A/N: Sorry it's been like, forever, since I've updated, or so it seems. I have a lot of excuses, like business and writer's block, but I'm sure you're not interested in hearing about that. :L Hope you guys had a great Christmas! Here's to 2013! Whoo hoo!

Chapter 12

Harry never intended to tell the headmaster of his darker plans against Pettigrew. Whether it was from fear at being denied the request, suspicion at being manipulated, or that little voice of shame that he chose to downright ignore, he didn't care. Confronting the man was difficult while lying about that one fact, mostly because Dumbledore kept giving him odd looks of concern. Harry wondered if he knew. In the end, however, Dumbledore finally agreed that Harry could go, but only after providing him with a secret spare wand, healing potions, and an emergency portkey.

And one Friday night, the moment finally came.

It was midnight when the Dark Mark burned, awakening him from deep, dreamless sleep. Harry rolled expertly out of the bed, threw on the Death Eater robes, and sent a patronus to Snape who was up late in his secret warded classroom brewing more potions for the infirmary. When Snape's doe pranced back with the message 'I'm on my way', Harry touched the Dark Mark and was immediately apparated to the place of meeting.

It was in the same creepy mansion as Harry had visited before, but this time filled with many cloaked Death Eaters. A whole muggle family was bound with the full body bind curse, and laid helplessly on the floor under the sadistic eyes of Voldemort and his followers. At the sight, Harry almost regretted coming. But he couldn't back down. He could save these people.

"Severusss." Voldemort hissed with an evil grin. "So pleased you could join us."

Harry immediately bowed low. "My Lord, it is an honor."

"So smooth, Severusss, but now time to show your true talents. I would hope that muggle-loving fool hasn't squished out your.. darker side." Voldemort cackled, causing the Death Eaters around to laugh quietly as well.

Harry wanted badly to make sure Pettigrew was among them, but now wasn't the time. Gulping as the shivers of fear and anger washed over him, Harry bowed his head and stepped over to the bound muggles, forcing himself not to look away from their truly terrified eyes. An innocent couple, with their two young sons. The father was trying desperately to send his wife comforting looks; the mother was struggling to take the hand of her youngest son, to who had begun to cry noiselessly. What had his parents looked like as Voldemort cast that killing curse all those years ago? Had his mother looked at him as this young woman was looking at her own sons? He felt a sort of cold clench in his heart at the thought.

"What are you waiting for, Severusss?" Voldemort hissed impatiently, his voice low and dangerous.

Harry raised his occlumency shields and forced himself to feed the family the potion. For a moment, nothing happened, and Harry desperately held his breath, when all four began to scream and moan from an intense pain. Harry felt sick. Worse than sick. What if it didn't work?

Just then, the screaming subsided as the family fell limp, unconscious. Harry tried to control his ragged breathing and quickly wiped his sweaty forehead, fearful of what had happened. Someone cast an 'enervate' and the family woke again once more, screaming and crying as blood poured from their mouths. Harry couldn't help but look away, horrified.

Is this what Snape does? Does he even care? Does he enjoy this?

Somehow, Harry knew the man didn't. Heartless as he was, it was clear these meetings were nothing but horror to him, and Snape considered himself lucky to steer clear of them because of his position to Dumbledore. The true stress, guilt, pain, and monstrosity that came with being a spy hit Harry hard like a lightning bolt.

The family stopped screaming, and laid there unconscious. A couple of enervate spells were shot again, but neither brought about the same affect. It seemed the secret healing quality to the potion had begun to start its job.

"Well done, Severusss." Voldemort laughed with sadistic enthusiasm, clearly having enjoyed the show. Harry hated him more that moment than he ever had before, but buried the emotion as far into his mind as he could, and instead focused on schooling his expression.

"Leave them here to die." Voldemort hissed. "I want more victims to enjoy tonight."

"My Lord." Harry bowed low again.

"Severusss?" Voldemort asked with a sneer.

"Forgive me, my Lord, but may I suggest something?"

