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The Last Horcrux (a fanfic)
Title: The Last Horcrux
Author:mary_j_59
Type: fiction
Category: gen
Length: short story, complete, approximately 5,660 words
Main characters and/or pairings:Severus Snape, Harry Potter, Voldemort, Ron, Hermione, Ginny, Luna, Neville, Draco and Narcissa Malfoy, Minerva McGonagall, also Fawkes and Nagini!
Warnings: Some violence (non graphic) and minor bad language. Character deaths.
Rating: pg or pg 13 - see above
Summary: Summer, 1998, and Harry has just disposed of all but one of the horcruxes. Before he can plan how to confront Voldemort and deal with the final one, he must deal with an old enemy who has his own ideas about what to do next.
Disclaimers and Notes: Thanks to my sister, who read and approved this for me. All characters and settings, of course, belong to J.K. Rowling, without whose work this story would not exist. The story follows the cut; as always, crit is welcome.
It was like a nightmare starting over again. Death Eaters, cloaked and masked, Apparating all around them, while the ragged veil swung and whispered on its dais. Harry half expected to see Sirius leaping to the rescue - but Sirius was dead. Dumbledore was dead. No one would help them now.
"Get up the stairs, away from here!" he ordered the others. "Get to the door." Then the fight was upon them.
"Back to back, " he gasped, but the others had acted before he could speak, as if they had practiced a thousand times. Ginny's back was to his, and she had a shield up; a red beam bounced off it and a Death Eater screamed - a woman's voice. Harry dodged and fired at a huge Death Eater coming down the stairs toward them. His stunner caught the man in the chest and he stumbled forward and landed face down, nearly on top of them. "Come on," he said, and grabbed Ginny's wrist, pulling her forward. They skirted the man's body and had nearly reached the door when Ginny's hand slipped from his. She slumped to the ground, and he heard a woman's laughter. Harry dropped to his knees beside Ginny and gritted his teeth. Bellatrix! Had she killed Ginny? But he had no time to check. "Is Harry worried for his little girlfriend?' came Bellatrix's mocking voice from the left. "Poor little Harry! He thinks he can play rough, but he doesn't know how. "
She was very close. Enraged, Harry stood up and aimed his wand at the voice without even looking, thinking, "Expelliarmus". Simultaneously, Bellatrix shouted, "accio wand!", and in the next second sent a red beam of light straight at him. Harry's grip on his own wand tightened, and he shouted, "protego," just in time. The force of the curse hitting his shield knocked him backwards and down, away from Ginny. As he scrambled to his feet again, he saw Bellatrix crumple. Who had stunned her? Harry glanced around wildly. Ron and Hermione were still near the dais - too near - and there were three Death Eaters closing in on them. He couldn't see Neville and Luna. Just as the Death Eater nearest Hermione, laughing, raised his wand and began to say "Avada Kedavra", a red beam of light took him in the back and he fell. Harry aimed at the second Death Eater, shouting, "Stupefy!" At the same moment, the third man crumpled. Ron and Hermione began running towards Harry. Maybe it was over; the three of them could grab Ginny and get out. But where were Neville and Luna?
Just as he turned toward Ginny, he heard Hermione sobbing, "No!" Harry stared wildly. For a moment, he couldn't speak or move. Ginny was alive - but she was being held, used as a shield, with a man's arm around her neck and his wand at her head. A hateful, sneering voice was saying, "Freeze, all of you. Stop where you are, or the girl dies."
Harry felt himself shaking with rage and hate. "Let go of her!" he shouted. "Let her go, you coward!"
"Why should I?" Snape responded. "What guarantee do I have that you won't kill me if I do?"
Harry was speechless. He wanted nothing more than to kill this man, and Snape knew it. There was nothing he could say. Then, behind him, a quiet voice spoke - Neville. He said, "Harry's more likely to listen to you if you let Ginny go, sir."
"What?" Snape and Harry snarled in chorus. At the same time, Ron roared, "I'll kill him if Harry doesn't! That's my sister he's got!"
"Shut up, Ron!" Hermione said. "Don't make him angry, or he will kill her!"
"No he won't," Neville said. As they all gaped at him, he continued, "He saved my life just now. Hermione's, too. He stunned those Death Eaters. If he'd wanted us dead, he could easily have let them kill us. What do you want, sir?" he said to Snape.
Snape answered, "I want to talk to Potter." Then he stared straight at Harry and said, "If I let Miss Weasley go, will you listen to me?"
Harry clenched his teeth. There was nothing, nothing at all Snape could ever say that he would want to hear. But the evil git had Ginny. He had no choice. "Yeah," he said. "Let her go, and I'll listen."
Snape relaxed his hold on Ginny and lowered his wand. Ginny broke free and ran to Harry, then turned to face Snape with him. She was very pale, but seemed uninjured. Harry grasped her hand briefly, then raised his wand again and pointed it at Snape. "What do you want?" he growled.
Snape had removed his mask. He was as pale as Ginny, and seemed even thinner than he had been when Harry had last seen him, nearly a year ago. '"You agree that defeating the Dark lord takes precedence over your quarrel with me?" he said.
"Yes," Harry snapped. "But I'm going to kill you as soon as he's dead."
Snape's eyes glittered. "But not before," he said. "You will need me to get close to him." Harry was silent. "I am to take you to the Dark Lord, Potter," Snape continued. "But first I must know if you are prepared."
Prepared? Harry's mind reeled; did Snape know about the horcruxes? "What if I'm not?" he asked.
"Then," Snape responded, with a thin, humorless smile, "we must arrange a convincing escape for you, as well as another confrontation in which I capture you. Now: will you answer me? Are you prepared?"
"Yes," Harry said. Whether Snape knew about the horcruxes or not, there seemed no point in trying to lie. "All but the snake."
"Nagini," Snape muttered. "Well. Sectumsempra should work on her. Remember-" and then he spun round with his wand drawn. "Miss Lovegood!" he snapped. "What are you doing?"
Luna had walked quietly up behind Snape. Both hands were full of wands, which she now held out as though she were presenting a bouquet. "What should I do with these?" she asked.
"Good girl!" Snape said, sounding astonished, and Harry, to his surprise, felt laughter bubbling up inside him. "Hold on to them, Luna," he said, and Snape nodded in agreement. But then he said, "I should like two of those, if you please, Miss Lovegood."
"Why?" Harry said
"That does not concern you, Potter," Snape replied. He turned back to Luna and quickly picked out two wands from the bunch she held. Smirking at Harry, he remarked, "After all, you do outnumber me six to one." Then he walked quickly up to the door, where two Death Eaters were frozen. One - a fair-haired young man about Harry's size - was leaning stiffly against the wall, and the other was slumped on the ground, as Ginny had been just a few moments before. Snape unfroze both of them with a muttered word. The young man instantly lunged at Snape, yelling, "Give me that, you traitor!"
"Draco!" the woman said. "Don't -" But Snape interrupted her.
"He's right, Cissy," he said. "I am a traitor. Three times over, and who knows where it will end? Nevertheless, Draco, I am sworn to protect you. So I am giving you a chance to take your mother home."
Narcissa Malfoy was standing now, although shakily, grasping one of the benches in front of her. "Draco," she began again, but Snape again interrupted.
"No, Cissy," he said, and there was something in his accent Harry had never heard before. "Do not command him. He's a man now; he must command himself."
Draco Malfoy dithered, frozen in indecision just as he had been on the top of the astronomy tower. For a long moment, it seemed no one else even breathed. It was so quiet that Harry could hear his heartbeat pounding in his ears. Ginny's hand squeezed his so tightly he could scarcely feel his fingers. Then Snape spoke. "One question, Draco," he said. "One question only. Whom would you rather see alive tomorrow, the Dark Lord or your mother?"
