FicWad

In his career as a spy among the Death Eaters, Severus Snape had experienced horrors, but he now experienced the most frustrating week he had ever known. The Dark Lord consistently kept him separated from the group planning to attack the Ministry of Magic. He still had no idea exactly what they were planning, and as the days wore on he was afraid that his failure to learn details of the plan would necessitate only a general warning. Always cynical, he doubted that many Ministry Aurors were up to the challenge of being flexible in the face of a Death Eater attack. Even Rufus Scrimgeour, capable of being as ruthless as the Dark Lord, lacked what Snape believed was most important; what Muggles termed 'the ability to think outside the box.'

One bright spot, as the days went on, was Peter Pettigrew's increasing frustration at being relegated to the cellar. Since Snape had often brewed the most elaborate of potions, some taking far longer to finish than Polyjuice Potion, he enjoyed the little rat's growing misery at having to interrupt his sleep every few hours. Seeing the traitorous Marauder's beady eyes grow more bloodshot and resentful as the days went on warmed Snape's Slytherin heart. The pressure of knowing that the Dark Lord was directly overhead must add to the stress, and Snape had heard that once, while he was absent in Hogsmeade, Bellatrix had paid a visit to the cellars. The thought of her insane temper unleashed on Pettigrew was most pleasing.

Snape was forced to sleep several times at Riddle House. It was terrible, knowing that the Dark Lord did not trust him and that he would be vulnerable to attack in his sleep. He had chosen a small room in the attics, with only a sagging old wooden bed in it, and used every magical ward he could think of to protect himself from anyone attempting to gain entry. The Dark Lord was aware of this, he knew, and was amused by it. It was, after all, a thing that Lord Voldemort himself had always done.

His trips to Hogsmeade, allegedly to check on his followers and supplement their inadequate report, helped to keep him sane. Aberforth Dumbledore rarely spoke to him, but when he did speak it was to impart very valuable information. The taciturn barkeep heard of or saw almost everything that happened in the village. Snape now knew a major source of Albus Dumbledore's information regarding village affairs. Aberforth made a small room in the attic available only to Snape at all times. He knew when the spy was in residence, and magically supplied regular meals to him. Since Snape never ate while he was at Riddle House, the man's thoughtfulness helped to keep him physically strong.

One might imagine, Snape thought cynically, that his trusty spies would discover that he sometimes stayed in the same place that they had set up residence, but that was not the case. It was fortunate that Amycus and Alecto feared him, because it was the only thing that kept them focused on their pathetic efforts at spying. His appearances at random times found them sometimes dead drunk, sometimes sober, but unendingly stupid. They always jumped to anxious attention, however, and when he made suggestions, they followed them, at least for a short time. After one particularly revolting visit, he wondered idly if he could convince them that the Dark Lord was really Harry Potter, disguised by Polyjuice. They could attack their leader and be dispatched with no fuss and bother on his part. Then the fact that he could consider such outrageous absurdities made him question his own sanity.

After seven or eight days of traveling between Hogsmeade and Riddle House, the Dark Lord finally called Snape to his presence.

"Good evening, Severus," Lord Voldemort said pleasantly. "It seems that you have been kept busy lately. What have you accomplished of late?" The red eyes bored into Snape's expressionless eyes, searching for a reason to doubt the man's loyalty.

"I am forced to spend a great deal of time in Hogsmeade, repairing the deficiencies in my associates' reports," replied Snape coldly.

"Are you dissatisfied with the team I have given you?

Snape saw that something had enraged the Dark Lord, and he was looking for an excuse to vent his displeasure on him. Now he must not stray too far into obsequiousness or independence. "Not at all," he replied carefully. "I believe it is a wise leader who knows the weaknesses as well as the strengths of his subordinates. Since we both know that Alecto and Amycus lack some of the skills necessary for this job, it falls to me to supply what is lacking in their report. Their work is still valuable. They are aware of some movements that I have not seen, and pick up useful information at times when I am not in Hogsmeade."

Lord Voldemort smiled thinly. "Your skill at diplomacy impresses me, Severus. Have you seen anything unusual occurring in Hogsmeade?"

"According to several sources, there was talk of closing Hogwarts immediately after Dumbledore's death," Snape said slowly. "However, Minerva McGonagall was recently appointed permanent Headmistress by the Ministry, and she has announced that the school will open as usual on September first. Whether many students will actually return remains to be seen."

The Dark Lord threw back his head and laughed madly. "The loyal Professor McGonagall, carrying out her duty to the last. I look forward to killing the pathetic old fool myself, when we take Hogwarts."