"Well, Severusss, what is it you wish to suggest?" Voldemort laughed in mockery, causing some of the Death Eaters to laugh as well. That's when Harry saw the unmistakable form of Pettigrew. He was easily the shortest, with claw-like hands and a sort of yellow glint to his eyes. He trembled underneath his robes, but looked to be in some sort of fascinated trance. Harry wanted to hex him right then and there, but quickly turned his attention back to Voldemort. The monster clearly noticed something was amiss with his potion's master today and subtlety then man entered his mind. Harry felt the break-in, and more of his memories.

"The meddlesome old fool, Harry sneered, "might notice my absense and locate the aurors. Should we not dispose of the bodies to prevent discovery of your stunning mansion?"

Voldemort pondered this a moment, then nodded. "You take care of the evidence, Severusss. Feel free to.. play with them longer, if you like, my faithful spy." He laughed, and Harry suppressed a shudder. "Well, done."

Harry nodded quickly, bowed again, then hurried over to the bodies laying on the cold floor. Harry felt sick to his stomach, but took the hands of the family and joined them together. He levitated them to another room and sealed it shut. Harry leaned over the father and shook him hard, casting more awakening charms until the man blinked wearily.

"I am here to help you." Harry whispered gently.

"Who..?"

"Shh." He sighed. "This is a portkey. It will take you and your family straight to Albus Dumbledore. He will help you. You and your family will live."

The man nodded. "Thank you." then took the piece of black cloth and disappeared in a flash. Thankful they would be safe, Harry strode cautiously out of the room and headed outside of the mansion, looking for the Death Eaters who had begun to scatter. Tiptoeing, he sneaked past the wards and cast an invisability charm over himself, just in time to see Voldemort giving last instructions to Pettigrew, then watched as the rat was cursed with a crucio briefly before Voldemort apparated away.

Harry hungrily strode up to the man who had ruined his life and killed his family, his anger eminating in waves of powerful strength. The hatred he felt was choking out the guilt he had experienced, and the rational part of his brain. Without thinking, he grabbed the man's arm, and apparated.

The two fell with a thump in the middle of a forest just outside of Scotland. Instantly, Harry turned his wand on the trembling man, smiling at the rat's trembling body and swimming eyes. The amount of disgust and loathing in Harry's voice was so evident that for a moment he even surprised himself.

But this man had to pay. He would pay.

"Pettigrew." Harry snapped in a dangerous voice. "The game you've been playing is about to come to an end."

HPSSHPSS

Snape snapped out of his potions brewing by the quick message from Potter's unmistakable patronus. Muttering to himself at how inconvenient a time, but grateful this was finally going to be taken care of, Snape cast charms on his potions to keep them stable and banished the ones he couldn't save. After sending his patronus back with a reply, he quickly ran to the Gryffindor common room and proceeded to quietly nuzzle Ron and Hermione awake. This plan was sketchy, but it was all they had.

Hermione was up in an instant, a bag in hand with various items of procaution. Ron, on the other hand, was more challenging. Snape almost considered leaving him behind.

However, the trio made it out and slipped under the invisability cloak (covering everything except their feet and ankles) and Hermione led the way to the secret passage beginning at the Room of Requirement. To Snape's surprise, it led straight through the castle and into Hogsmeade, ending at the Hog's Head. The run-down inn appeared to be deserted.

"How long has that passage been there?" Snape questioned.

"Just this year." Hermione nodded. "It was an escape plan only the D.A. knew about in case of an attack."

"Clever." Snape mused before he realized he had said it. Ron looked at him incredulously.

The red-head had been cautious with him ever since the secret came forth, not that Snape minded. It was, in every sense, more of a relief, though it did bring odd looks from the other Gryffindors. Many times, Weasley pulled Hermione aside and spoke in non-too-subtle angry tones. Again, not that Snape minded, but it definitely was having a bad affect on Potter, who had seemed to notice hid friend's disposition. He didn't care about Potter, though, of course.