"My mother!" Draco cried. "Of course my mother! But - "
"Then take her home, lad. Here are your wands," and Snape stepped forward to offer them. The Malfoys took them in silence. "Listen to me," Snape said to them. "If the Aurors come, do not attack. Defend only, and then only if necessary. Do you understand?" Narcissa nodded, but Draco merely stared. "Go, then," Snape said. One after the other, Draco and his mother Disapparated.
"Now," Snape said, coming back toward them. "I will take you to the Dark Lord. But first - Miss Granger. With me."
"Hermione, no!" Ron said as Hermione walked towards Snape. She shook her head at him but said nothing. As she came level with Snape, he said to her, "You must do two things. First, we must seal that door so that no other Death Eaters can come through it. Second, once Potter and I are gone, you must contact the headmistress and the other Order members. I understand you can produce a Patronus?"
"Yes, " Hermione answered. "We all can. Harry taught us."
"But you are the quickest at learning variations on spells. Your Patronus must reach the headmistress and speak to her; in order to achieve this, you must keep two things in mind at once. The first will be the thought that helps you produce the Patronus, and the other is the message you wish it to carry. Is that clear?"
Hermione was frowning. "Yes," she said. "I think so."
Snape said, "If you have any doubt that you can do this, I will need to send the message."
"I have no doubt."
"Very well. You must tell the headmistress to come here, to the death chamber in the ministry of magic, and to bring as many Order members as she can. I want to see you do it now."
Hermione took a deep breath, then relaxed her shoulders and raised her wand. Her otter appeared from the tip and squeaked, "Death Chamber. Bring Order."
Snape sighed; his shoulders, too, lost some of their tension. "Good," he said. "Now, the doors. This spell is a variant of the one the Death Eaters used in Hogwarts; it will prevent anyone with a Dark Mark from going through this door. I need you to ward it from the outside and then come back in." And he muttered something to Hermione.
As Harry and the others watched, Hermione went through the door. She and Snape faced each other and raised their wands simultaneously, saying, "malum interdicio". Then Hermione walked back in.
Snape, as if to test the barrier, walked toward the door and was thrown back, just as Neville had been during the fight in Hogwarts. He picked himself up, rubbing his elbow, and said, "Good." Then he turned back to Harry and the others. "Miss Lovegood," he said, "I shall need another wand."
"What for?" Harry interrupted. "You and Voldemort are already going to outnumber me two to one. Why do you need another wand?"
"Stupid boy!" Snape spat. "Do you expect me to bring you captive before the Dark Lord while you hold your own wand?"
"You're not bringing me captive anywhere!" Harry yelled back. But Snape ignored him. "Give me Avery's, Miss Lovegood," he said. "Yes, that one. It's about the right size." Turning back to Harry, he said coldly, "Now, listen. Conceal your wand. This one which I am holding is yours-" he gestured with Avery's wand - and you are under the Imperius curse. You must promise to do everything I say."
"Why should I?" Harry asked, equally coldly. Behind him, he heard Ron and Ginny saying in a sort of counterpoint:
"Don't do it, mate, that's crazy-"
"Harry, you know you can't trust him!"
"You know what, Snape?" Harry said. "I think we'll just contact McGonagall and the Order and have them arrest you. We can give you Veritaserum and make you tell us where Voldemort is." His wand was pointed straight at Snape, and so was Ron's. Ron's wand had never left the man even for a moment.
"Oh, you will, will you?" Snape responded. His voice had gone quiet and waspish and he was pale with fury. "In that case, I think I shall just Disapparate now and leave you without a guide or any assistance. Since you are so very clever-"
Neville, Ginny and Luna interrupted.
"Sir, look out!"
"Behind you!"
"I think there's someone coming, Harry."
Harry whipped round, looking to Snape's left. Just behind Bellatrix Lestrange, a Death Eater appeared and chanted, "Avada Kedavra." The curse was aimed, not at him or any of his friends, but at Snape. While his attacker was still in mid curse, Snape turned, dropped to his knees, and aimed his wand. A red beam of light burst from it. At the same time, the incoming green streak vanished in a burst of flame. Fawkes! Harry was frozen in astonishment. Fawkes had come to him sometimes in the past year, and then gone again, without any pattern he could discern. Had the phoenix been with Snape? Had he been sending him with messages? But Snape had killed Dumbledore; why would Dumbledore's phoenix ever trust him?
Looking rather shaken, Snape got to his feet. He walked to the fallen Death Eater, turned the body over with his foot, and began cursing, quietly but vehemently. The Death Eater's mask had slipped off and Harry could see gray eyes, staring blindly at the ceiling, and hair so fair it was almost white. Draco Malfoy. Snape turned back to Harry and his friends, stooped and picked something up in his cupped hands, and carried it over to Luna. She held her hands out for it, but they were still full of wands. "Here, Luna," Neville said. "I'll take those."
"And me," Ginny added. The two of them took several wands apiece, and Luna began crooning to the phoenix chick she held in her cupped hands. Snape turned to Harry. He looked sick, and Harry realized he - Snape - was deeply upset about Malfoy. Harry felt a new flash of anger, mixed with something else he didn't quite recognize - something like sadness. Snape obviously cared for Malfoy; it hadn't all been an act, after all. When had any adult he knew cared so much about any decision he had made? Sirius had tried to be a parent to him - but Sirius had only known him for three or four years, and he'd been on the run almost that whole time. Molly Weasley loved him like one of her own children, but he was only one among eight, and not one of her own, after all. Dumbledore? Somehow he couldn't be sure any more. Yes, Dumbledore had loved him; he'd told him so, but he had also been Dumbledore's tool. His stomach was churning, and he felt he might be sick himself. "Why are you so worried about Malfoy?" he snarled at Snape. "Is it the Unbreakable Vow?"
"No," Snape snarled in return. Then he said again, "Are you prepared, Potter?"
"Yeah. I told you I was."
"Then say your farewells. Miss Granger's message will be reaching the headmistress very soon; we must be gone before the Order arrives. Miss Granger," and he turned to Hermione, "repeat your message as soon as we are gone. When the headmistress arrives, give her this and tell her to follow us with as many Order members as she can spare." He held out a square piece of parchment; Hermione took it from him and frowned at it, with Ron and Ginny staring over her shoulder. Snape's long, yellow forefinger reached out to touch a dot marked in the center of the map. "There," he said. Hermione nodded to show her understanding, then flung her arms around Harry.
"Oh, Harry," she said in a choked voice, "be careful! We'll be along as soon as we can." After a long moment, she let go and stepped backwards, wiping her eyes.
Ginny stepped forward and hugged him so tightly he could hardly breathe. Her lips brushed his cheek. "I'll be back," he said to her fiercely.
"I know you will," she answered. Her voice was steady and her eyes very bright in her pale face. Then there was Ron, thumping him on the back and hugging him, too. He was saying, "You can do it, mate. You've beaten him before," but he was even whiter than Ginny, so that his freckles stood out like a rash. Luna and Neville pressed forward behind Ron. His friends, the people who were always with him, no matter what. What had he done to deserve such good friends? For a moment, his vision blurred. He was surrounded by hands reaching for his, arms hugging him, voices wishing him well. And then he was alone, and aware that Hermione was crying, and Ron standing with his arm around her, swallowing hard. And there was Luna's voice, saying,"Isn't he sweet? We'll bring him, too. He might help."
