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Snape sat down in a ratty armchair with his long legs stretched out before him. There would be eyes on him every moment in this house, so he must stay in character. The task assigned him by the Dark Lord was dreadful and fascinating. With so little support, it seemed he was expected to fail, and he knew that failure would mean his death. He must find a plan that would keep the wretched Pettigrew away from him. The others were biddable; he would deal with them easily. A vision of giants and Inferi attacking Hogwarts threatened to shake his control, but coldly he collected himself.

A dusty sound on the floor alerted him to the entrance of Nagini. The huge serpent slithered around the room and circled his chair before sliding through a hole in the wall. Snape inhaled deeply, leaned his head back and closed his eyes, giving himself over to thought. He remained in that position for twenty minutes. He rose then and went back to the main room, to discover what had occurred in his absence.

Bellatrix was on her feet when Snape entered the drawing room, seeming as composed as a madwoman could be. Her large eyes were glittering with excitement as she turned to him, but she managed to control herself and, wisely, did not speak.

All eyes turned to him upon his entrance. Snape ignored all of them and addressed Voldemort. "Have you chosen a precise day?" he asked calmly.

"I have not," Voldemort replied. "I wished to see if my servants are able to accomplish it."

"It can be done," Snape said, "but I shall need a large quantity of a potion that will take one month to brew."

"Explain yourself," Voldemort replied, looking intrigued.

"It is simple," replied Snape, "I shall use Polyjuice Potion to allow my associates access to Hogwarts. They will be deep inside the school before anyone is aware of it, and then we shall allow the giants and the Inferi access. I believe that Hogwarts will fall into your hands quite easily. There will be much to study and prepare," he said calmly, "but with such talented associates I have no doubt that we shall prevail."

"Impressive, Severus," Voldemort said coldly. "I would ask how you will collect pieces of legitimate Hogwarts teachers, but I am more interested in results than in petty details. I shall offer what assistance you need, you have but to ask it, but this is your operation and yours will be the glory or the shame."

"My Lord, I am grateful," Snape murmured respectfully. I shall, of course, maintain frequent communication with you."

At that, the Death Eaters began to mutter slightly. It angered them to see Snape walk in and so easily regain their master's favor. "Why should the Dark Lord not simply summon you, Snape?" Pettigrew asked querulously.

"It is not for you to question," Voldemort murmured gently, "but perhaps Bellatrix is able to answer you." He turned his red eyes to the witch, who had stood frozen while Snape had outlined his plan.

Bellatrix's eyes widened in shock as she realized what this might mean. Could it be that Snape was here, serving the Dark Lord without the Dark Mark? "But has he not been marked again?" she asked stupidly.

An icy sneer crossed Voldemort's white face, making his eyes glow like flames. "How dare you remove what I have placed upon one of my followers!" he hissed, and pointing his wand, he blasted her onto her back on the floor. She lay there dazed, trying to grasp what had occurred.

"Master! Forgive me, Master, I was mad!" she shrieked, spittle flying from her mouth. "Mark him again today and I will never go against your wishes again."

A cruel smile appeared upon the terrible face. "Bella, you have done me a service. You have shown me which of you I am able to trust. Severus Snape returned to me of his own will, without the Dark Mark to summon him. He needs no reminder of who his master is. He has grown beyond needing the Mark, and serves me freely."

The Death Eaters began to mutter again, they had not imagined such a thing, but Snape had always held himself high. Perhaps he was indeed worthy of Lord Voldemort's esteem. Bellatrix seemed poised for another outburst, but after glancing into the flaming red eyes, she subsided, after shooting one glare of pure loathing at Snape.

Snape stood impassive as the scene unfolded. He saw that none would dare question the Dark Lord's decision regarding the Dark Mark, and decided it was time. "My Lord, I would like to meet now with my associates, so we may begin. There is much to be done and we have a very short time for our plans to be accomplished. With your permission..." he murmured deferentially.

"Go now, Snape, take them with you. We shall speak again very soon," Voldemort said graciously, watching Bellatrix's face as her eyes bulged in anger.

Snape nodded respectfully. "Amycus and Alecto, follow me," he said decisively. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw a look of deep relief pass over Pettigrew's face and it amused him to say casually, "And let me not forget Wormtail."

Pettigrew's look of revulsion amused him. He must, however, remember never to let his guard down with the repulsive Animagus. It was easy to despise him, but he was a competent wizard, and also very sly.

