Disclaimer: This story is based on characters and situations created and owned by JK Rowling, various publishers including but not limited to Bloomsbury Books, Scholastic Books and Raincoast Books, and Warner Bros., Inc. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended.

"Standing Stones" (8/?)
by Christine Anderson
aka Lilly Malfoy

"So," Dumbledore said quietly in the Great Hall next morning. "I see Severus has departed again."

We were the only ones in the Hall, sitting up at the staff table. Meals for the staff were taken whenever they could be snatched between classes and strategy sessions, and though it was quite early, the others were already awake and quite busy.

"Yes. I asked him to- I'm sorry we couldn't wait, but we stumbled onto something that wasn't going to keep."

"Oh?"

I glanced about to make certain we were alone. "Young Barty Crouch has a Dark Mark."

Dumbledore's eyebrows shot up. "Then he is the one-"

"Well... Yes and no, Albus. We're certain now that he is one of the leaks. But not the leak. There are things he could not have known."

"I see." Dumbledore nodded and took a sip of his tea. "Go on."

And so I explained why Severus had gone, what he was doing.

"I don't know exactly what he's told them- I will have to find that out when he gets back, I suppose, and trust his judgment in the meantime. But at any rate, I thought you ought to know."

"Thank you," Dumbledore said. "And the boy?"

"I'm going to check the dormitories in a bit, but I believe he's gone already."

He had, I discovered later, done just that. I was fairly certain Severus had gotten to the others first, but it was still a bit of a nerve-wracking day.

---

It ended, that day, in Dumbledore's office, where we were filling Alastor Moody in on what had happened.

"I wish it hadn't come to this," I said. "I-"

"-Wanted to fight them without becoming them," said a familiar voice from the doorway.

"Severus!" Relief flooded through me, and though I tried to maintain my dignity with Moody and Dumbledore observing, Severus walked towards me as if we were alone, and placed a hand on my shoulder. And suddenly I didn't care who was there, who was watching- before these two at least I could be myself, so I turned and kissed Severus's cheek.

If the goodbyes were frequent and always painful, there was with each return a little spark of light that kindled in my heart; Joy to see him again, because I never knew for certain whether I would or no.

I saw a small smile flicker across his face. It was enough.

"You did, didn't you?" he asked then, all trace of the smile gone.

"Yes," I said. "But if we can stop them- I will worry later about what I've become in the process."

"While the rest of us only worry over what you're doing now," he replied. Severus turned to Dumbledore. "She has told you what she's up to this time, yes?"

"A summary only, Severus. I happen to think it a good plan, myself."

"Good or bad's not the point of it, though," Moody pointed out. "Or at least it's not his point. It makes sense, it has a good chance of working, and if she's determined to do this, there's nobody I'd trust at her back more than the lot of us. Especially him." He jerked his head towards Severus. "Yeah. I'll tell you something, though, boy- Your objection to this, it's not rational at all. It's not that it's a half-brained plan, it's not that she's lost her mind. It's that you want to protect her, and you can't."

"Your point?" Severus asked, a little coolly.

Oh, lovely... I thought sarcastically. Usually Moody and Severus got on fairly well- they shared a certain, slightly off, sense of humor- but when they clashed, well- things got rather interesting.

"My point is that it's none of my business how you screw up in your personal life-"

"What?" Severus cut him off.

Moody ignored this, and carried on. "-but while you're busy with that, you're also distracted on the job, and we need you thinking, thinking clearly. So I'm telling you- you sort this out, you do it now, and you get your mind back where it belongs. Keep worrying about her, you're gonna get yourself killed."

I decided it was time to intervene. "Speaking of. Severus, did you-?"

"Yes. I spoke to Lucius and the others last night. Lucius is passing it on to Voldemort."

"What exactly did you tell them, Severus?" I asked. I couldn't help being a little concerned, really- I knew as well as he did just how dangerous our old school chums had grown up to be.

"That you had come over to 'our' side willingly," Severus said. I breathed a sigh of relief. If this was the game I'd chosen to play, I would rather not have had to undergo the Imperius curse, or even pretend to it. "Barty Crouch didn't show up until early this morning, ranting on about Gryffindors and traitors- No one took him seriously."

"Lucius?" I asked. He was Voldemort's second, and thus the one we were going to have to absolutely convince if we wanted to fool Voldemort.

Severus smiled. "When I left he was telling off Goyle for bringing such an idiot into the fold."

"Goyle brought him in?" I couldn't help but gasp.

Severus nodded. "Friend of Crouch's cousin, or some such- thought the boy might be useful to the dark side."

"Might've been, if he wasn't such a damned fool," Moody growled. "We caught a break there."

"Why," I asked under my breath, "am I less than thrilled by that?" I sighed and raised my voice. "Severus- how are the others taking it?"

"They are- well, ecstatic is probably too mild a term. Dora LeStrange is beside herself. You know what she thinks of Narcissa, and she asked me to tell you she'll be glad to have another woman with some sense around."