"A good idea," came Snape's voice, interrupting Harry's startled laugh. The man was standing with his arms crossed, Avery's wand gripped tightly in one hand. Neville broke away from their group and walked over to him, his hand outstretched. "Good luck, sir," he said. Snape looked astonished. For a moment he almost seemed to flinch, but then he took Neville's hand and shook it briefly before dropping it. "Thank you, Longbottom," he said. His voice was rough. He swallowed, and then said, "It would be as well to gather all of these in one place and bind them," and he gestured round at the fallen Death Eaters. "Longbottom, have an eye on her," and he pointed straight at Bellatrix Lestrange. "If she moves, stun her at once."
"Yes, sir," Neville answered, his expression determined. He and Ron and Ginny all began levitating the Death Eaters into a single group in the middle of the room.
"Miss Granger," Snape said, glancing at Hermione, who nodded. Her face was tear streaked, but her voice was steady as she began conjuring her Patronus a second time. "Now, Potter," Snape continued, and took Harry's arm in a vise - like grip. The next moment, Harry felt the uncomfortable pressure and dizziness of side-along Apparation. When he was aware of his surroundings again, he found he was in another place of nightmares. The Riddle family graveyard was in front of them, only a few yards away. Though it was midsummer, the night felt raw and chilly. Snape was still gripping his arm so hard it hurt. "Remember, Potter," he said softly, "You are under the imperius curse. You must do everything I say."
"Why should I?" Harry whispered back. He didn't like the idea of even pretending to submit to Snape.
Snape said, "Because it will buy us time, you stupid boy! Have you no imagination? It might give us a minute or two. And after that-"
"Yeah? After that?" Harry said. His mouth was dry.
"We will just have to improvise," Snape responded, letting go of Harry's arm. "For now, keep pace with me and do exactly what I do. When I give this signal," and he chopped downward with his left hand, "attack the snake."
Harry nodded, the movement almost invisible in the shadows. "Well, then. Come," Snape said, and walked forward. Harry stepped forward with him.
They had only gone a few paces when Harry saw Lord Voldemort, standing in front of his father's tombstone with the snake, Nagini, coiled at his feet. He was alone. Snape kept walking forward until they were within five paces; Harry realized the man was breathing quickly, but that was the only sign of fear he gave. As Voldemort hissed, "Severus," Snape stopped and bowed low. "I have brought you the boy, my lord," he said. "Harry, bow to the Dark Lord." Furious, but trying to keep his expression neutral, Harry imitated Snape's deep bow, then straightened up again.
"Good, Severus," Lord Voldemort said, his red eyes glowing. "Very good! Now call my other Death Eaters so that they may witness my triumph."
"Yes, my lord," Snape said. "But first, may I ask you a boon?"
"What boon?" Voldemort said. His eyes flashed and he raised his wand slightly; Nagini raised her head and stared straight at Snape.
"I should like this foolish child to see how the Dark Lord rewards his faithful followers. My lord, you have conquered death. You can bring back whomever you choose. I am sure the boy would like to see Albus Dumbledore again."
"Dumbledore? But you killed him, Severus."
"At your command," Snape answered, and bowed again. "But, my lord, I knew it was not permanent. You have mastered death, and you can bring him back whenever you wish. I am sure Potter would like to see him again. Or Lily Evans. The boy might prefer to see his mother." Snape licked his lips and turned to Harry. "Potter, would you like to see your mother? You may answer."
Harry's heart was racing and his mouth was dry. What was Snape playing at; was he insane? He felt for his wand handle in his sleeve and licked his own lips, but, not knowing what else to do, he decided to play along. "Yeah," he said. "I would. I'd like to see my mum again." In front of him, Nagini rose up almost to head height, weaving back and forth, and Harry knew as if by instinct that she was preparing to strike. His fingers tightened on his wand.
Snape, incredibly, was still talking. There was steel in his voice as he said, "Or Eileen Prince, my lord. Can you bring her back?" Then, out of the corner of his eye, Harry saw Snape's left hand slash down. He thought, "Sectumsempra" and lashed at Nagini's neck. His curse was so forceful it beheaded the snake instantly, but, in the same instant, several other things happened. Snape was saying, "or her husband, or their daughter," when a curse from Voldemort flung him backward. His leg hit a gravestone behind him with a terrible crack, and he screamed. Then Voldemort turned to Harry.
Harry tensed and thought, "expelliarmus", but the spell merely hit Voldemort's shield. "Harry," the Dark Lord said to him, his voice surprisingly gentle, "why did you kill Nagini?"
Harry fought to keep his mind blank, to say nothing. He was vaguely aware that, behind them, Snape was struggling to his feet. "Because she was the last horcrux?" Voldemort said, in the same gentle voice. "Oh, Harry. What a waste. My poor Nagini was no horcrux. She was just a snake. Just an ordinary snake, after all. Expelliarmus," he added, and the wand Snape was holding flew across the graveyard and into his hand. "Of course," he continued, "she was the best and most faithful of all my servants. She was truly loyal," and as he spoke, grief for the dead snake rose up in Harry. "I know you are sorry, Harry," Voldemort said, and Harry felt tears of relief come into his eyes at such understanding and compassion. "You were only doing what others had told you to. You will not have to do that any more; you can be free now."
"Potter," Snape grated. "Harry, listen -" but Voldemort again hit him with a hex. It must have been silencio; Harry could see the man's mouth move, but no sound came out.
"Yes," he continued, "Nagini was quite innocent. Just a snake; just a loyal, innocent snake - loving, even, in her own way. But this one -" and he gestured at Snape with his wand, again throwing the man to the ground. "What can we say of him, Harry? He was about to betray me. And he betrayed Dumbledore, and killed him - your good friend and teacher. And Sirius Black, too, did he not? And your parents. They would all be alive today if it were not for him, isn't it so, Harry?"
"Yeah," Harry said. It was true; Snape had goaded and tormented and betrayed everyone he loved. He had caused their deaths. Maybe Dumbledore was the only one he had killed directly, but the others would all be alive if it weren't for Snape. He hated the man as much as he had ever hated anyone.
"You hate him, don't you?" Voldemort asked, still in that gentle, almost musical voice. "Even more than I hate him. What shall we do to the cowardly worm? He should suffer, Harry. Don't you agree?"
"Yes," Harry said.
"And we should be able to enjoy his suffering." Voldemort gestured at Snape, and the man, who had again climbed to his feet and was gripping the gravestone behind him, began speaking aloud once more.
"Potter, listen to me! He has you under imperio-" But Voldemort interrupted him.
"He is lying, of course. He would do anything to save his skin, as you know. I do not have you under the imperius curse; that is quite unnecessary. I know you will cooperate with me in this. Together, Harry, shall we?" And Voldemort raised his wand and said, "Crucio." A moment later, Harry did the same.
Two beams of light struck Snape almost simultaneously. For several seconds he remained still and silent, but then he began to scream. The beams of light played on him for a few seconds more, but then Voldemort said, "Stop, Harry. After all, we want to make our entertainment last, don't we? What was that very useful spell the worm invented when he was a boy?"
"Levicorpus," Harry answered, his wand still on Snape. The man was hooked off his feet at once, and Voldemort laughed - to Harry, it seemed a boyish, innocent sound, like his own laughter when he was younger. "Bring him here, Harry," he said, and Harry tugged Snape forward, grinning himself at the sight of the cloak and robes flapping around the man's face. "Now let him down," the Dark Lord commanded, and Harry obeyed. Snape landed in a crumpled heap about a yard in front of them. "What shall we do to him next?" Voldemort asked.
"Kill him," Harry said. Snape was again trying to push himself to his feet. As he put his hand on the ground to support his weight, Nagini's fangs closed on his wrist, and then opened again. Snape laughed in astonishment and looked straight at them. His eyes were wide.
"Interesting!" Voldemort said. "I told you she was my most faithful servant, even in death. A snake can bite even twenty minutes after death, and a cobra's venom can kill a man in a minute. It paralyzes the nerves, and eventually the victim cannot breathe. Some say it is a merciful death. But then, some say that about Avada Kedavra, too."
