( Wednesday )
He didn't let his sour mood show as he moved about the hidden safe house, completing his morning activities. The Aurors carefully watched his movements, like hawks watching a potential meal.
Despite only being in their presence for a couple of hours, it was already clear to him, by the looks they discreetly sent his way, that this small band of aurors knew about his shadier past. And naturally, like true professionals, they were not taking any chances with him as they carefully shadowed his every move.
This was despite the fact that they had already placed upon him a pair of magical handcuffs, specifically charmed to allow him the free use of his hands, but otherwise prevented him from leaving the building by his own free will. Years of watching different groups of people from the shadows in the service of Lord Voldemort taught him how to read people. He could tell his watchers were more than capable, as he noted the small, tell-tale signs of capable professionals on the job.
That meant that his chances of successfully escaping this 'protective custody' were at an all-time low, especially with no wand of his own to use. In short, he was trapped, with limited options available to him.
Sitting down silently at the plain, wooden breakfast table, he considered his options, but regrettably found that they were extremely limited without outside help. His only hope of warning Lucius was in Draco noticing that something was wrong with his 'double.' Whilst his pride as a godfather hoped his godson would notice that he had been replaced with an imposter, a small, but growing voice in the back of his mind whispered otherwise, filling him with doubts.
Unfortunately for him, Draco was very much a hothead and very self-absorbed with his notions of personal superiority. He'd likely only notice the swap if it was patently obvious to all and sundry... That was one of Draco's many weaknesses, the inability to notice the little details that were often necessary for a good plan to succeed.
To add more salt to the open wound that was his damaged pride, the Gryffindors would surely notice the change, even more than his own Slytherins. He could already predict that Longbottom and his know-it-all sidekick Granger would investigate the matter.
That was truly a sobering thought, the idea that the Gryffindors were far more likely to notice his replacement than his own godson or his Slytherin students. He made a mental note to instruct Draco, upon his return to freedom, of course, on how to identify polyjuiced agents and imposters.
"Professor Snape, would you like some breakfast?" a house elf asked politely, with a hint of eagerness that was so common for their race.
Looking down at the creature before him, dressed in a neat uniform, he answered, "Just tea," he replied emotionlessly, suppressing the dark remarks that were ever on his tongue. The house elf disappeared immediately to complete his task with joy.
"You should eat something," one of his watchers unnecessarily suggested.
"I am not hungry. I suppose that is what happens when you have just been kidnapped against your will and then locked in a house," he sneered back, letting some of his anger vent as the house elf returned and served his tea, as well as giving him the morning paper.
The auror just shrugged off the remarks, making it clear that his words had no effect on him, "Suit yourself. Madam Bones will be around shortly to talk with you. I believe she has a lot of questions to ask." He sipped his drink in silence at that, trying desperately to keep his panic from showing, all the while trying to come up with a makeshift plan to deal with the Head of Law Enforcement.
'I should have taken Albus' offer,' he groused.
...
( Number 12 )
Since his meeting with Madam Bones, there had been only one name running through his mind, one singular person that brought forth all his anger and hatred, 'Lucius.' He once again considered his old enemy, who had managed to escape justice following the end of the last war, whilst he, an innocent man, had suffered in Azkaban for over a decade.
Not even spending the morning with his godson Harry had brought a respite from his all-encompassing rage he was feeling at the injustice, the unfairness of it all.
Naturally, he was extremely proud of his godson, who was proving to be far more driven and talented than he ever was at the age of 12, but was perhaps a tad too serious. However, he was patiently working on getting Harry to loosen up and act his age a bit. He personally thought that Harry just needed a good, caring family that he could learn to trust and who never failed that trust. Progress was being made on that front; after all, Harry was already opening up to him and Tonks.
And in due course, he would find a girlfriend that he trusted as well, further drawing him out of his hardened shell. That was one of the reasons why he baited Harry into taking up those 'challenges.' He could get his godson to loosen up through those outlandish tasks. Add in the prize his godson saw as valuable and desirable, and he knew Harry would give it his all, no matter his personal feelings.