I buried my face in my hands. Dora was looking forward to having me around. And suddenly it was real, more real than it had ever been. What I had done, what I was now going to have to do. "Merlin's ghost...I don't know if I can do this."

"I never worried that you couldn't," Severus said in that same cool voice, but I felt his hand tighten upon my shoulder. "I only worried that you shouldn't. So. How's Crouch?"

I scowled. "Idiot boy. Showing his Dark Mark off to half the Slytherin common room-"

"Not good," said Moody. "Stupid git's going to get himself caught before he can lead us to your real problem." I raised an eyebrow. "Yeah, I know it sure as hell isn't him, at least not just him."

"How would you like to handle this, Alastor?" Dumbledore asked.

"What I'd like to do is find a way to make the brat talk," Moody said. "And I could do it- Crouch'll authorize just about anything these days, as long as we catch-"

And then it hit him. I had been thinking over it myself, and apparently Dumbledore and Severus had as well, for they were both nodding.

"Indeed," Dumbledore said.

"You don't suppose he'll try to get the boy off?" Severus asked.

Moody gave a harsh little bark of laughter. "You've got to be kidding. No, I've got the opposite worry, in fact. You know how he's been lately- Crouch Sr., I mean. Authorizing use of the Unforgivable Curses-"

"He's not," I gasped.

Moody nodded. "Sure is. He figures anything we can do at this point, any way we can catch them-"

I shuddered. "Lovely. Just lovely..."

"I think," Moody said thoughtfully, "for now we do nothing. We know where the boy is, you've got him pretty well in hand, and we can control what he hears and passes along to the Death Eaters. I don't like it, but it's better than the alternative by far."

"For now," Dumbledore put in. "Unfortunately this may not always be the case."

"Yeah," Moody growled. "'Course, we could all end up dead tomorrow, and then it's someone else's bloody problem, isn't it?" He sighed. "I'd feel better if we could turn him in, but as long as he can lead us to the bigger fish... Damn, I hate this."

"As do we all," Dumbledore said. "But we wait."

---

Severus and I were in his room, sitting quietly together before the fire- waiting, still, damnit, for the axe to fall- when suddenly his arms stiffened around me, and I saw his teeth sink into his lower lip, as if he were biting back a cry of pain-

"Severus?"

He stood bolt upright, and I caught his right arm to keep myself from falling as I stood with him.

Hands trembling, I reached for his sleeve, already knowing what I would find. The Dark Mark flared black, and at the very moment I uncovered it, a crow flew in through the open window and deposited a slender black envelope into Severus's hands. His name was written upon it in silver ink.

He opened it slowly, a look of intense distaste upon his face. One piece of paper- it seemed to be parchment, though it was black like the envelope- was inside. Severus unfolded it, and we saw a more of the same silver ink, words written in the same spidery hand.

A high-pitched, sibilant whisper filled the room. It spoke only two words, even as we read them upon the page.

"Bring her."

Below this, with great loops and flourishes, was the letter 'V'.

I looked at the note as if it had suddenly sprouted fangs. "What the devil-?"

"Whisperer," Severus said, seizing a handful of Floo powder and hurling it into the fireplace. "Longbottom!"

There was a pop, followed by the appearance of Frank Longbottom's head. "Severus? What can we-?"

"I need a word," Severus cut him off. "Bring Melyssa. Quickly."

A moment later, Frank and Melyssa had climbed out of the fireplace and stood beside us, examining the Whisperer.

"Moody's filled us in," Melyssa said. "Minerva, I-" She shook herself. "Never mind. No time, no time. Severus-"

Severus spun even as she was speaking, raced for his wardrobe, and threw open the door. "Bloody- Where is the thing? Accio!" He snapped, and a black mask dislodged itself from the back of the wardrobe and flew into his hands.

Melyssa was pacing around me, muttering to herself. "Cloak needs to be black- put your hair down..." My hands were still shaking; she caught them and squeezed them tightly. I saw Melyssa look down at my hands...

"You can't wear this," she said quietly, her eyes fixed upon the Gryffindor ring.

"I never take that off," I said, rather stupidly.

Severus made his way back to us then, two black cloaks draped over his arm. "I am touched," he said quietly, "but Melyssa is right. You can't-"

"If I hung it on a chain, wore it under my robes..."

He shook his head. "That may not be enough."

I jerked my hands out of Melyssa's grasp, and started pulling the pins from my hair. "Melyssa... Frank... Severus..."

My voice echoed oddly in the room; even the green flames in the fireplace seemed to have fallen silent. I realized suddenly that Frank and Melyssa were looking away from me. The only one who seemed to be able to meet my eyes was Severus.

"What are they going to do to me?" I asked him.

