Keeping a Promise

Chapter 27

Draco's POV

Professor McGonagall marched towards the door, and as she did so she raised her wand. From the tip burst three silvercats with spectacle markings around their eyes. The Patronuses ran sleekly ahead, filling the spiral staircase with silvery lights, as we all hurried down. Along the corridors we raced, and one by one the Patronuses left them; Professor McGonagall'startan dressing gown rustled over the floor as we followed her, and Harry and Luna jogged behind us under the Cloak. We had descended two more floors when another set of quiet footsteps joined ours. McGonagall, too, seemed to become aware of  the other person. 

She halted,raised her wand ready to duel, and said, "Who's there?"

"It is I," said a low voice. 

From behind a suit of armor stepped Snape. 

"Where are the Carrows?" he asked quietly. 

"Wherever you told them to be, I expect, Severus," said McGonagall. 

Snape stepped nearer, and his eyes flitted over Professor McGonagall into the air around her, as if heknew that Harry was there. 

 "I was under the impression," said Snape, "that Alecto had apprehended an intruder."

 "Really?" said Professor McGonagall. "And what gave you that impression?"

Snape made a slight flexing movement of his left arm, where the Dark Mark was branded into hisskin. 

"Oh, but naturally," said Professor McGonagall. "You Death Eaters have your own private means ofcommunication, I forgot."

Snape pretended not to have heard her. His eyes were still probing the air all about her and he wasmoving gradually closer, with an air of hardly noticing what he was doing. 

"I did not know that it was your night to patrol the corridors, Minerva, or are you simply showing our new comers around our great school?" 

"You have some objection?"

"I wonder what could have brought you out of your bed at this late hour?"

"I thought I heard a disturbance," said Professor McGonagall. 

"Really? But all seems calm." Snape looked into her eyes. "Have you seen Harry Potter, Minerva? Because if you have, I must insist -"

Professor McGonagall moved faster than I could see: her wand slashed through theair and for a split second Harry thought that Snape must crumple, unconscious, but the swiftness of hisShield Charm was such that McGonagall was thrown off balance. She brandished her wand at a torch onthe wall and it flew out of its bracket. Then it was no longer fire, but a great, black serpent that McGonagall blasted to smoke, which reformed and solidified in seconds to become a swarm of pursuing daggers: Snape avoided them only byforcing the suit of armor in front of him, and with echoing clangs the daggers sank, one after another,into the scales.

"Professor!" I called out. 

I needed to explain to her that Snape was on our side, but I then decided against it because then other Death Eaters could hear. He would then be in danger, and I couldn't bear to loose someone during this war.

"Minerva!"  said a squeaky voice. 

 I turned behind us and saw Professors Flitwick and Sprout sprinting up the corridor towards them in their nightclothes,with the enormous Professor Slughorn panting along at the rear. There didn't seem to be any other Death Eaters around, just Professors that I knew where we were on the right side. Perhaps I did need to say something. Mitch and Micah had their wands ready, looking around, not knowing what to do.