The three pulled off the invisability cloak from inside the inn. Snape set to work immediately transfiguring their appearences to the best of his ability. Hermione now had black hair, finer cheekbones, and was shorter, Ron sported blond and Snape apparated with the two Gryffindors directly to an apothecary deep inside of Scotland. It was a fairly old store in a run-down village, but they carried some of the more rare ingredients. Snape didn't visit often, for it was way outside his budget, not to mention the people there gave him the chills. He only hoped it wasn't a bad idea to bring along Potter's sidekicks.

"Bloody hell, where are we?" Ron cried in disgust at the sight of the village. "It looks like a tornado ran straight through here!"

"Not everything can meet your standards, Mr. Weasley." Snape replied coldly as Hermione punched him in the elbow. "Follow me, stay close, and do not let yourselves be seen."

Hermione cast invisability charms on the three of them and kept the cloak close by for emergencies, then the two followed the professor deeper into the village. The musky air was hard to breathe, and the dirt that swirled around them from their walking didn't make anything better. The houses were not far from shacks, broken, old, and rotting away. The faint smell of smoke wafted along their noses. Still, even in the hard dirt and jagged rocks, Snape's footsteps did not make a sound.

The store was soon in view. Severus sucked in his breath and motioned for the two to guard outside. Then he opened the door to the dimly lighted room and approached the counter.

A man with disheavled hair and worn robes looked down at his customer with something of an evil smirk. Nonetheless, Severus remained impassive, showing off the fact that he now looked thirty-seven again, and stared the man right in the eye. "I'm in desperate need of some unicorn horn for a potion. Would you happen to have any in stock?"

The man laughed, his voice barking hoarse. "You're in luck, we happened to receive some the oth'r day." He slurred. "It'll cost ya a heap- I hope you're prepared to pay it."

"The cost?" Snape raised his eyebrows.

"Three thousand galleons." The man replied with a bit of a smirk.

A small fortune. Snape inwardly sighed, knowing he would never have been able to afford anything like that. Unicorn horn was just too rare, though potions masters would beg just to own a vial or two.

"I suppose.." Snape mused. "I could take it, but only for a few hundred less."

The man snorted. "You can't bargain with something as valuable as this. This here is the purest unicorn horn you will get anywhere."

"You do have proper containing systems, I presume? How long have you had this unicorn horn? Is it still fresh?"

"You doubtin' how I run my business?" The man spat.

"Of course not, sir," Severus answered with a silky smirk, "but I am not sure I would pay a fortune for poor quality, even if there's no one around who will likely bargain with you for it. I'll pay two thousand."

Thought his speech got the man's interest, he still was relentless. "Three thousand."

"Two thousand and four hundred galleons."

"Two thousand and nine hundred galleons."

Snape let the charms covering his scar flicker for a moment while he faked concentration, and instantly the man blanched. It took all his self-control to hide the smug glance that threatened to cover his face.

"Who.. who are you?" The man asked.

"Promise not to tell?" Severus smiled. "I'm wearing a disguise for safety." He let his whole charmed disguise flicker, revealing the green-eyed celebrity.

"You're.. you're the boy-who-lived!" He cried. "Merlin, the boy-who-lived is here, in my store!"

Severus resisted the urge to roll his eyes.

"I'll make you a deal; I'll sell this unicorn horn for five hundred galleons, as a gift from my grateful family. I know one day you'll save us all!"

Again. Eye roll.

Then again, Severus couldn't refuse that proposal. In fact, he was so relieved to be getting the unicorn horn, and now able to continue working on regaining his body, that he could have kissed the man, which was a rare thing for Severus. Just as he was stepping outside of the shopwith the prize, the Granger girl hurriedly pushed him inside, followed by the ginger.

"Oh, what now!" He whispered fiercely.

Hermione waved her hands wildly. "Death Eaters, professor!"

A/N: I am not completely sure on how the wizard money system works, or how much three thousand galleons is worth.. if its completely off would you tell me? And no, the ingredient is unicorn horn, I think I might've put unicorn hair instead of unicorn horn when I meant to put unicorn horn in past chapters. I will try to fix that. Thank you guys for reading! :)