In front of them, Snape had got to his knees. "Shall we wait to see if the venom is effective?" Voldemort said. "But perhaps it would be safer not to. After all, Nagini may not have injected any venom; she didn't always. Perhaps we had better kill him now. Shall we do it together, Harry?"
As he spoke, Harry watched Snape. The man had bitten his lower lip till it bled, but he made no sound. He was struggling to stand, but one leg was damaged and would not hold him. Images rushed through Harry's mind. Ron, struggling to stand in the Shrieking Shack. Crookshanks protecting Sirius; Fawkes protecting Snape. Sirius and Remus preparing to kill Peter Pettigrew - "shall we do it together?" And his own voice, "I don't reckon my dad would want you to become murderers - for him." As Voldemort began to chant, "Avada Kedavra", Harry moved in front of him, between his wand and Snape. He was shouting, "No! I'm not like you! I'm not you! I'll never be you!"
He had moved so quickly to guard Snape from the killing curse that he stumbled. The curse struck him in the forehead, just where it had hit him on an October night more than sixteen years ago. That scar had hurt so often, but now it did not hurt; he wondered why. He felt very peaceful. Everything would be all right now; he knew it. Behind him, Snape had aimed his wand - Harry almost laughed; Voldemort had been so sure he had disarmed Snape, but all he had got was Avery's wand! - and was shouting "Avada Kedavra" from a bloody mouth. There was green light everywhere, and a sound of thin, high-pitched screaming, and over everything else, the sound of phoenix song. Then he knew no more.
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Coda
Minerva McGonagall, with Ron, Hermione, and Luna, Apparated into the graveyard just as Voldemort raised his wand to kill Snape. They saw the green light erupt from Voldemort's wand; they saw Harry stumble forward. The beam of light struck him on the forehead and then rebounded back towards Voldemort; at the same time, with the last of his strength, Snape pronounced the killing curse. Both the beams struck the Dark Lord in the same instant, and he screamed and collapsed. To the watchers, it seemed that there was nothing left of him - just the black robes in a pile before the gravestone where, three years before, he had ben resurrected. They began to run to Harry, Luna holding Fawkes in her cupped hands.
Snape and Harry were lying side by side when they arrived. Snape's strong fingers were clenched round Harry's wrist in a death grip. The man had stopped breathing. The phoenix chick beat its wings and fluttered out of Luna's hands to land near his head; its tears ran into his mouth. And suddenly, as though someone had flipped on a switch, he gasped, coughed, and breathed again. "Fawkes - no," he muttered. "Harry - go to Harry."
Fawkes fluttered to Harry and wept on him - on his face, his forehead, on the scar that was now bleeding, as it had not when he first got it as a baby. But the boy was utterly still. Ginny knelt by him and took his other hand. Minerva McGonagall, in the meantime, had taken Snape's. "Severus," she said firmly, "let go of Harry. Let go, do you hear me?" Snape's fingers twitched; he turned his head toward her and then coughed again. "Breathe, Severus," Minerva told him. To Hermione, she said quietly, "We have to get them to St. Mungo's. Something is not right."
Snape breathed in, then gasped, "Minerva - Harry. Don't tell me - I can't have lost him. Not both of them!"
"Hush, now," Minerva McGonagall said to him. "Don't try to talk." Then Neville and several Order members, including Shacklebolt, appeared out of the summer mist.
"Is Harry okay?" Neville said. "All of Professor Snape's spells just stopped working, all at once, and we had to fight, otherwise we would have been here sooner. Is he still alive? What happened?"
"Severus is still breathing, but something is wrong," McGonagall answered. "We need to get them both to St. Mungo's."
"Oh. What about Harry?" Neville asked, but Minerva McGonagall did not answer him. With the help of the adult Order members, she conjured a stretcher and got Snape onto it. When they lifted him, he cried out in pain and lost consciousness again. Minerva shook her head and said, "Miss Lovegood, bring the phoenix here. Its tears should have healed him by now."
Luna obeyed. In the meantime, the adult Order members approached Harry, carrying another stretcher. Minerva McGonagall was at their head. "Miss Weasley," she said, "please let go of Harry." But Ginny silently shook her head. "We need to get him on the stretcher, child," McGonagall said. "We cannot help him unless you let go."
"I'm not leaving him," Ginny responded flatly. "You can side-along apparate me along with him. If he's alive, he'll need me with him, and if he's dead, I won't leave him. I'm not letting go."
Hermione nodded. Speaking through sobs, she said, "That's right. We won't leave Harry."
The headmistress sighed. "Very well, Miss Weasley. Stand up and help us get him on the stretcher. You too, Miss Granger, Mr. Weasley." Ron and Hermione came to Ginny's side and the three of them helped levitate Harry onto the stretcher. Then Ginny took his hand again. Ron, teary-eyed, gripped Harry's knee, but Hermione put her hand on Ginny's shoulder and stared intently at Harry, as though she was trying to memorize her friend's face. Then she gasped.
"I think I saw his eyelids flutter. Ginny, did you see?"
Ron, Ginny, and Minerva McGonagall all stared at Harry's face. Neville walked up behind Ginny; he, too, gazed intently at Harry. But none of them noticed any movement. As they watched, Fawkes, perched on Snape's breastbone, began singing. It was a tremendous sound from such a small creature, clear and resonant and unutterably beautiful, and all the watchers found themselves in tears as they listened. Fawkes fluttered from Snape to Harry, singing the whole time, and the watchers felt an inexplicable peace and joy, in spite of their grief. Everything would be all right now; they knew it. Surrounded and borne up by phoenix song, they carried Severus Snape and Harry Potter away from their field of victory.
Author:mary_j_59
Type: fiction
Category: gen
Length: short story, complete, approximately 5,660 words
Main characters and/or pairings:Severus Snape, Harry Potter, Voldemort, Ron, Hermione, Ginny, Luna, Neville, Draco and Narcissa Malfoy, Minerva McGonagall, also Fawkes and Nagini!
Warnings: Some violence (non graphic) and minor bad language. Character deaths.
Rating: pg or pg 13 - see above
Summary: Summer, 1998, and Harry has just disposed of all but one of the horcruxes. Before he can plan how to confront Voldemort and deal with the final one, he must deal with an old enemy who has his own ideas about what to do next.
Disclaimers and Notes: Thanks to my sister, who read and approved this for me. All characters and settings, of course, belong to J.K. Rowling, without whose work this story would not exist. The story follows the cut; as always, crit is welcome.
It was like a nightmare starting over again. Death Eaters, cloaked and masked, Apparating all around them, while the ragged veil swung and whispered on its dais. Harry half expected to see Sirius leaping to the rescue - but Sirius was dead. Dumbledore was dead. No one would help them now.
"Get up the stairs, away from here!" he ordered the others. "Get to the door." Then the fight was upon them.
