Re: Trio, Dumbledore, Severus Snape, Peter Pettigrew
These children would be the death of him. Snape bolted out of the way of Granger's spell, allowing himself a brief moment of irritation as Pettigrew cowered on the floor until its effects wore off. He couldn't leave him here, not least because he wasn't trustworthy - as he was demonstrating now, clambering to his feet looking furious. He had his wand stretched out threateningly towards the students. Snape didn't trust him not to do some real damage - he was a coward, but he also had a very easily bruised ego, which had probably just been ripped quite apart by being half-stunned by a teenage girl. So instead of fleeing, or running back upstairs, Snape rushed up behind Pettigrew and trained his wand on them as they ran further into the room. Someone else offering to do the dirty work would stay his hand for long enough, probably. And now that he stopped to consider the situation - Granger, and Weasley, alone? Oh, not very likely.
"Tell me where Potter is," he said, blocking their path and trying not to sound as impatient as he felt, "And I may just let you leave." What the hell were they doing here, anyway? He rested his other hand on Pettigrew's shoulder, hoping it would hold him at bay. He had a miserable temper, like most stupid men.
Ron stopped short again, not sure who to aim at. - Pettigrew, right? But he thought the whole thing felt really off, and he disliked Snape enough not to give him anything like the benefit of the doubt. They couldn't just push past them, but at least the Death Eaters (was it just one?) were outnumbered, though they didn't know it. He glared at the rat-like little man particularly hard. "School, I guess," he muttered, uselessly, hand tight around his wand. So move it, will you?
Hermione stopped beside Ron, her back almost to his with her wand out. She could feel Harry beside her, and she hoped to Merlin and all the saints her mother somtimes still prayed to that he just kept quiet.
None of them, really, were prepared for what happened next. Perhaps not even Albus himself, when he appeared as if from nowhere beside Ron, there at the front of the small group of his warriors. "Severus," He said, and then with a wave of his good hand he cast a spell which moved his three charges behind himself, which held them so that they could not move to try to stop this, and he stood facing Severus alone.
"Severus, you will let them pass." And, after a moment, the most powerful wizard in the world added simply, "Severus. Please."
Ron let out a yelp, jumping away from the wizard who'd come out of thin air to stand by him. A moment later he found himself immobilized, packed together with Harry and Hermione and watching the scene in front of him, completely bemused. Dumbledore's presence was a comfort, as soon as he got over the near heart attack the man had given him. He wondered if he'd been there the entire time. He'd stopped trying to puzzle out what was going on in that head of his a long time ago.
Snape took a full step back, startled, and nearly tripped over Pettigrew, who had shrunk behind him the instant Dumbledore appeared. He kept the presence of mind not to lower his wand, as they were still being watched. After a silent moment, he began to wonder frantically why the man wasn't doing anything. He could easily have stunned him, and taken the children out with him. Why didn't he move? Then he went a little pale, remembering the patronus - and all the miserable discussions that had preceded it. Their agreement, of course. His mouth twisted up with all of his pent-up resentment. Dumbledore knew the position this would put him in. Being chased out of his home was bad enough, and being manipulated to he knew not what purpose, but to be left with not one person to whom he could speak the truth ... This was never something he had wanted to do alone.