He sighed, draping the shorter of the cloaks he carried over my shoulders. As he fastened it at my throat he grasped my shoulders, ebony eyes gazing into mine, their expression almost tender. "Minerva," he said quietly, "listen to me. I would have kept you from this if I could. I would have that you never knew the things which you are about to learn. I saw you take your first steps onto this path, and knew that if I made any move to try and stop you, I would lose you. And I am selfish. So..." He sighed. "I am getting off track, and we haven't got that much time. You- You already know some of what you face tonight," he said quietly, and I knew he referred to the nights I had soothed him in the wake of his nightmares, or heard his confessions of wrongs he had been unable to right. "But for you there is worse to come, if you go with me now."

"I am going," I said, quietly but flatly.

"Somehow I knew you were going to say that. So. Now we come to it." His fingers tightened on my shoulders. "Do you trust me, Minerva?"

"Yes," I whispered. No hesitation, no second thoughts.

Severus sighed again; this time it seemed to be in relief. "Then know this: Tonight will be bad. It may be the worst thing you have ever seen, and I hope that you will never need endure anything worse. But whatever happens tonight, no matter the threats you hear or the ones that may be carried out- I will not allow serious harm to come to you. Know that. Know it, and believe it."

Not trusting my voice, I nodded. He smiled thinly, and brushed his lips across my forehead.

"I know," Severus said, "that you are Gryffindor enough to know that true courage is not the absence of fear, but the ability, the will, to go on in face of it. You will be alright."

I nodded again, more firmly this time. "That's my girl," I heard him whisper as he stepped back. Then Severus spoke aloud again, "Alright. Frank, you'll need to go to Dumbledore, tell him that we've gone." He threw his cloak on, and fastened it quickly.

Frank nodded quickly. "Consider it done." He looked us over. "Minerva, you still have a pin-"

"I've got it," said Melyssa, and she pulled the last pin from my hair.

I slipped the ring from my hand, and held it out to her. "Look after this for me, my friend."

Melyssa smiled and tucked the ring carefully into her pocket. "Promise." She glanced down at her watch. "Better get going. You kids take care of each other, right?"

I nodded, and offered my ring-less hand to Severus. He took it and tucked it into the crook of his arm.

"Cheers, you two," Frank said with a wave.

We swept from the room together, out into the night dark halls of Hogwarts, and the feel of Severus's arm oddly comforting.

As we rounded a corner, Severus brushed the hair back from my face with his free hand. "I haven't seen you with your hair down in far too long."

I was already settling into the mode I would follow that night, and so I said teasingly, "That's not quite true, now is it?"

Severus flushed. "Why, you-"

We were interrupted then by a voice, suspicious and sharp. "What's that? Who's there?"

Filch. Severus and I traded looks, but before either of us could speak, Filch had turned the corner and stood before us. "Students out of bed again, my sweet," he was saying to his hateful cat, Mrs. Norris, "but we've got them now. Oh, we've got them now..."

"Oh, for the love of- Filch, you imbecile, it's us," I heard myself snap out.

Filch's head whipped to the side, his overlarge eyes glaring at me. "What the devil are you two-?"

"Ah, ah, ah." Severus shook a finger at him. "You really don't wish to test my patience tonight, Argus. Off with you. Now."

Filch, however, was looking as if he were determined to catch someone at something tonight, and it was just too bad that the only people he'd yet run into were us.

"What are you-?" Filch started to ask again.

I sighed. We did not have time for this...

"Argus," I said quietly, "look this way a moment, would you?" Those lamp-like eyes shot back to me. "Excellent. Thank you." I drew my wand, aimed it at him- "Stupefy!"

Filch hit the floor with a very solid sort of thud. Mrs. Norris laid back her ears and hissed at me. I flicked my wand threateningly in response. "Don't even think about it," I warned her.

She hissed again.

"Ignore her," Severus said. I nodded, and we were walking around the cat and the caretaker's prone form when Mrs. Norris made a lunge at my ankles.

"I don't bloody think so," Severus said, and in the next moment he had Stunned the cat.

I couldn't help but laugh out loud. "Severus-" I said between gasps of breath. "Merlin's ghost... I have always wanted to do that."

"Really?" he asked, putting away his wand. "So have I."

And for just a moment, as we continued on into the entrance hall, and then out of the castle altogether, it was alright. It did not matter for where we were bound, only that Filch had finally got what he'd had coming to him.

I imagined the others' reactions next morning, when someone found him, threw back my head, and laughed.

Gryffindor, I thought, courage... he's right. You know it, you know what it is...

Courage or none changed little what I faced, and even the little I knew of it told me courage wasn't going to be enough.

I had become granite for the others at Hogwarts, steel and anchor for Severus. To Voldemort and the Death Eaters I would have to become something else, I knew yet not what.

But the mask tucked into the cloak of the man who walked beside me gave a clue.

I, too, would have to don a mask of sorts, and quite similar it would be to those Severus wore to hide the truth from the dark one who thought himself lord and master.

Arm in arm we stepped out into the night, and went to meet him.