"Back to back, " he gasped, but the others had acted before he could speak, as if they had practiced a thousand times. Ginny's back was to his, and she had a shield up; a red beam bounced off it and a Death Eater screamed - a woman's voice. Harry dodged and fired at a huge Death Eater coming down the stairs toward them. His stunner caught the man in the chest and he stumbled forward and landed face down, nearly on top of them. "Come on," he said, and grabbed Ginny's wrist, pulling her forward. They skirted the man's body and had nearly reached the door when Ginny's hand slipped from his. She slumped to the ground, and he heard a woman's laughter. Harry dropped to his knees beside Ginny and gritted his teeth. Bellatrix! Had she killed Ginny? But he had no time to check. "Is Harry worried for his little girlfriend?' came Bellatrix's mocking voice from the left. "Poor little Harry! He thinks he can play rough, but he doesn't know how. "
She was very close. Enraged, Harry stood up and aimed his wand at the voice without even looking, thinking, "Expelliarmus". Simultaneously, Bellatrix shouted, "accio wand!", and in the next second sent a red beam of light straight at him. Harry's grip on his own wand tightened, and he shouted, "protego," just in time. The force of the curse hitting his shield knocked him backwards and down, away from Ginny. As he scrambled to his feet again, he saw Bellatrix crumple. Who had stunned her? Harry glanced around wildly. Ron and Hermione were still near the dais - too near - and there were three Death Eaters closing in on them. He couldn't see Neville and Luna. Just as the Death Eater nearest Hermione, laughing, raised his wand and began to say "Avada Kedavra", a red beam of light took him in the back and he fell. Harry aimed at the second Death Eater, shouting, "Stupefy!" At the same moment, the third man crumpled. Ron and Hermione began running towards Harry. Maybe it was over; the three of them could grab Ginny and get out. But where were Neville and Luna?
Just as he turned toward Ginny, he heard Hermione sobbing, "No!" Harry stared wildly. For a moment, he couldn't speak or move. Ginny was alive - but she was being held, used as a shield, with a man's arm around her neck and his wand at her head. A hateful, sneering voice was saying, "Freeze, all of you. Stop where you are, or the girl dies."
Harry felt himself shaking with rage and hate. "Let go of her!" he shouted. "Let her go, you coward!"
"Why should I?" Snape responded. "What guarantee do I have that you won't kill me if I do?"
Harry was speechless. He wanted nothing more than to kill this man, and Snape knew it. There was nothing he could say. Then, behind him, a quiet voice spoke - Neville. He said, "Harry's more likely to listen to you if you let Ginny go, sir."
"What?" Snape and Harry snarled in chorus. At the same time, Ron roared, "I'll kill him if Harry doesn't! That's my sister he's got!"
"Shut up, Ron!" Hermione said. "Don't make him angry, or he will kill her!"
"No he won't," Neville said. As they all gaped at him, he continued, "He saved my life just now. Hermione's, too. He stunned those Death Eaters. If he'd wanted us dead, he could easily have let them kill us. What do you want, sir?" he said to Snape.
Snape answered, "I want to talk to Potter." Then he stared straight at Harry and said, "If I let Miss Weasley go, will you listen to me?"
Harry clenched his teeth. There was nothing, nothing at all Snape could ever say that he would want to hear. But the evil git had Ginny. He had no choice. "Yeah," he said. "Let her go, and I'll listen."
Snape relaxed his hold on Ginny and lowered his wand. Ginny broke free and ran to Harry, then turned to face Snape with him. She was very pale, but seemed uninjured. Harry grasped her hand briefly, then raised his wand again and pointed it at Snape. "What do you want?" he growled.
Snape had removed his mask. He was as pale as Ginny, and seemed even thinner than he had been when Harry had last seen him, nearly a year ago. '"You agree that defeating the Dark lord takes precedence over your quarrel with me?" he said.
"Yes," Harry snapped. "But I'm going to kill you as soon as he's dead."
Snape's eyes glittered. "But not before," he said. "You will need me to get close to him." Harry was silent. "I am to take you to the Dark Lord, Potter," Snape continued. "But first I must know if you are prepared."
Prepared? Harry's mind reeled; did Snape know about the horcruxes? "What if I'm not?" he asked.
"Then," Snape responded, with a thin, humorless smile, "we must arrange a convincing escape for you, as well as another confrontation in which I capture you. Now: will you answer me? Are you prepared?"
"Yes," Harry said. Whether Snape knew about the horcruxes or not, there seemed no point in trying to lie. "All but the snake."
"Nagini," Snape muttered. "Well. Sectumsempra should work on her. Remember-" and then he spun round with his wand drawn. "Miss Lovegood!" he snapped. "What are you doing?"
Luna had walked quietly up behind Snape. Both hands were full of wands, which she now held out as though she were presenting a bouquet. "What should I do with these?" she asked.
"Good girl!" Snape said, sounding astonished, and Harry, to his surprise, felt laughter bubbling up inside him. "Hold on to them, Luna," he said, and Snape nodded in agreement. But then he said, "I should like two of those, if you please, Miss Lovegood."
"Why?" Harry said
"That does not concern you, Potter," Snape replied. He turned back to Luna and quickly picked out two wands from the bunch she held. Smirking at Harry, he remarked, "After all, you do outnumber me six to one." Then he walked quickly up to the door, where two Death Eaters were frozen. One - a fair-haired young man about Harry's size - was leaning stiffly against the wall, and the other was slumped on the ground, as Ginny had been just a few moments before. Snape unfroze both of them with a muttered word. The young man instantly lunged at Snape, yelling, "Give me that, you traitor!"
"Draco!" the woman said. "Don't -" But Snape interrupted her.
"He's right, Cissy," he said. "I am a traitor. Three times over, and who knows where it will end? Nevertheless, Draco, I am sworn to protect you. So I am giving you a chance to take your mother home."
Narcissa Malfoy was standing now, although shakily, grasping one of the benches in front of her. "Draco," she began again, but Snape again interrupted.
"No, Cissy," he said, and there was something in his accent Harry had never heard before. "Do not command him. He's a man now; he must command himself."
Draco Malfoy dithered, frozen in indecision just as he had been on the top of the astronomy tower. For a long moment, it seemed no one else even breathed. It was so quiet that Harry could hear his heartbeat pounding in his ears. Ginny's hand squeezed his so tightly he could scarcely feel his fingers. Then Snape spoke. "One question, Draco," he said. "One question only. Whom would you rather see alive tomorrow, the Dark Lord or your mother?"
"My mother!" Draco cried. "Of course my mother! But - "
"Then take her home, lad. Here are your wands," and Snape stepped forward to offer them. The Malfoys took them in silence. "Listen to me," Snape said to them. "If the Aurors come, do not attack. Defend only, and then only if necessary. Do you understand?" Narcissa nodded, but Draco merely stared. "Go, then," Snape said. One after the other, Draco and his mother Disapparated.
"Now," Snape said, coming back toward them. "I will take you to the Dark Lord. But first - Miss Granger. With me."
"Hermione, no!" Ron said as Hermione walked towards Snape. She shook her head at him but said nothing. As she came level with Snape, he said to her, "You must do two things. First, we must seal that door so that no other Death Eaters can come through it. Second, once Potter and I are gone, you must contact the headmistress and the other Order members. I understand you can produce a Patronus?"
"Yes, " Hermione answered. "We all can. Harry taught us."
"But you are the quickest at learning variations on spells. Your Patronus must reach the headmistress and speak to her; in order to achieve this, you must keep two things in mind at once. The first will be the thought that helps you produce the Patronus, and the other is the message you wish it to carry. Is that clear?"
Hermione was frowning. "Yes," she said. "I think so."
Snape said, "If you have any doubt that you can do this, I will need to send the message."
"I have no doubt."
"Very well. You must tell the headmistress to come here, to the death chamber in the ministry of magic, and to bring as many Order members as she can. I want to see you do it now."
Hermione took a deep breath, then relaxed her shoulders and raised her wand. Her otter appeared from the tip and squeaked, "Death Chamber. Bring Order."
Snape sighed; his shoulders, too, lost some of their tension. "Good," he said. "Now, the doors. This spell is a variant of the one the Death Eaters used in Hogwarts; it will prevent anyone with a Dark Mark from going through this door. I need you to ward it from the outside and then come back in." And he muttered something to Hermione.
As Harry and the others watched, Hermione went through the door. She and Snape faced each other and raised their wands simultaneously, saying, "malum interdicio". Then Hermione walked back in.