Snape maintained his calm demeanor. "The Aurors show an increasing presence in the village. I am slightly surprised that they have not discovered Amycus and Alecto yet. I believe Rufus Scrimgeour is watching Hogwarts closely, but I am at a loss to imagine what more he thinks will happen there." He paused and looked intently at Lord Voldemort. "Now that Dumbledore is dead, is there some reason for him to believe that you are still interested in the school?"

The Dark Lord met his stare boldly. "Perhaps he is still concerned about the welfare of Harry Potter. I have not forgotten the cursed boy, but once we have taken control of the government, there will be no place left for him to hide."

Snape nodded silently. The Death Eaters frequently heard the Dark Lord rant about Harry Potter, but in this case, the boy had been dragged into the discussion as an evasive maneuver, and he wondered why.

"The Polyjuice Potion is coming along very well," Snape mentioned offhandedly. "I had some doubts about Pettigrew's ability to do the job, but I am pleased to see that he is competent."

"He brewed the potion that restored me to my body," hissed Voldemort. "Do not doubt his abilities."

"An impressive accomplishment, and undoubtedly his greatest triumph," Snape murmured. "Yet brewing a potion over the course of one month is not easy, and he has surprised me with his ability to focus."

"Can it be that you have threatened him with bodily harm?" the madman asked lightly.

Snape permitted a faint, icy smile to touch his lips.

"As time goes on, I see something of myself in you," Lord Voldemort remarked.

"Really, Master," replied Snape softly. "You flatter me, I believe."

"Of course, in your position, I would quite likely be plotting to overthrow my master, so I believe I must not be too complacent in your company."

There were suddenly dangers everywhere. Snape allowed the silence to build before he said slowly, "I have never felt the desire to overthrow you, Master, or to rule others."

"I wonder if that is true," replied Lord Voldemort icily. "I have seen you command my poor Wormtail very effectively."

"I will not tolerate disrespect from an inferior," he snapped, and his black eyes were hard and cold. "I will use such creatures in service to your cause, but I am well aware of their worth."

"Very well, Severus," said the Dark Lord. "I find your candor refreshing. But we must go now, so that you may meet the giants that we shall use to take Hogwarts."

Snape nodded, feeling slightly surprised. He had not thought that he would be in contact with giants this soon. Ready or not, this must be one of the Dark Lord's tests of his loyalty and courage. "Where shall we be going?"

"The last of the giants live isolated in the Ural Mountains. We shall do Side-Along Apparition. The Gurg's name is Golgomath. He understands English fairly well, but his speech is unintelligible. I understand him through Legilimency." Lord Voldemort watched closely to see his reaction.

Severus allowed his eyes to widen slightly in surprise, but wisely said nothing, knowing there would be more.

"I hope that you have some rudimentary ability at Legilimency, Severus. Few wizards have any aptitude for it."

"My Lord, none can hope to approach your skill. Is there some other way to communicate with the creatures?" asked Snape, carefully allowing a faint, anxious note to creep into his voice.

"That is what we are about to see," the Dark Lord murmured gleefully. He had not seen fear or hesitation since Snape's return after killing Dumbledore, and this would indeed test the wizard's mettle. "If you are ready, Severus."

He held out a bony arm, and Severus carefully repressed his revulsion at being forced to touch him. The familiar feeling of Apparition took them before Snape was fully prepared.

Their destination was cold, remote and rocky. At first there seemed to be nothing living in sight, except Lord Voldemort, if you could call him alive, thought Snape. The sky was overcast and the light was rather dim, for summer. They stood in a small, bowl-shaped valley surrounded by rough mountains. He watched as Lord Voldemort strode to the center of the bowl, raised his wand skyward and shot the Dark Mark up into the sky over the valley. When several huge heads appeared in cave entrances, Snape walked deliberately to stand near the Dark Lord. He knew that giants were tough, and resistant to many spells, and ran over, in his mind, the likeliest ways he could think of to defend himself.

A roar came from one of the peaks and was echoed by many other voices. Snape had never actually seen a pure, full-grown giant before this, and had vaguely pictured the creatures he had studied in books, but only slightly larger than Hagrid. He was aware that Voldemort was watching his reaction, and worked desperately to control his features, but he was stunned by the enormity of them. The rock walls reverberated with their deep, coarse voices as they clambered down from their homes in the mountain peaks, and it took almost half an hour for them all to arrive in front of the Dark Lord.

