Falling Stars, part 2
Title: Falling Stars

Rating: PG, Angst

Summary: The war's finished, the good guys won, and it's time to live. Wouldn’t it be lovely if that were true?

Falling Stars, part 2

When Hermione returned, she was startled to see that Professor Snape had released Harry. She had tried futilely for several hours to make Harry see sense, but he had still refused to accept any of the possible scenarios that she had suggested. But, then none of her scenarios had the potential that Professor Snape’s had.

“Where are the…” Before the professor could finish his question, Hermione flicked her wand commanding “accio Harry’s cloak” to reveal everything that she had used the time turner to gather and prepare over several months. She had even spent two additional weeks in the professor’s past learning and practicing the spells they were going to perform.

“Have you explained it to him?” She really didn’t need to ask. The uncomfortable grimace on his face confirmed that he was barely accepting what he had been told.

“Yes, or at least enough so that he can waste precious time quibbling over irrelevant details.”

“Such as?” Hermione glanced to Harry hoping that more information would make what they were going to do seem more palatable – even as the professor threw his hands up in exasperation.

“Were going to change the cor… body to be physically and magically identical to me, even putting my energy in it so that it stays that way after it changes, but … what about ...”

“Harry?”

“What about his family? They have a right to know what happened to him, don’t they? They shouldn’t go through life wondering.”

Hermione knew that the worry had come from Harry’s own years of sad speculation about what had happened to his parents. But, she had expected that and was glad that she had taken it into consideration when she had chosen her friend’s replacement.

“Harry, he was a death eater. To prove himself to Voldemort… he killed his parents and two sisters. There’s no one else to inform.”

“Oh.” Harry looked a little sickened by the thought, but the resolve in his eyes steadied as he turned back to Professor Snape.

“Okay, what do I have to do?”

“For the moment, just strip.” Looking over the bulwarks with irritation, Severus muttered, “Do they have to walk so steadily? This will not be as swift as in a living body.”

After dropping in the locks of hair that he had trimmed from the nape of Harry’s neck, Severus quickly reheated the poly potion, then – using his wand to absorb the potion – he directed it into the corpse through every accessible orifice and wound that he could discreetly reveal. Working quickly, the professor used an unlinked llegimens to transfer Harry’s imprint then turned back to Harry and reopened their strange wandless link. Drawing out a minute strand of energy that was completely unconnected to Harry’s healing energies, the professor funneled it into the replacement.

As Harry watched in astonishment, the corpse’s skin seemed to bubble and melt reforming into his exact likeness. Hermione caught him and turned him away from the naked corpse and murmured soft assurances. When they heard the professor summoning his clothes, they turned back and Harry blushed hotly – realizing that Hermione was right there and the body had more close on than he did. He tried to ignore the professor’s knowing smirk and lifted his wand to summon more, but Hermione’s hand on his arm stopped him.

“You can’t. Someone might notice the missing clothes.”

“But, what am I supposed to wear?”

The Potion’s master smirked again as he absent-mindedly shrunk his over cloak to fit Harry and reminded them, “cloaked in death’s grim pall.” Although his voice sounded ironic, Hermione relaxed when he flashed an encouraging look back up at Harry when her friend started slipping on the heavy black cloak. Finally, buttoning it down the front, Harry swallowed nervously and asked.

“What’s next?”

This was the part that had thoroughly worried Hermione. Despite the months that she had taken to brew the poly juice, she still hadn’t come up with a single idea how to convincingly switch the replacement for Harry with many witnesses watching so that they would not investigate the corpse too thoroughly. Even though, she hadn’t discovered any weakness in the spells – despite numerous tests, she wasn’t willing to take chances with Harry’s life in the balance. Thankfully, from the glint in the professor’s eyes she suspected that he had come up with something, though Harry may not like whatever it was.

“Simply put, Harry. Summon a number of ale and firewhiskey tankards up here so the spell traces will be in your wand when they check, then make an ass of yourself. Climb up on the outer wall, stumble around a bit as though you’ve had a case to many fire whiskeys and seem to accidentally step off. Fawkes will be carrying the replica in your invisible cloak, and as soon as you step off, will drop it and flash with you to Spinner’s End. I will follow as quickly as I can.”

Hermione winced slightly. It was pretty dangerous as it was, but she hadn’t been able to think of anything better. When her oldest friend finally turned to her, and they stared at each other until Professor Snape finally broke their silent tearful goodbye.

“If this is to work, it must be done within moments, and we must not seem a party to it.”

Sighing, Hermione nodded and caught Harry’s cheek in her palm as she pressed a kiss to his forehead. After giving them a moment, the potions’ master caught her arm pulling her away. She barely noticed until she reached the door and the professor assured them in a soft voice, “as soon as this is over, you will see each other again. There is no need to waste time on maudlin sentimentality.”

Hermione nodded, but whether it was instinct or fear that told her she would never see him again – at least not like this- she didn’t know. She was only certain that she wouldn’t. Afraid to let it show in her eyes, Hermione forced an encouraging smile and waved weakly before she followed the professor out. The door softly closed behind them and she felt the wards settle in again as she took her first stuttering steps down the stairs.

By the time they reached the Great Hall, a crowd was already gathering by the window and people were gasping and shouting warnings at the figure stumbling around on the bulwarks. No one had noticed the group of impressively armed aurors and ministry personnel who had just shown up, but they were entirely focused on the wavering figure as well. Feeling the potions master stiffen beside her as he studied the new arrivals, Hermione pointed to the nearly hidden ‘leader’ at their center – though she suspected that he would have realized that the minister was the ‘freed fool” behind the latest danger. Even without looking, she could picture the eager expression that he was wearing as he watch Harry stumble repeatedly in seeming drunkenness.

She hadn’t expected to hear the professor’s sudden anxious intake of breath. But, instead of spotting someone in the new contingent that he recognized or disliked, the professor was staring up at the tower with clenched teeth, asking her quietly, “Where is Fawkes? Where is that blasted bird?”

The bird should have already been in the air, flying beside Harry, ready to catch him.

A suddenly sickening thought struck them both at once. What if they hadn’t convinced, Harry? What if he hadn’t trusted them? Hermione began to sway weakly, even as she heard the Headmistress urging, “Hurry Severus, Hurry. He’s on the roof of the Astronomy tower.”

As darkness closed around her, Hermione heard Luna Lovegood, among others, break out in a long heart wrenching scream. It was the first time that she could remember that Luna sounded completely normal. Funny that it would take something like this.


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