Snape, as if to test the barrier, walked toward the door and was thrown back, just as Neville had been during the fight in Hogwarts. He picked himself up, rubbing his elbow, and said, "Good." Then he turned back to Harry and the others. "Miss Lovegood," he said, "I shall need another wand."
"What for?" Harry interrupted. "You and Voldemort are already going to outnumber me two to one. Why do you need another wand?"
"Stupid boy!" Snape spat. "Do you expect me to bring you captive before the Dark Lord while you hold your own wand?"
"You're not bringing me captive anywhere!" Harry yelled back. But Snape ignored him. "Give me Avery's, Miss Lovegood," he said. "Yes, that one. It's about the right size." Turning back to Harry, he said coldly, "Now, listen. Conceal your wand. This one which I am holding is yours-" he gestured with Avery's wand - and you are under the Imperius curse. You must promise to do everything I say."
"Why should I?" Harry asked, equally coldly. Behind him, he heard Ron and Ginny saying in a sort of counterpoint:
"Don't do it, mate, that's crazy-"
"Harry, you know you can't trust him!"
"You know what, Snape?" Harry said. "I think we'll just contact McGonagall and the Order and have them arrest you. We can give you Veritaserum and make you tell us where Voldemort is." His wand was pointed straight at Snape, and so was Ron's. Ron's wand had never left the man even for a moment.
"Oh, you will, will you?" Snape responded. His voice had gone quiet and waspish and he was pale with fury. "In that case, I think I shall just Disapparate now and leave you without a guide or any assistance. Since you are so very clever-"
Neville, Ginny and Luna interrupted.
"Sir, look out!"
"Behind you!"
"I think there's someone coming, Harry."
Harry whipped round, looking to Snape's left. Just behind Bellatrix Lestrange, a Death Eater appeared and chanted, "Avada Kedavra." The curse was aimed, not at him or any of his friends, but at Snape. While his attacker was still in mid curse, Snape turned, dropped to his knees, and aimed his wand. A red beam of light burst from it. At the same time, the incoming green streak vanished in a burst of flame. Fawkes! Harry was frozen in astonishment. Fawkes had come to him sometimes in the past year, and then gone again, without any pattern he could discern. Had the phoenix been with Snape? Had he been sending him with messages? But Snape had killed Dumbledore; why would Dumbledore's phoenix ever trust him?
Looking rather shaken, Snape got to his feet. He walked to the fallen Death Eater, turned the body over with his foot, and began cursing, quietly but vehemently. The Death Eater's mask had slipped off and Harry could see gray eyes, staring blindly at the ceiling, and hair so fair it was almost white. Draco Malfoy. Snape turned back to Harry and his friends, stooped and picked something up in his cupped hands, and carried it over to Luna. She held her hands out for it, but they were still full of wands. "Here, Luna," Neville said. "I'll take those."
"And me," Ginny added. The two of them took several wands apiece, and Luna began crooning to the phoenix chick she held in her cupped hands. Snape turned to Harry. He looked sick, and Harry realized he - Snape - was deeply upset about Malfoy. Harry felt a new flash of anger, mixed with something else he didn't quite recognize - something like sadness. Snape obviously cared for Malfoy; it hadn't all been an act, after all. When had any adult he knew cared so much about any decision he had made? Sirius had tried to be a parent to him - but Sirius had only known him for three or four years, and he'd been on the run almost that whole time. Molly Weasley loved him like one of her own children, but he was only one among eight, and not one of her own, after all. Dumbledore? Somehow he couldn't be sure any more. Yes, Dumbledore had loved him; he'd told him so, but he had also been Dumbledore's tool. His stomach was churning, and he felt he might be sick himself. "Why are you so worried about Malfoy?" he snarled at Snape. "Is it the Unbreakable Vow?"
"No," Snape snarled in return. Then he said again, "Are you prepared, Potter?"
"Yeah. I told you I was."
"Then say your farewells. Miss Granger's message will be reaching the headmistress very soon; we must be gone before the Order arrives. Miss Granger," and he turned to Hermione, "repeat your message as soon as we are gone. When the headmistress arrives, give her this and tell her to follow us with as many Order members as she can spare." He held out a square piece of parchment; Hermione took it from him and frowned at it, with Ron and Ginny staring over her shoulder. Snape's long, yellow forefinger reached out to touch a dot marked in the center of the map. "There," he said. Hermione nodded to show her understanding, then flung her arms around Harry.
"Oh, Harry," she said in a choked voice, "be careful! We'll be along as soon as we can." After a long moment, she let go and stepped backwards, wiping her eyes.
Ginny stepped forward and hugged him so tightly he could hardly breathe. Her lips brushed his cheek. "I'll be back," he said to her fiercely.
"I know you will," she answered. Her voice was steady and her eyes very bright in her pale face. Then there was Ron, thumping him on the back and hugging him, too. He was saying, "You can do it, mate. You've beaten him before," but he was even whiter than Ginny, so that his freckles stood out like a rash. Luna and Neville pressed forward behind Ron. His friends, the people who were always with him, no matter what. What had he done to deserve such good friends? For a moment, his vision blurred. He was surrounded by hands reaching for his, arms hugging him, voices wishing him well. And then he was alone, and aware that Hermione was crying, and Ron standing with his arm around her, swallowing hard. And there was Luna's voice, saying,"Isn't he sweet? We'll bring him, too. He might help."
"A good idea," came Snape's voice, interrupting Harry's startled laugh. The man was standing with his arms crossed, Avery's wand gripped tightly in one hand. Neville broke away from their group and walked over to him, his hand outstretched. "Good luck, sir," he said. Snape looked astonished. For a moment he almost seemed to flinch, but then he took Neville's hand and shook it briefly before dropping it. "Thank you, Longbottom," he said. His voice was rough. He swallowed, and then said, "It would be as well to gather all of these in one place and bind them," and he gestured round at the fallen Death Eaters. "Longbottom, have an eye on her," and he pointed straight at Bellatrix Lestrange. "If she moves, stun her at once."
"Yes, sir," Neville answered, his expression determined. He and Ron and Ginny all began levitating the Death Eaters into a single group in the middle of the room.
"Miss Granger," Snape said, glancing at Hermione, who nodded. Her face was tear streaked, but her voice was steady as she began conjuring her Patronus a second time. "Now, Potter," Snape continued, and took Harry's arm in a vise - like grip. The next moment, Harry felt the uncomfortable pressure and dizziness of side-along Apparation. When he was aware of his surroundings again, he found he was in another place of nightmares. The Riddle family graveyard was in front of them, only a few yards away. Though it was midsummer, the night felt raw and chilly. Snape was still gripping his arm so hard it hurt. "Remember, Potter," he said softly, "You are under the imperius curse. You must do everything I say."
"Why should I?" Harry whispered back. He didn't like the idea of even pretending to submit to Snape.
Snape said, "Because it will buy us time, you stupid boy! Have you no imagination? It might give us a minute or two. And after that-"
"Yeah? After that?" Harry said. His mouth was dry.
"We will just have to improvise," Snape responded, letting go of Harry's arm. "For now, keep pace with me and do exactly what I do. When I give this signal," and he chopped downward with his left hand, "attack the snake."
Harry nodded, the movement almost invisible in the shadows. "Well, then. Come," Snape said, and walked forward. Harry stepped forward with him.
They had only gone a few paces when Harry saw Lord Voldemort, standing in front of his father's tombstone with the snake, Nagini, coiled at his feet. He was alone. Snape kept walking forward until they were within five paces; Harry realized the man was breathing quickly, but that was the only sign of fear he gave. As Voldemort hissed, "Severus," Snape stopped and bowed low. "I have brought you the boy, my lord," he said. "Harry, bow to the Dark Lord." Furious, but trying to keep his expression neutral, Harry imitated Snape's deep bow, then straightened up again.
