Lucius Malfoy and Severus Snape walked out of the Headmaster's office after Lucius slammed the door behind him. Snape did not speak a word but led a willing Malfoy to the dungeons and into his chambers. Snape went directly to his cabinet and took out a couple of glasses and poured the red elf made wine and silently handed one glass to Lucius, who had thrown himself in a very un – Malfoyish way on the sofa.
'What happened, Severus?' Lucius asked him after a silence that became slightly oppressive. Snape was not saying anything; he was simply sipping his wine and looking sympathetically at Lucius, willing him to speak first.
'Today morning?' Snape asked him and continued when Lucius nodded. 'Well I noticed something was amiss when the old loony got up suddenly and started walking swiftly towards the main doors of the Great Hall and halfway he broke into a run. I got up and ran to see what it was that could rile up the old man so. I was not disappointed initially, Lucius. Only a bit later it turned rather frightening.
'The Weasley girl was screaming that she would kill Potter; this I heard from Dumbledore and Potter, really that boy is so lucky, I wish he would fail somewhere, really. He threw a curse and avoided the Avada no less, how I really don't know and fired a stunner, but before he could do more, Dumbledore himself fired a stunner at the girl. A few minutes later, the ghostly form of a young boy rose out of her and vanished. Dumbledore said that was our Lord while he was very young.'
Lucius paled and was sweating profusely as Snape's explanation went on and by the time Snape finished, he was trembling, a far cry from the Lucius Malfoy the world knew.
'Lucius? What is the matter? Did that elf harm you?' Snape asked him, leaning forward in concern. Lucius hesitated only for a minute.
'Severus. I think I am in trouble. I placed that diary in her Transfiguration Book. That was a diary our Lord had given to me. It was an extremely dark object and I wanted to be free of this if there were any checks by the aurors, since this showed up under the auror scans. Now it looks like…' Lucius hesitated for a second and looked into Snape's eyes and trembled. 'What is it Lucius? You don't have to tell me if you must not. I understand out Lord will be angry if you reveal what I need not know.'
Those were the right words to say and Lucius shivered once more, 'Looks like a horcrux, Severus and it seems to have been destroyed, because I could not find anything magical in that diary, let alone traces of dark magic.' Snape stared in apparent shock. 'What a horcrux. Lucius are you sure?' He asked and sat back when Lucius nodded his head.
Snap was silent for sometime, before he answered, choosing his words carefully. 'I think you should somehow plant the suggestion by means of an anonymous letter to make the aurors search your house and pour some dark magic into a diary which looks like the one destroyed and let them take it. That way the Dark Lord will be angry, but will not be able to accuse you of having deliberately destroying the diary. You can tell our Lord that this Diary was something different; a dark object that you made on your own to cause trouble for Arthur in the Ministry, only it backfired on you, just in case he comes to know of this incident. What do you think?'
Lucius looked long at Snape, whose face was bland as he sat back looking very matter of fact and slowly Lucius nodded. 'I think I'll do that. But Severus, I can count upon you not to reveal…'
'But of course Lucius. You have my word.' Snape said sincerely and Lucius got to his feet, with a small relieved smile and walked out after thanking Snape, a determined look on his face and looking more like the Lucius Malfoy of old.
Snape heaved a sigh of relief as he watched Lucius Malfoy walk out of his rooms to do just the thing Snape suggested. Snape hoped this would be fine and would not mess up the timeline and create more problems. He cursed a bit, Harry was not telling him anything much and it was frustrating him. Well, he would have to try and put some more questions to Harry Potter if he needed to make sure his actions would not harm the original timeline.
His thoughts went back to the time when Harry had almost broken down and he sighed. He very much hoped Harry would marry Ginny. He would not wish what he had gone through seeing Lily with James Potter on anyone, not even Voldemort, Snape decided as he remembered the jealousy and the bitterness that had welled up in his heart, when he saw them together. James and Sirius made sure they never hexed him or the others in front of Lily and she had been taken in by that, thinking James Potter had changed, he thought angrily.
Snape sat still for a minute, before the memories of those days came back as always. Lily had been happy. That was what hurt him, he had realized later. She had been truly happy with Potter of all people and had a living proof of that love in Harry James Potter as well. He had almost lost his mind when he came to know they were planning to marry.
