Knowledge is Power

Chapter 50

Severus was impressed at how well Albus had called it. Draco was unable to kill him and it was easy for Severus to figuratively ride in and save the day. He spoke the killing curse while performing another spell entirely that sent Albus flying off the astronomy tower. The spell was a expulsion charm and Albus was able to ride it out and land gently on the ground. Once there, he was to inject himself surreptitiously with a shot Severus had prepared in advance. The needle held enough of a stasis potion combined with the draft of living death to keep Albus alive yet seeming dead for three days.

Plenty of time for him to be buried here on Hogwarts grounds and for Severus to dig him up. For the past several months, both had ingested drafts of Felix Felicis on a daily basis, knowing that this day would come but not when. The luck potion was part of the reason Albus survived all the assassination attempts. For his part, Severus needed all the luck he could get as death eater activities increased.

Angry that this was even happening, Severus snatched Draco by the scruff of his shirt and dragged him away. He wanted to stay and check that all had gone as it should with Albus, but he knew that would ruin everything.
//Is he alright,// he asked Nightshade.
The owl was sitting on the shoulder furthest away from Draco.
//He's breathing with no mental activity so should be good,// Nightshade reported.
Severus afforded himself a sigh of relief as he fled only to be intercepted by Potter. Becoming enraged when the prat called him a coward was unproductive and an admitted waste of energy, he knew. Still in that moment, Harry was James was Harry and he wanted to show him just who the coward was. The boy could never beat him.

Intent on not wasting the effort of this day, though, Severus kept going...Only to have the prat continue to pursue and insult him again. Finally Potter got the duel he was pushing for and Severus enjoyed deflecting the prat with zero effort on his part. Okay he enjoyed it on a personal level, but the fact the prat still had no skill made his stomach sink with worry. Just exactly how in the hell was he going to ever manage to kill the dark lord? EVER!
//Good question, Prof.//

When Severus got Malfoy out of there then escaped himself, he didn't dare to go anywhere he could be found. He was now wanted, after all, at least until Voldemort took the Ministry as he planned. Severus wasn't counting on that for good or ill, and was prepared to remain in hiding and fight from the shadows if the dark lord's take over failed.

WestCraven manor was a safe option, because no one expected him to be there. Thanks to Raislen and Heather stabbing him in the back, they'd gotten what they wanted and no one associated the WestCravens with him at all which meant no one would look for him there. He apparated inside and directly asked Mira for a stiff drink.

The elf, draped in her brightly colored scarves, frowned in concern and shook her head.
"I wouldn't do that just yet if I were you. Won't your dark lord want to call a meeting to get the details of the Dumbledore killing? How'd that go, by the way?"
Severus sighed, nodding. She was right, and he obviously wasn't thinking straight. He could hardly be blamed for that considering the day he'd just had. Still, going to a Death Eater meeting tipsy was too risky even with Felix Felicis in his system.

"It seems to have gone well," he replied.
Mag rushed into the room then and threw her arms around him.
"What happened?"
Severus filled her in on the story, then headed for the library to wait for the Death Eater meeting that Mira had predicted. In less than an hour her prediction came true. The dark lord was pleased with Severus, though unhappy with Draco, obviously regretful that Albus hadn't killed him. He wanted Lucius punished, but he obviously didn't understand Albus. Hopefully this meant there were many other things he didn't understand, Severus thought. If so it meant they had a bit of hope.

Waiting until Albus's funeral was over was torture. Never before had Severus been so stressed. Not even during those first Death Eater meetings in the late seventies, when he was risking it all by attempting to fool Voldemort. When at last the evening of the third day arrived, and he was getting ready to leave for Hogwarts, it was Mag who stopped him.
"You really should let someone else get Albus out. Someone who isn't wanted for murder, perhaps?"
"I was going to have Mira apparate me so I could be quick about it," he assured her.
Mag shook her head.
"It's a foolish risk. Have Filius do it instead. I'll write him to come here at once and you can explain. You'll take the letter this once, won't you Nightshade," Mag wheedled.

//Fuck,// Nightshade complained, but as that wasn't a no, both Mag and Severus took it for a yes.
Sighing, Severus relented and Mag wrote Filius. Within fifteen minutes the charms master had arrived at WestCraven manor.
When his eyes fell on Severus, they widened.
"Where have you been? What's happened? Did that monster force you to kill Albus?"

The questions came rapid fire from the little man, and Severus held up his hands, silently imploring him to stop.
"I couldn't tell you earlier because the fewer people who knew the safer everyone was," he began.
"We needed people who grieved Albus to mean it so..."

"He's not dead," Filius asked excitedly, sudden comprehension dawning on his face.
"Hopefully he isn't," Severus said.
"I need for you to go and open his grave and get him out."
Filius's mouth worked silently.
"He needs to be out of there soon," Severus pressed.
"Mira can go and apparate you onto the grounds and even into the grave perhaps. Then both of you can be apparated back here. If she can't apparate you into the grave, you'll just have to dig."

Severus had yet to fully understand the limitations of elf magic if there truly were any.
"Alright," Filius said nervously.
"I've always had a fear of graves, you know."
"No, I didn't know," Severus said.
"But as there isn't anyone dead in it, it shouldn't be too frightening."
Mag called Mira in and Severus explained what he needed. The elf nodded readily, and smiled at Filius.
"This should be an adventure, Mr. Flitwick."
"Yes," Filius said weakly.
"A...bit of an adventure."

*****

The feeling of apparating into a grave then falling even deeper into it was not pleasant for Filius Flitwick. He screamed...for a long time. When he stopped screaming, mainly because he needed to breathe, he still heard screaming. Was it his own scream still echoing in the grave?

Graves were such disturbing human inventions. What was wrong with a good old funeral pyre? Though that certainly wouldn't have served Albus in this case, would it? One could hardly be rescued from being burned alive...No being buried alive was far better if somehow even more disturbing. But...Who was screaming? He screamed again...then the other person screamed again!

"Who's there?"
The admittedly shaken and muffled voice belonged to Albus Dumbledore.
"Filius?"
"Yes."
"Oh it's you."
"Yes," Filius said, wanting to scream again due to his growing panic over the fear of graves thing.
"Why are we screaming?"
"Well I am screaming because I'm in your grave and I rather have a fear of graves of which Severus was apparently unaware. I'm not sure why you were screaming, though."

"I was unaware of your fear as well, as it turns out," Albus said thoughtfully, then he chuckled.
"I was screaming because your screams startled me to put it mildly."
"Oh...well, sorry then," Filius managed.
"Um...Filius?"
"Yes Albus."
"Why are we in my grave?"
"Well because I still need to get you out of it."