"Good, Severus," Lord Voldemort said, his red eyes glowing. "Very good! Now call my other Death Eaters so that they may witness my triumph."
"Yes, my lord," Snape said. "But first, may I ask you a boon?"
"What boon?" Voldemort said. His eyes flashed and he raised his wand slightly; Nagini raised her head and stared straight at Snape.
"I should like this foolish child to see how the Dark Lord rewards his faithful followers. My lord, you have conquered death. You can bring back whomever you choose. I am sure the boy would like to see Albus Dumbledore again."
"Dumbledore? But you killed him, Severus."
"At your command," Snape answered, and bowed again. "But, my lord, I knew it was not permanent. You have mastered death, and you can bring him back whenever you wish. I am sure Potter would like to see him again. Or Lily Evans. The boy might prefer to see his mother." Snape licked his lips and turned to Harry. "Potter, would you like to see your mother? You may answer."
Harry's heart was racing and his mouth was dry. What was Snape playing at; was he insane? He felt for his wand handle in his sleeve and licked his own lips, but, not knowing what else to do, he decided to play along. "Yeah," he said. "I would. I'd like to see my mum again." In front of him, Nagini rose up almost to head height, weaving back and forth, and Harry knew as if by instinct that she was preparing to strike. His fingers tightened on his wand.
Snape, incredibly, was still talking. There was steel in his voice as he said, "Or Eileen Prince, my lord. Can you bring her back?" Then, out of the corner of his eye, Harry saw Snape's left hand slash down. He thought, "Sectumsempra" and lashed at Nagini's neck. His curse was so forceful it beheaded the snake instantly, but, in the same instant, several other things happened. Snape was saying, "or her husband, or their daughter," when a curse from Voldemort flung him backward. His leg hit a gravestone behind him with a terrible crack, and he screamed. Then Voldemort turned to Harry.
Harry tensed and thought, "expelliarmus", but the spell merely hit Voldemort's shield. "Harry," the Dark Lord said to him, his voice surprisingly gentle, "why did you kill Nagini?"
Harry fought to keep his mind blank, to say nothing. He was vaguely aware that, behind them, Snape was struggling to his feet. "Because she was the last horcrux?" Voldemort said, in the same gentle voice. "Oh, Harry. What a waste. My poor Nagini was no horcrux. She was just a snake. Just an ordinary snake, after all. Expelliarmus," he added, and the wand Snape was holding flew across the graveyard and into his hand. "Of course," he continued, "she was the best and most faithful of all my servants. She was truly loyal," and as he spoke, grief for the dead snake rose up in Harry. "I know you are sorry, Harry," Voldemort said, and Harry felt tears of relief come into his eyes at such understanding and compassion. "You were only doing what others had told you to. You will not have to do that any more; you can be free now."
"Potter," Snape grated. "Harry, listen -" but Voldemort again hit him with a hex. It must have been silencio; Harry could see the man's mouth move, but no sound came out.
"Yes," he continued, "Nagini was quite innocent. Just a snake; just a loyal, innocent snake - loving, even, in her own way. But this one -" and he gestured at Snape with his wand, again throwing the man to the ground. "What can we say of him, Harry? He was about to betray me. And he betrayed Dumbledore, and killed him - your good friend and teacher. And Sirius Black, too, did he not? And your parents. They would all be alive today if it were not for him, isn't it so, Harry?"
"Yeah," Harry said. It was true; Snape had goaded and tormented and betrayed everyone he loved. He had caused their deaths. Maybe Dumbledore was the only one he had killed directly, but the others would all be alive if it weren't for Snape. He hated the man as much as he had ever hated anyone.
"You hate him, don't you?" Voldemort asked, still in that gentle, almost musical voice. "Even more than I hate him. What shall we do to the cowardly worm? He should suffer, Harry. Don't you agree?"
"Yes," Harry said.
"And we should be able to enjoy his suffering." Voldemort gestured at Snape, and the man, who had again climbed to his feet and was gripping the gravestone behind him, began speaking aloud once more.
"Potter, listen to me! He has you under imperio-" But Voldemort interrupted him.
"He is lying, of course. He would do anything to save his skin, as you know. I do not have you under the imperius curse; that is quite unnecessary. I know you will cooperate with me in this. Together, Harry, shall we?" And Voldemort raised his wand and said, "Crucio." A moment later, Harry did the same.
Two beams of light struck Snape almost simultaneously. For several seconds he remained still and silent, but then he began to scream. The beams of light played on him for a few seconds more, but then Voldemort said, "Stop, Harry. After all, we want to make our entertainment last, don't we? What was that very useful spell the worm invented when he was a boy?"
"Levicorpus," Harry answered, his wand still on Snape. The man was hooked off his feet at once, and Voldemort laughed - to Harry, it seemed a boyish, innocent sound, like his own laughter when he was younger. "Bring him here, Harry," he said, and Harry tugged Snape forward, grinning himself at the sight of the cloak and robes flapping around the man's face. "Now let him down," the Dark Lord commanded, and Harry obeyed. Snape landed in a crumpled heap about a yard in front of them. "What shall we do to him next?" Voldemort asked.
"Kill him," Harry said. Snape was again trying to push himself to his feet. As he put his hand on the ground to support his weight, Nagini's fangs closed on his wrist, and then opened again. Snape laughed in astonishment and looked straight at them. His eyes were wide.
"Interesting!" Voldemort said. "I told you she was my most faithful servant, even in death. A snake can bite even twenty minutes after death, and a cobra's venom can kill a man in a minute. It paralyzes the nerves, and eventually the victim cannot breathe. Some say it is a merciful death. But then, some say that about Avada Kedavra, too."
In front of them, Snape had got to his knees. "Shall we wait to see if the venom is effective?" Voldemort said. "But perhaps it would be safer not to. After all, Nagini may not have injected any venom; she didn't always. Perhaps we had better kill him now. Shall we do it together, Harry?"
As he spoke, Harry watched Snape. The man had bitten his lower lip till it bled, but he made no sound. He was struggling to stand, but one leg was damaged and would not hold him. Images rushed through Harry's mind. Ron, struggling to stand in the Shrieking Shack. Crookshanks protecting Sirius; Fawkes protecting Snape. Sirius and Remus preparing to kill Peter Pettigrew - "shall we do it together?" And his own voice, "I don't reckon my dad would want you to become murderers - for him." As Voldemort began to chant, "Avada Kedavra", Harry moved in front of him, between his wand and Snape. He was shouting, "No! I'm not like you! I'm not you! I'll never be you!"
He had moved so quickly to guard Snape from the killing curse that he stumbled. The curse struck him in the forehead, just where it had hit him on an October night more than sixteen years ago. That scar had hurt so often, but now it did not hurt; he wondered why. He felt very peaceful. Everything would be all right now; he knew it. Behind him, Snape had aimed his wand - Harry almost laughed; Voldemort had been so sure he had disarmed Snape, but all he had got was Avery's wand! - and was shouting "Avada Kedavra" from a bloody mouth. There was green light everywhere, and a sound of thin, high-pitched screaming, and over everything else, the sound of phoenix song. Then he knew no more.
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Coda
Minerva McGonagall, with Ron, Hermione, and Luna, Apparated into the graveyard just as Voldemort raised his wand to kill Snape. They saw the green light erupt from Voldemort's wand; they saw Harry stumble forward. The beam of light struck him on the forehead and then rebounded back towards Voldemort; at the same time, with the last of his strength, Snape pronounced the killing curse. Both the beams struck the Dark Lord in the same instant, and he screamed and collapsed. To the watchers, it seemed that there was nothing left of him - just the black robes in a pile before the gravestone where, three years before, he had ben resurrected. They began to run to Harry, Luna holding Fawkes in her cupped hands.