Speaking of giving his all... He had been rendered near speechless when he first heard of his godson's success in becoming an animagus at such a young age; however, he was even more impressed with Harry's animal counterpart, even if it was just an overgrown cat... Well, that was what his inner dog was telling him anyways, but the part of him that was a human wizard knew that the Tiger was not just an overgrown housecat that he could chase around for his own amusement.
Nevertheless, he needed to start rallying support to confront his old enemy, to start putting friends in place to cause Lord Malfoy the most trouble when Madam Bones' scheme hopefully succeeded. He was in a rather unique position, actually. With his foreknowledge of the rare opportunity to do some damage to the slippery snake, he could marshal his resources long ahead of time.
Throwing on his best set of silk robes, he tried to tame his wild black hair for his upcoming meeting with Nicholas. While he was naturally wary of getting Nicholas and his house involved in their private matters, he was well aware that the Greengrass household held considerably more pull and influence with the elite of magical Britain than his own house did at the moment.
Regrettably, he also knew that there would be a price to be paid for the family's assistance; after all, there was nothing truly free in the world of politics. Hopefully, the cost could be minimized if Nicholas saw that his own household could profit from assisting him, and indirectly Harry, against Lord Malfoy.
He would also have to pay a formal visit to Lady Longbottom and see if she would agree to render assistance in the coming weeks as well. He was pretty sure that Lady Longbottom would readily agree to assist him in this matter, since it would be in her own house's interest to help cripple the Malfoy family. He expected that the old battle axe would demand something for her help as well, if only on principle.
He looked himself over in his special mirror, "Hey, good looking," the mirror purred in approval, as Sirius examined himself critically.
'I need to get Harry one of these mirrors...' he noted with amusement, as the mirror continued to voice its approval for his outfit, as he checked himself over. 'Damn, I'm sexy.'
...
( Hogwarts )
Returning from his daily archery practice, rain dripped steadily from his soaked clothes, his yew short bow held lightly in his off hand as he silently moved through the empty halls up to his dorm room to shower and change, before starting his rather boring school day.
His marksmanship skills were improving by leaps and bounds, his upper body growing more and more defined, muscular, and powerful under the gruelling training regime he had been following since the start of his first year. Whilst it would still be a long time before he could call himself a 'master' archer, his skills were progressing nicely. With his ever-increasing accuracy, he could now track and hit a moving target at a range of up to 150 yards. His stamina and rate of fire were also improving rapidly.
All in all, he was feeling quite happy with his progress, as he gracefully climbed another set of shifting stairs to his dorm room, the magical portraits beginning to stir from their sleep, their mighty yawns echoing around the empty halls. It was like a chain reaction as the loud yawns woke up their sleeping neighbours, which triggered yet more yawns. Even a bewitched set of plate armour stretched its metal joints before releasing a metallic-sounding yawn, causing him to smile.
However, his amused smile didn't last long, as his mind turned back to more serious matters, such as Madam Bones' plot to catch Lucius Malfoy red-handed. The plan seemed sound to his youthful and inexperienced mind. He privately acknowledged, though, that he was no tactical genius or expert in law enforcement tactics and methodology, so ultimately he felt he had no right to question the experienced auror on her plan of entrapment anyways.
This was especially true when it became clear to him that she very much wanted Lucius caught and successfully jailed. He was uncertain whether to tell his friends and allies within the school about the plan, though. Rationally, he knew that the more people who knew, the greater the risk of the plan being compromised and thus failing; but if he didn't tell his friends, then they would assume he didn't trust them, and that would undermine their friendship and all his efforts to this point.
However, on a positive note, with his upcoming fake death, it meant that he no longer had to worry about asking anyone out on Valentine's Day, which lifted a small burden of decision from his shoulders.
On the other hand, it would also prove to be a double-edged sword, as he predicted that upon his return, his fame and status, both within the school and the wider wizarding world, would further increase, making him an even more tempting target for girls like Lavender. He had to remind himself of the old saying that 'there was no such thing as bad publicity,' while hoping to Merlin that that was true.
Approaching the common room door, the auror guard glanced over the top of her women's magazine as he walked up to the enchanted doorknob.
"Give me food and I will live; give me water and I will die. What am I?" the magical doorknob asked.
"Fire," he replied after a couple seconds' thought. The common door silently swung open at his answer, revealing the empty Ravenclaw common room.
...
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