Chapter 61

                                    

                                          
"Sherbet lemon."
                          
The staircase twisted upwards, leading the way to the headmaster's office. We had waited all morning for Snape to go down for breakfast, knowing we would have enough time to get the sword and get it to Harry somehow. 
                          
"Snape obviously hasn't figured out how to change the password" Neville said, leading the way. We reached the door to the office, which was locked. Neville touched his wand to it and muttered "alohamora" but nothing happened. 
                          
"Here let me try." I stepped forward, elder wand in hand, and muttered the same incantation. The door unlocked itself in an instant. 
                          
"Thank god for you Tori" Ginny said, as she checked behind her to make sure the coast was clear. 
                          
The sword was the first thing we saw when we entered the office. Hanging up on the wall, so easy to grab, a child could do it. But that's what made it so suspicious. 
                          
"It seems too easy to just take it, right?" Neville asked, having the same suspicion as me. 
                          
"I don't care." Ginny climbed on top of the desk and reached out, grabbing the sword. We all held our breath as Ginny's hands wrapped around the handle, but nothing happened. Absolutely nothing. 
                          
"It really was that easy." 
                          
"Back to the room of requirement we go and FAST." Ginny began to lead the way back down the staircase when we heard the voices of the two people we didn't want to see. 
                          
"Well well well, look what we have here. Thought you could just take it did you? Oh I can't wait to punish this one Alecto, she's been giving me grief for WEEKS." The siblings had blocked off the exit, preventing us from going anywhere. We heard footsteps and saw none other than Snape heading towards us, looking angrier than I had ever seen him. 
                          
"Alecto, Amycus, take Mr Longbottom and Miss Weasley to the dungeon for immediate detention. Miss Greenwood, my office, now." 
                          
~ 
"Why can't you just do as you're told miss Greenwood." 
                          
"He needs our help." 
                          
"Don't you think I know that! Didn't you think for a minute that maybe I already knew that he needed the sword and swapped the real one for a fake, the fake that you took off the wall no less than 10 minutes ago and took the real sword to where I know Potter is?"
                          
"Why would you do that? You've made it clear that you're not on our side. You're not in the order anymore. You made that clear when you killed him." 
                          
Snape got so close to me I was worried for a moment that he was going to hex me. My hand enclosed around the wand in my robe. 
                          
"And you pushed him, miss Greenwood. So what side does that put you on? You know I could take you to the dark lord right now to make you hand over what he wants so badly, so tread carefully." 
                          
"Then why don't you." 
                          
"Because believe it or not miss Greenwood I don't actually want to see you die an easy death, not when your father's was so.......difficult." 
                          
"HOW DARE YOU BRING MY FATHER INTO THIS!" Rage boiled through my body as my eyes threatened to prick with tears. I blinked them away furiously. 
                          
"Benjamin Greenwood, part of James Potter's little gang. Except he was the only one that saw me as a real person. The one that never taunted me, never gave me a reason to hate him. Consider this me repaying him. Now get out of my office."
                          
Snape's words echoing in my ears, I ran as fast as my legs would take me back to the room of requirement, when I smashed into something, or rather a someone. 
                          
"What's the hurry Greenwood? Worried you'll miss breakfast?" 
                          
"Theo." 
                          
"The one and only. Now tell me, miss Victoria, where have you been the last few days? Avoiding me?" 
                          
"No no I've just been....look I can't tell you, but just know that I'm fine ok?" 
                          
I went to walk away, but he grabbed my arm, pulling me back towards him. 
                          
"Oh no you don't....remember anything you do affects me too, so you better start talking Greenwood." 
                          
I tried to pull away, but his grip was firm, and something in his eyes told me he wasn't letting go until I told him. 
                          
"I've just been....practising.....with the wand." 
                          
"Jesus Christ are you telling me it's on you right now?" 
                          
"It's always on me, I can't risk leaving it anywhere unattended." 
                          
"Right....well....just do what you have to do. I've got to go." He released me from his grip and headed off down the corridor, leaving me free to head to the room where everyone was waiting. As soon as I entered I saw Ginny, surrounded by Lavender, Cho and Luna with blood stained on her shirt, and Neville with a fresh new bruise around his eye. 
                          
"They made us duel them. Nasty creatures those two. What did Snape make you do then?" 
                          
"He just.....told me that the sword was a fake."
                          
"WHAT?" Ginny shot up, staggering off balance. 
                          
"But don't worry, Harry's got the real one." 
                          
"And why should we believe anything Snape has to say?" 
                          
I shrugged my shoulders. "I don't know, something in the way he said it, something in his eyes. I just know that he was telling the truth." 
                          
"So all that for nothing then, brilliant." 
                          
"At least we managed to get the others in during all the commotion though, so now none of us need to leave the room anymore." Neville offered some encouraging words of wisdom. 
                          
"And as long as we don't go out-"
                          
"They can't get in." 
                          
"But what about food?" 
                          
"We've got it covered. While you were gone, we found out who this portrait is of. It's Ariana, Dumbledore's sister! It's a secret passage, it leads to the Hogs Head where Dumbledore's brother lives, we've spoken to him and he's going to bring us food and keep us updated, we've got it all sorted!" 
                          
"Right so....now all we have to do is wait for it all to kick off."