Snape and Harry were lying side by side when they arrived. Snape's strong fingers were clenched round Harry's wrist in a death grip. The man had stopped breathing. The phoenix chick beat its wings and fluttered out of Luna's hands to land near his head; its tears ran into his mouth. And suddenly, as though someone had flipped on a switch, he gasped, coughed, and breathed again. "Fawkes - no," he muttered. "Harry - go to Harry."
Fawkes fluttered to Harry and wept on him - on his face, his forehead, on the scar that was now bleeding, as it had not when he first got it as a baby. But the boy was utterly still. Ginny knelt by him and took his other hand. Minerva McGonagall, in the meantime, had taken Snape's. "Severus," she said firmly, "let go of Harry. Let go, do you hear me?" Snape's fingers twitched; he turned his head toward her and then coughed again. "Breathe, Severus," Minerva told him. To Hermione, she said quietly, "We have to get them to St. Mungo's. Something is not right."
Snape breathed in, then gasped, "Minerva - Harry. Don't tell me - I can't have lost him. Not both of them!"
"Hush, now," Minerva McGonagall said to him. "Don't try to talk." Then Neville and several Order members, including Shacklebolt, appeared out of the summer mist.
"Is Harry okay?" Neville said. "All of Professor Snape's spells just stopped working, all at once, and we had to fight, otherwise we would have been here sooner. Is he still alive? What happened?"
"Severus is still breathing, but something is wrong," McGonagall answered. "We need to get them both to St. Mungo's."
"Oh. What about Harry?" Neville asked, but Minerva McGonagall did not answer him. With the help of the adult Order members, she conjured a stretcher and got Snape onto it. When they lifted him, he cried out in pain and lost consciousness again. Minerva shook her head and said, "Miss Lovegood, bring the phoenix here. Its tears should have healed him by now."
Luna obeyed. In the meantime, the adult Order members approached Harry, carrying another stretcher. Minerva McGonagall was at their head. "Miss Weasley," she said, "please let go of Harry." But Ginny silently shook her head. "We need to get him on the stretcher, child," McGonagall said. "We cannot help him unless you let go."
"I'm not leaving him," Ginny responded flatly. "You can side-along apparate me along with him. If he's alive, he'll need me with him, and if he's dead, I won't leave him. I'm not letting go."
Hermione nodded. Speaking through sobs, she said, "That's right. We won't leave Harry."
The headmistress sighed. "Very well, Miss Weasley. Stand up and help us get him on the stretcher. You too, Miss Granger, Mr. Weasley." Ron and Hermione came to Ginny's side and the three of them helped levitate Harry onto the stretcher. Then Ginny took his hand again. Ron, teary-eyed, gripped Harry's knee, but Hermione put her hand on Ginny's shoulder and stared intently at Harry, as though she was trying to memorize her friend's face. Then she gasped.
"I think I saw his eyelids flutter. Ginny, did you see?"
Ron, Ginny, and Minerva McGonagall all stared at Harry's face. Neville walked up behind Ginny; he, too, gazed intently at Harry. But none of them noticed any movement. As they watched, Fawkes, perched on Snape's breastbone, began singing. It was a tremendous sound from such a small creature, clear and resonant and unutterably beautiful, and all the watchers found themselves in tears as they listened. Fawkes fluttered from Snape to Harry, singing the whole time, and the watchers felt an inexplicable peace and joy, in spite of their grief. Everything would be all right now; they knew it. Surrounded and borne up by phoenix song, they carried Severus Snape and Harry Potter away from their field of victory.
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Some explanations: Harry, of course, was the last horcrux. Voldemort was attempting to possess him, something he could not do by force without causing Harry great pain (and causing Harry to fight back), but which he *could* do with Harry's cooperation. He got that cooperation, initially, by playing on Harry's hatred of Snape, and Harry actually killed the horcrux in him in the moment he chose to die for his enemy - before the beam even hit him. That was why he and Severus, together, could destroy Voldemort's body without having a soul fragment 'left over'.
Severus suffered miminal brain damage as a result of his near-death experience, because he actually stopped breathing for a couple of minutes. Fawkes' tears didn't work on him as they normally would on a wizard because he's not a wizard any more. What will happen next-
At the trial, because it will become clear that Severus really was Dumbledore's man, and because their were eyewitnesses to his killing of Voldemort, he will be released. The wizarding world (except for Minerva McGonagall and a couple of others) will more or less wash its hands of him. He'll go back home to Bradford (or Halifax) and try to pick up the pieces. He'll eventually marry Jane Donnelly, a Muggle healer (he met her arguing over a patient he'd treated with potions!) and they'll have Lily and Chris - he'll regain his magic about a month after his little boy is born*, at which point Minerva McGonagall will contact him and ask him to resume his post as Head of Slytherin House and Defense teacher. After some argument, he will accept. He will become Deputy Headmaster (that year) and then, when Minerva retires, Headmaster of Hogwarts. So - happily ever after, but with difficulties; Jane is a Muggle, and Chris a squib, and they have to work hard at building and retaining a family life in the face of the problems the wizarding world presents to them. Nothing matters to Severus, at this point, more than his family. They manage. Lily will be sorted into Ravenclaw, eventually; her mom's an honorary Ravenclaw (acc. to Father Sean, their priest, who comments once to Severus that their family is air and water, but, after all, that is as strong as earth - Severus is stunned, because this boy doesn't know a thing about the four houses, and yet he's right!) and Christopher's an honorary Slytherin. He loves snakes, and animals of all kinds - catches a grass snake on the moors that his dad names "Tommy Serpent".
Because, after all, the devil hates laughter. He fell through gravity. And Severus is still, after all these years, just a little bit uneasy. He is always watchful, and protective of his family - especially his children. He can't entirely let go of the past.
That's it. The end. (The Short version of "the Trial of Severus Snape and sequels thereto")
*a deliberate reference to "Jane Eyre", of course!
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It would be great to see Snape marry a Muggle, or even find someone who is stubborn and patient enough to care for him. But then there's always the part of me who would love to see a Snape/Hermione plotline too...likely very unrealistic...darn it. ;o)
Here's my dilemma about Canon and book seven: if Snape lives then I'd personally want Harry to live also - no matter how maimed they both are. I seem to have this need to have both seeing as I think they are two sides to one coin.
Also the fact that Snape has obviously sacrificed things in his fight to keep the children alive and rid the world of Voldemort: I think if he lost both Draco and Harry - the two boys Dumbledore tried hard to protect at the night on the tower - and the ones most used by Voldemort - Snape would not forgive himself.
That's my two knuts. :o) But, saying that I do like "The Last Horcrux" very much - it was a fascinating read!
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I'm very glad you enjoyed the story and found it convincing, and I'd be interested to hear what you think of the others in the series (you'll have gathered this is primarily a Potter blog!)
Thanks again for your comments.
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Re: Horcrux
Yes. I completely failed to anticipate that Rowling would simply drop what seemed to be the major emotional conflict in her book - the one between Severus and Harry - and leave it unresolved. I failed to anticipate that Harry would never act for himself or figure anything out on his own. As you see, I anticipated that he would succumb to the temptation of using "crucio", but I failed to anticipate that *this would be perfectly okay*. I really, really, thought these books would be about Harry's growing up - among other things, by consciously rejecting Voldemort-in-him and acting out of love for an enemy. How wrong I was! I'm still angry and disappointed at what Rowling ended up doing, and most of all at what she failed to do.
Sorry for the rant, and thanks again for reading this. :)