Snape counted and saw fifteen of them. They ranged between nineteen and twenty-five feet tall, and any of them could crush him under foot like an insect. Their huge, dull eyes lacked human intelligence, and despair at finding a way to communicate with them grew in his mind. Involuntarily he crossed his arms across his chest, but realized that such a pose denoted weakness. But as he lowered his hands, he felt his leather jacket pocket and remembered his Muggle pistol. Bullets might not do much damage, but one well-placed shot through a giant's eye, followed by speedy Apparating, would at least save his life. Explaining to the Dark Lord would be another problem, but he now felt more confident about his short-term survival prospects.

The largest and least human-looking giant knelt clumsily before Lord Voldemort and growled unintelligibly.

"Rise, Golgomath, thou mighty Gurg," proclaimed the Dark Lord. "I come to present my loyal lieutenant, Severus Snape, to you. He shall direct you in the battle that is to come."

Privately, Snape felt that a little less pomposity and more words of one syllable were called for, but he was not in charge. He waited impassively as the Gurg and at least several other giants who had understood, looked him over. Their body movements seemed to indicate doubt of his fitness, and he glared coolly from one to the other, as though doubting their abilities. Rather than calling the Dark Lord's attention to his Legilimency, he simply observed the giants closely.

Abruptly, one of the less prominent giants turned around, picked up a boulder the size of a small house and hurled it furiously at Snape. Instinctively he blasted it with a spell, sending pointy shards of stone in all directions. Several hit other giants, causing cuts to open up. One slashed open the Gurg's massive forehead, causing him to rub irritably and smear blood all over his face.

Voldemort laughed gleefully as several other giants picked up boulders and began throwing them at Severus, forcing him to defend himself. As he blasted boulders, stone chips flew in all directions. Oddly enough this seemed to amuse the giants, but when a boulder came at him too quickly, Snape was forced to Apparate to a spot behind them, to avoid being crushed. This made the giants howl in confusion, and it seemed that Snape, who had been popular when destroying the flying boulders, was now seen as a cheat for disappearing as their target.

Looking quickly around, Snape found what he needed, a massive boulder, five times the size of the giants' playthings. He Levitated it into the air above their heads, and slowly lowered it to the ground he had been standing on in the center of the bowl-shaped valley.

One after the other, the giants tried and failed to lift it. Only the Gurg could even shift it on the ground, but suddenly he realized it could be put to better use and sat his bottom on the boulder. Obviously it was his newest throne. The giants all looked at Snape, who was standing quietly off to the side, and approving murmurs filled the air.

"Interesting, Severus," the Dark Lord said with a cynical laugh. "I enjoyed watching you perform giant sports. Obviously, it does not take much to impress them."

"I have never seen giants before, Master. They are most impressive. But can they be controlled?"

"Only by the Gurg. Of course he may have to kill one in order to get the attention of the others," replied Voldemort, his red eyes gleaming with mad delight.

"Fascinating," Snape replied levelly. He saw movements up in the peaks and realized that there were others up there, watching from the caves. "How many of them are here?"

"I believe about eighty," came the careless reply. "The majority will not be useful to my cause."

"My Lord, this group seems more than adequate. They could probably dismantle London in a few days," muttered Snape. "I hope something will be left of the school when they are finished."

"Why, Severus, are you already possessive of your future position? You shall have quite enough school left to rule over, my loyal servant."

While Snape concentrated on the Dark Lord's statement, a giant standing behind him had picked up another boulder, perhaps not realizing that the game had ended. He threw it toward the clever little black man, hoping to see him smash it, but instead it sideswiped the tiny wizard, who crumpled soundlessly to the ground.

The giants who had seen it happen immediately clustered around the fallen wizard and his inadvertent attacker poked curiously at him with a massive finger.

Lord Voldemort stepped back and stood by the side of the Gurg, with a wicked smile on his face. "I should have mentioned to my servant that your people are strong and unpredictable," he murmured. He looked forward to seeing how Snape would deal with this situation, always assuming that his head had not been crushed by the rock, he thought dispassionately.

Snape was first conscious of acute agony and sensed danger all around. Without opening his eyes he tried to figure out what had happened. In tensing the muscles in his left arm, his body spasmed dreadfully and he realized that broken bones were involved. Radius and ulna, definitely. He tried to move his head slightly and realized that his collarbone was broken too. The high, cold sound of the Dark Lord's laughter rang through the air. Although he would have preferred to stay unconscious, he knew he must deal with whatever was happening to him. Reluctantly, he forced his eyes open.

