll have to put the rest of your experiment on hold, as I believe you made Harry a promise that you'd be the one in charge or organizing the next S.P.I.R.E Meeting."

A groan ripped from Michael's throat as he rocked his head back, "Why would I agree to do that," He mumbled, "Taking on more work to help another person, Merlin, that's so unlike me." The image of Harry's exhausted face popped into his mind as he shook his head, "I just saw all the weight he was carrying on his shoulders and I could stay quiet." His head fell forward, his hand covering his face attempting to shield his eyes from Claire's satisfied grin, "This is such a pain."

As Claire sat beside him, translating his ideas into writing that actually looked legible, he wrote himself a mental note to give Daphne some praise for her consistent ability to make these plans. Machines were simple, so long as they were working, they all operated the same… people on the other hand were far more complicated. While some were ready to begin the training of the Patronus Charm, a group mostly consisting of the Weasleys, Claire, and Cho. Others required more of an understanding of shielding, with some in the group lacking the magical strength to even conjure a corporeal Patronus in the first place.

It was an exhausting measure, Michael's head resting on top of Claire's as the young girl slept on his shoulders, their scheduling taking a couple of grueling hours to protect. As Michael gazed down at the paper, he smiled, shaking his head with exhaustion, "Maybe I need to stop giving the professors a hard time, their job is exhausting."

He gently placed his lips to Claire's forehead, pecking her softly as her eyes fluttered open, "Morning sleepyhead, it's time to get up."

"What time is it?" She yawned out, winking the sleep from her eyes.

"Time for us to head back to the common room without getting caught. We're definitely way past curfew." He stood, offering Claire his hand, the softness of Claire's skin always shocking him as he rose to his feet, "Don't worry though, I know a way to the Common Room where there's a zero percent chance of us getting caught."

"Of course, you do," Claire said with a smirk as the two walked towards the exit, pausing only as Michael took one last glance at his metallic arm.

Soon, He thought, his heart burning with fire, I'll finish this soon enough, and then, I'll be able to be a real help to Harry. I'll be able to help hold that burden. He swallowed as he thought back upon his best friend, Harry, he whispered softly, I hope everything went well. Just hang tough a little longer, we'll get Tonks back for sure.

Claire squeezed his hands, his eyes meeting hers as he forced a smile to his face, "Everything is going to be fine; you know?" She said softly.

"I know it will," Michael said, his off-hand racing through the parts of his untied blue-haired, "They have to be."

(? P.O.V)

The muffled screams of agony from the integration room in the basement of the Riddle Manor rippled through the air. A twisted grin rose to his face as his bare feet glided against the wooden floorboards of the large house's sitting room. "Excellent," He whispered to himself, his establishment connected with his 'protege', the boy's face visible in his mind's eye.

"Draco," he hissed softly, as he clutched the orange. The fruit dripping wet from the sister cabinet's location in the chamber, "You are doing quite well, my boy." The boy smiled gleefully, forcing him to swallow his laughter at the boy's ease to manipulate. "But you need to work faster, much faster I fear if we are to meet our deadline."

"Yes, my lord," The young Slytherin whispered back, bowing his head deeply. "My Lord, during my communication with Snape a few days ago, I stumbled across something curious. I'd left before having all my questions answered, and I circled back around just in time to Potter leaving his offices. I fear that his loyalty to you may be… misplaced."

"Worry not about Severus, my boy," Voldemort said, "For he is loyal to me before all. Worry simply upon your mission, and do not disappoint me. You come from a line of worthless blood, please do try to redeem your dishonored name."

"Yes, my lord," Draco whispered, "As you command."

Voldemort shifted his attention, his scarlet glare now falling upon the woman at his side. She had finally awoken from her exhaustion, and her face had begun to fill out once more, the starvation that shone in her eyes gone. Yet she was still weak, her muscles suffering from a lack of use. He forced a grin to his face as he approached the still groggy witch, his touch making her smile like a dog as he spoke, "Bella, it's good to see you up on your feet once again."

"Thank you, My Lord," Bellatrix said, kneeling deeply before him. "Forgive my carelessness, My Lord. If me being captured inconvenienced you in any way, I beg for you to be merciful with me."

"Think nothing of it," Voldemort said, allowing the girl to rise. "Only your captors are to blame for inconveniencing me. They had the audacity to take one of my most loyal from me, and for that, they will pay a heavy toll. But for now, I must know Bellatrix, what exactly does the Order know of our plans? What information did you volunteer?"

"None, My Lord," Bellatrix said, lowering her head, "I swear it. But Narcissa, she threatened to tell the Order of the Prophecy. She plans on begging the old fool of a Headmaster to save Draco."

"Then she will fail, for Draco belongs to me and me alone." Anger boiled through his veins as he thought of the treasons Malfoy woman. "She will die slowly by my hand for her transgression. But you, Bellatrix," The woman's mind open to him like that of a book, "I know you speak the truth. For your loyalty to me, I will see that you are most appropriately rewarded. I will have you leading my raid upon the ministry to retrieve the prophecy, once you've recovered."

"You will be free to kill whomever you wish," Voldemort hissed, "With Amelia Bones taking command of the Ministry, they are now better dead than alive. I ask you only to spare Sirius Black if you see him, and bring him before me. The troops were under the impression that you had slain him. I will choose to believe the act of him being alive was due to your fragile physical state at the time, for now. But should I find out you showed Black mercy, you will share the fate of your Blood-Tratiorus sisters. Am I understood?"

"Yes, My Lord," Bellatrix said, bowing deeply. "I swear I will not fail you again."

"I do hope so, Bellatrix," Voldemort said as he laced his fingers between each other, "For your sake." Voldemort dismissed her with a wave of his hand, watching as the woman left his sight. "Soon," Voldemort muttered aloud, "Soon it will be time to make my move."