In The Fight To Survive (Golden Trio Era) {4}

Fake Out

August passed slowly, a month spent taking turns spy on the official entrance to the Ministry with the Invisibility Cloak. They tailed Ministry workers on their way in, eavesdropped on their conversations, and learned by careful observation which of them could be relied upon to appear, alone, at the same time every day. Slowly they had built up the sketchy maps and notes now was arranged in three separate piles on the kitchen table, one for each of them.

Everyday a different pair of Death Eaters would come to surveil Grimmauld Place, hoping that Harry would slip up and be spotted in the area. If anything, the lurkers sent a wave nausea through the trio as they realised just how many followers Voldemort has, or at least how many people he has under his control. They've still not heard a word from Mikayla, or anyone else in the Order for that matter, but from the whispers they've heard, Mikayla is still being held by Voldemort and everyone from the Order can't scratch their nose without someone documenting it.

Harry almost lost his balance as he apparated onto the top step outside No. 12 Grimmauld Place and thought that the Death Eaters might have caught a glimpse of his momentarily exposed elbow. Shutting the front door carefully behind him, he pulled off the Invisibility Cloak, draped it over his arm, and hurried along the gloomy hallway toward the door that led to the basement, with a copy of the Daily Prophet that Selene had dropped off through the chimney in the sitting room. The usual low whisper of "Severus Snape" greeted him, the chill wind swept him, and his tongue rolled up for a moment. "I didn't kill you," Harry stated once his tongue unravelled, he held breath for a second while the dusty jinx-figure exploded.

He waited until he was halfway down the stairs to the kitchen, out of earshot of Mrs. Black and clear of the dust cloud, before calling out to Ron and Hermione, "I've got news, and you won't like it." The kitchen has become completely unrecognisable compared to what it was when they had first arrived a month ago. Every surface shone brightly, the copper pots and pans had been burnished to a rosy glow and the wooden tabletop gleamed. As for the goblets and plates, they were already laid for dinner glinted in the light from a merrily blazing fire and the polish that had earlier been smooth over their surface. A cauldron sat simmering in the middle of the table, filling the air with comforting scent of french onion soup.

Nothing in the room, however, was more dramatically different than the old grumpy house-elf that now came hurrying toward Harry, dressed in a snowy-white towel, his ear hair as clean and fluffy as cotton wool, Regulus's locket bouncing on his thin chest. "Shoes off, if you please, Master Harry, and hands washed before dinner," Kreacher croaked while seizing the Invisibility Cloak from Harry and slouching off to hang it on a hook on the wall, beside a number of old-fashioned robes that had been freshly laundered.

"What's happened?" Ron asked apprehensively looking up from a sheaf of scribbled notes and hand drawn maps about Reginald Cattermole, his profession, family and daily route etc. Hermione looked up from her own pile of research on Mafalda Hopkirk, raising a questioning eyebrow at Harry. Harry as he strode toward them and threw down the newspaper on top of their scattered parchment. A large picture of a familiar, hook-nosed, black-haired man stared up at them all, beneath a headline that read:

Severus Snape Confirmed As New Hogwarts Headmaster

"No!" Ron and Hermione proclaimed loudly, Hermione quickly snatching up the newspaper and began to read the accompanying story out loud, "Severus Snape, long-standing Potions master at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, was today appointed Headmaster in the most important of several staffing changes at the ancient school. Following the resignation of the previous Muggle Studies teacher, Alecto Carrow will take over the post while her brother, Amycus, fills the position of Defence Against the Dark Arts professor."