Giants! Memory returned, and he realized that he must have been dealt a glancing blow in their primitive game. They seemed curious, rather than aggressive, he thought, although that did not lessen the danger. "/Accio wand/!" he whispered, holding up his right hand slightly to receive it. His wand came immediately to him. He felt his collarbone, checking for the proper alignment, and then murmured the incantation to repair it. Immediately his head was clearer and he felt less helpless.

Still standing back, Voldemort watched as Snape claimed his wand and began to heal himself. The younger wizard was economical in his use of energy. His movements were subtle, making it difficult to see his intentions unless one already had an idea. Each time he interacted with Snape he was more pleased that the man had chosen to follow him, yet still uneasy.

Snape, meanwhile, had the agonizing task of laying his arm out straight so he could heal the multiple fractures properly. It took four tries, and the first three ended in failure when he collapsed onto his back, gasping. He found himself drifting on the edge of consciousness and realized he had nearly Apparated away, back to Zelda. He wanted her badly. But if he did not complete what he now knew was another test, his position would be severely weakened. Furthermore, he had resolved never to think of her in the Dark Lord's company, so he banished his longing for comfort and endeavored to set his arm straight once again.

This time the bones settled fairly easily into the proper conformation. With a faint sigh of relief, Severus quickly healed his broken arm. He felt shaky and ill, but he climbed to his feet, resumed his impassive expression and presented himself before the Dark Lord.

"Well, Severus," the red-eyed madman said jovially, "I see you are learning the rules of giant games."

"The only rule that matters seems to be /Do not lose/, I believe," Snape replied coolly. What must we accomplish here, Master?"

"It seems that we have accomplished the most important task, which is to give you an introduction into the world of our allies," Voldemort replied. "We shall return again immediately before the battle day. You shall assist me in transporting them to Hogsmeade."

Snape allowed a hint of eagerness to appear in response to hearing that they would depart. He did not wish to appear interested in the fate of the giants, and actually, would not feel safe until he was away. His bones were healed, but his damaged muscles were extremely painful and he did not wish to be a victim of their giant game again.

"I am appointed to meet with Bellatrix shortly, so I, at least, must leave. Will you stay to become better acquainted with our allies?" he asked nastily.

"I have other duties to perform, Master. There are many things I have yet to learn, so I must also leave our, ah... allies, for now." Snape found it easy to assume an expression of distaste.

"I shall leave you now, Severus, but I hope to see you in the course of the next few days." The Dark Lord said. Without waiting for a response he Disapparated.

Snape sketched a brief salute to his gigantic playmates. They all looked to feel reasonably positive about him, Merlin only knew why, and he Disapparated immediately to the Shrieking Shack.

It was the early hours of the morning there. He always stopped here, or in Hogsmeade before Apparating to Zelda, based on a subtle fear of going directly to her from the Dark Lord's presence. He was aching and filthy, but forced himself to trudge once more to the Hog's Head.

Aberforth Dumbledore seemed never to sleep. Faint light came from his tiny office in the back, and when the black-cloaked figure approached, he opened the door and beckoned Snape inside. Then he waited in silence while Snape sat gingerly down.

"I saw the giants tonight, and the Dark Lord plans to bring them first to Hogsmeade," Snape whispered bluntly. "I shall get word to the Order through the Headmistress, who is working on the threat. But you should also know."

Aberforth nodded. "Rough night? You look done for," he muttered. "Your fools upstairs're dead drunk again. When you get their report, I'll tell you what they missed."

"Thank you. I shall be away for two days, although the Dark Lord will believe I am in Hogsmeade during most of that time. Please watch carefully. I must now begin weaving the threads of information together, and the pattern must be as complete as possible." He cautiously rubbed the damaged muscles in his shoulder, feeling weary and hopeless.

Aberforth rose and placed a hand lightly on Snape's uninjured shoulder. "It's good work you're doin', Severus Snape. Keep your chin up. Albus'd be proud of you," he said in his hoarse, hesitant voice.

The exhausted spy fought to keep burning tears from his black eyes. Never had he expected assistance, much less kindness from this taciturn old man. It was as though Albus Dumbledore had personally bestowed on him this gift of an ally, when he needed one so desperately. When he had mastered his voice, he rose and said, "Thank you. Without your help this would be impossible."

They parted from each other in silence. But moments after the door had closed behind him, Severus looked back once more, oddly comforted by the small light shining from the grimy office of the Hog's Head.