He led his vile little group across the hall into the unused dining room, and sat down at the head of the dusty table, using his wand to clear the filth from his chair. He motioned to the others to sit, and they stared expectantly at him in silence.

"I regret having mentioned one vital piece of my plan before the whole group," he began. "The Polyjuice Potion will be essential to the success of this mission, and I do not trust anyone but the Dark Lord. You will not speak of anything that we are doing to any of the others. There is likely a spy somewhere close to us, and we would do well not to make ourselves vulnerable."

The three nodded stupidly. Whatever they thought would happen this night, he was sure that none of them expected to be placed under his command. This was the time to enforce their obedience. He conjured a piece of parchment and a quill and began to write. When he had finished, he passed his work to Alecto, who stared blankly at it. He saw her response, and without another word he snatched the parchment back from her and thrust it at Pettigrew.

"It seems that there is only one here besides myself capable of brewing potions, and since we shall all be swallowing it, I must insist that it be done correctly. Rodent, you shall acquire the ingredients and begin to brew the Polyjuice Potion." At the sight of Pettigrew's shocked face, he continued icily, "As you will see, it needs a full month to be completed, and it must be done precisely. Have you any questions?"

"Why don't you brew the stuff?" Pettigrew squeaked hastily. He had been told to watch Snape at all times, and if he were trapped tending a cauldron of potion for a month, his opportunity would be limited.

Snape stared at him, his lip curling in disgust. "Need I remind you who is in charge?" he said silkily. "Perhaps I should order you to deal with the Inferi and the giants instead?"

The three glanced back and forth. When it was laid out in that manner, making potion and staying in the background seemed more attractive. "All right, I'll make the potion," Pettigrew growled sullenly.

"Are you capable of doing it right?" Snape asked sardonically.

"Of course I am!" Pettigrew huffed. "You forget who you're speaking to."

Snape held his gaze for a moment, wand raised, and whispered, "I never forget who I am speaking to, Pettigrew."

The small wizard's eyes dropped, and he said, "I'll get it right."

"Excellent," Snape replied. "Now, I shall be asking our two associates to spend some time in Hogsmeade and the area surrounding Hogwarts. It is unlikely that the Ministry will leave the place unguarded, so I will require weekly reports, in writing, that detail every person or creature that you see, as well as their usual movements."

The two lumpish morons nodded seriously. They were not much for writing, being virtually illiterate, so Snape knew this would be a serious challenge for them.

"I shall be sharing your reports with the Dark Lord, so I shall expect accuracy and detail," he said coldly.

"What will you be doing?" Pettigrew asked suspiciously.

"I shall coordinate our plan for Hogwarts with the overthrow of the Ministry, consult with the Dark Lord and learn the ways of managing giants and Inferi," Snape replied, allowing an irritable note to creep into his voice. "How long will it take you to begin the Polyjuice Potion?"

"You seem to want a huge quantity, so I'll probably need at least a day to collect the ingredients," Pettigrew whined.

"Fine, I shall leave you to it, and check that you have started it correctly in three days. I believe it will be best for you to brew it in the cellars here. You may go, rodent," Snape said coldly.

Amycus and Alecto," he continued, watching the sullen Pettigrew slink from the room. "Do you understand what you are to do? You must be cautious, be thorough, and know that if you are caught you will not be rescued."

The pair nodded. They got nervous with all the talk of potion-making, but Snape's clear, simple instructions gave them confidence.

"We watch, we write down everybody who's there, and what they do every day," Amycus wheezed.

"Precisely," Snape said. "I shall meet you here at Riddle House exactly one week from now, and we shall see how you have done. Have you any questions before you go?"

Alecto's vacant eyes widened, "Did Bellatrix really take away your Dark Mark?" she giggled foolishly.

Snape nodded, a cold smirk crossing his rigid mouth.

The pair stared in shock at him, and he grew weary of them. "If that is all, you may go. I shall see you in one week," he said, rising from his chair and staring at the door.

He watched them leave, then sank back into his chair, wishing he could leave so easily. His mind craved to relax, and he almost began to think of the past days at Hogwarts, but he stopped himself, and fell to working on his plan. He became aware of the night passing. It was shortly before dawn that Voldemort entered the dining room to find Snape sitting still, his face expressionless.