Lily had never spoken to him after that night. Not once in the two years and after they left Hogwarts he had never even seen her. And then she had died. And he had been the cause for it. Snape's face twisted in a very horrible way as the guilt burned into him as if new. Why did he have to take the damn Prophecy to the Dark Lord? And why did Potter of all kids have to be born on the last day of the seventh month and why oh why did the bloody James Potter not listen to Dumbledore and make him the secret keeper instead of choosing Black and the rat of all people? Even after they were warned, they could not protect themselves.
Snape snarled as he thought of Peter. But then he sagged again. While his mind could come up with many reason that were perfectly true, his heart would never listen and there it was he, who was responsible for the death of Lily and for the breaking of her family. He wondered how Harry was able to stand talking to him when Harry knew that it was because of him his parents died.
At that time the floo turned green and Snape looked up, schooling his face into blankness and stood up as Dumbledore's head appeared. 'Can you come up for a minute Severus? Has Lucius left?'
Snape sneered. Dumbledore had called him, because he had known Lucius left. He nodded silently and walked to the floo to take a pinch of floo powder and waiting only for Dumbledore to withdraw his head, Snape threw the floo powder and stepped into the fire. Time to report to Dumbledore, he thought, about what Lucius said.
Sirius and Remus were having their lunch in Diagon Alley, planning to go to a meeting in the afternoon, when Hedwig flew into The Leaky Cauldron and landed on the table, holding out her leg. Sirius grinned at Remus, his eyes brightening as he untied the letter on Hedwig's leg and opened it. His smile abruptly turned into a frown and then a scowl. He stood up abruptly, throwing the letter towards Remus and strode to the fireplace, throwing a few galleons on the counter for Tom.
Remus, in the meanwhile had hastily stood up reading the letter as well, and his face too, showed the sudden tension as he finished the letter, running to the fireplace, just as Sirius was throwing a pinch of the floo powder and stepping into the fire, shouting 'The Three Broomsticks'. Remus followed suit and soon they were running on the road that led from Hogsmeade to Hogwarts. Sirius opened the gates, just as Lucius Malfoy was finishing his talk with Snape, and ran inside.
Sirius ran through the main doors and the stairs to the Headmaster's office, missing Lucius Malfoy who was just stepping out of the dungeons. Sirius ran to the gargoyle and stopped, his chest heaving with all the exhaustion. It took a few minutes for him to get his breath back and he spent the next few minutes trying all kinds of wizarding and muggle sweets. The gargoyle finally opened to Mars Bars from Remus, and Sirius now with another burst of energy ran up the stairs and opened the door, without even knocking on it.
They opened the door to see Snape step through the fire with Dumbledore standing near it. Dumbledore turned with a slight frown which turned to a smile as he saw Sirius and Remus rushing in.
'Hello Sirius, Remus. This is indeed a pleasant surprise.' Dumbledore exclaimed walking over to his chair and sitting down, gesturing Sirius, Remus and Snape to sit down as well.
'Tea?' he asked to an almost bursting to ask questions Sirius.
'No Albus. We received a letter from Harry today afternoon saying that he was attacked by Ginny Weasley of all people and he says she was possessed and the killing curse was not her fault. The killing curse, Albus? Just what is happening here? That elf was correct. It said horrible things would happen in Hogwarts and asked Harry not to go. Right, now I've made my decision. Harry as of this minute is with drawn from here. No more.' Sirius was panting once again and his eyes looked bleak as he whispered, 'I can't lose him too, Albus. He's all I've got.'
Albus smiled gently. 'I know, Sirius, and I was so worried yesterday, when I heard Miss. Weasley shout at Harry. I cast the stunner that stopped her and then a few minutes later, Voldemort came out of her body and vanished. She was apparently possessed. The elf was Lucius Malfoy's and it came here along with him today and there was a piece of cloth in that diary that he gave to the elf and he unintentionally freed it.' Dumbledore's eyes were smiling along with him, as he remembered the scene in his office a little while ago.
'So it was Malfoy. How dare he?' Sirius asked outraged, Remus and Snape simply sitting and watching; Remus with a worried look and Snape with an unreadable expression, that was mildly sneering.