"Sleeping, Severus?" the cold voice hissed.

"Merely ordering my thoughts,'" Snape replied, gauging the Dark Lord's mood carefully. "I shall need instruction from you regarding how to deal with the giants and where to find them. Also, closer to the day of battle, I must learn how to use your Inferi."

"All shall be given at the proper time," Voldemort replied. "You seem to have no doubt about your ability to perform this task."

"As you said yourself, my Lord, it should be a fairly straightforward undertaking. I have sent Amycus and Alecto to begin surveillance of the area around the school and Hogsmeade. Hogwarts is almost entirely empty during the summer months. I believe it will be a simple matter to learn who is there and to devise ways to render our enemies helpless." Snape paused, and then continued, "I have set Pettigrew to collect the ingredients for Polyjuice Potion. If the Ministry group will have need of it, simply say the word and we shall prepare a larger batch."

"You should direct your suggestion to Bellatrix," Voldemort said, his red eyes gleaming.

"My Lord, I wish this job to be accomplished efficiently," Snape said coldly. "Also, it seems that though Bellatrix is nominally in charge of the Ministry group, that you are personally... involved, shall we say, in managing it."

"I wonder if you are too quick for your own good," Voldemort proclaimed in a jovial voice. "In fact, Bella is not accustomed to leading a group, so I plan to supervise her closely. It strikes me that you already have a plan in mind, Snape."

"I shall be coming to you for advice as needed," Snape murmured smoothly, "however, I do not wish to waste your valuable time on tasks that I am capable of accomplishing. Have you given any thought to where you will be at the moment of our attack?"

Voldemort smiled horribly. "Much too quick for your own good," he muttered. "In fact, I wish to enter Hogwarts as quickly as possible, so I shall be with you."

"Very good, my Lord," Snape replied steadily, having expected this. "I have instructed Amycus and Alecto to meet with me here, exactly one week from now, with their first report from the Hogwarts area. I shall check on Pettigrew's progress in three days. In the meantime..."

"In the meantime you will be watching them for signs of treachery," Voldemort said icily. "It is what I would do."

Snape nodded. "I believe there must be a spy somewhere. I have no indication and no proof, but it is a logical conclusion to draw."

"It was widely believed that you were that spy," said Voldemort.

"I have been aware of it for some time," Snape replied. "In fact, I wondered if you believed it."

Voldemort threw back his head and laughed horribly. "I do not trust anyone, Severus, however, you are efficient and clever. I believe we will accomplish what we set out to do, and if you are not completely loyal to me, I believe you are aware of your fate."

Snape nodded coldly. He had seen what happened to those who were proven disloyal.

"Good. Now, I believe that I shall order Wormtail to double the batch of Polyjuice Potion," the Dark Lord said thoughtfully. "Entering the Ministry of Magic will require every advantage possible."

"Will you require my presence before three days from now?" Snape asked in a deferential manner.

Voldemort looked piercingly into Snape's eyes. He saw nothing there but the desire to be alone to design their strategy for taking Hogwarts. Then he looked Snape over completely. "You look ridiculous in that Muggle clothing, Severus. I never thought to see you sink so low."

Snape smiled thinly. "Would you have me wear my Hogwarts robes? This clothing was the result of necessity, thanks to your beloved Bellatrix. However, none would expect to see me dressed in such a way, so I believe it serves me well."

"You may stay here at Riddle House, if you wish it," Voldemort offered casually.

Snape allowed a cynical gleam of amusement to be seen in his eyes. "At times I shall be here, of course, but I prefer not to be available to your loyal servants any longer than I must be. They all have a purpose to serve, but we will be most efficient if petty quarrels can be avoided."

"It is fortunate that you are loyal to me. I would not wish to discover you wishing to overthrow me and set yourself up in my place," Voldemort said lightly.

Snape gazed into the madman's eyes and said, "Even if I were worthy, I have no wish to set myself in your place, my Lord. I am more than content with the trust you have shown me."

"The dawn approaches, you may go now. I shall see you in three days time, Severus, and I hope that by then Bellatrix will have concocted a plan for the Ministry that is as impressive as yours looks to be."

Snape bowed slightly, and left the room. He was resigned to being attacked, as he had been the last time, but his last glimpse of the Dark Lord showed him a face avid with anticipation. It was rare to see him look so pleased and the sight chilled the wizard to the bone.