Author's notes. // I have discovered a new pairing I love. And, since evil pink plot bunnies control my mind, (ReAd MuSe MaGaZiNe) I sit here writing, instead of working on the six mock provincials that I have due tomorrow. I will try and make this work as professional as possible, as I have had reviews that state that I leave holes. So, if you would like to beta this or any other story of mine (I mean, come on! You get to yell at me virtually!!) Review or PM and I will send you the next chapter.
Disclaimer: All the characters that obviously belong to JK Rowling belong to -le gasp! - JK Rowling. And I will say this once. I couldn't care less about her plot line. I take what I like from her stories, but as this is a separate work of fiction, it is to be expected that it diverts from her story line. If this offends…TOUGH LUCK!!! And if there is one thing I disagree with her one, it's that SNAPE IS SEXY, and Dumbledore is a childlike idiot with rare moment of insight and wisdom. So, I don't own them, am not gaining money off of them, so it's merely the musings of a mad student. (oh, and if I use song lyrics, they don't' belong to me either.)
Chapter 1
Last Sight on Earth
Some things in life are bad
They can really make you mad
Other things just make you swear and curse
'Cuz life is quite absurd, and Death's the final word
You must always face the curtain with a bow.
Forget about your sin, give the audience a grin
Enjoy it; it's your last chance anyhow…
Always look on the bright side of death
Just before you draw your terminal breath
Life's a piece of shit when you look at it
Life's a laugh and death's a joke, it's true
You see, it's all a show, keep then laughing as you go
Just remember that the last laugh is on you
Always look on the bright side of life…
Look on the Bright side of life.
Spamalot
The Monty Python Crew (1)
Harry looked at his hands, trembling in front of him. He clenched them, and looked around the dormitory that had been his home these last seven years. Dean's muggle posters still adorned the walls, as did Ron's clothes likewise occupy all the floor space in the tower. The huge four post beds with their familiar red and gold curtains. A brief smile brushed Harry's lips as he remembered what those curtains had gone through in his years at Hogwarts.
Harry stood abruptly. : That's why I'm doing this: he thought as he gathered all that was necessary for what was to come. : So that others can enjoy the same kind of life I've had here: He smirked to himself at that. : Well, almost. We have to remember that I'm the Boy-Who-Lived. The Boy-Who-Lived. Who ever thought of that name was more astute then people know. Did they expect to change the name to the Man-Who-Lived when I was older? No. I'm the Boy-Who-Lived. Not lives, lived: He placed a letter that he had retrieved on his pillow. It explained things, or gave the general gist of them. It wasn't his will. He had written that at the end of last year, and it was safe in the possession of the goblins at Gringotts. No, it was his personal farewells, and containing a press release, his last statement to the wizarding world, for the Prophet. He didn't expect to survive, and didn't want his friends dealing with that Skeeter woman while they grieved.
He left the tower, not worrying about anyone finding the letter and reading it before it was over. Dumbledore had decided that the entire school, first through seventh years, should have a Hogsmead day. Harry had gone with his friends, and then returned through the passage in Honeyduke's basement. He drifted down the halls, remembering this moment, or that, and waving at the paintings. They waved back, used to his wanderings when he should he somewhere else. He smiled. Now the egotist things could claim to be the last ones to see Harry Potter.
When he finally made it down to the Apperating point, Harry gave one final look back. The sun was behind the school, giving it a halo of sorts, and making the lake seem even darker and solid than normal.
Harry was smiling when he Apperated away.
XxXxX
Severus Snape felt the burning of his Mark at a most inopportune time. He glanced around to make sure no one had seen him wince, and then proceeded to go and search out Dumbledore.
Dumbledore was right where Severus had thought he would be. Sitting in Honeyduke's back room, looking through an array of candy that he had ordered through the proprietor.
"Care for a Smore's bar, Severus? I must tell you; these American Muggles always manage to astound me with their cunning way of creating new sweets. I was telling Minerva just the other day-"
Severus butted in. He knew how long Albus Dumbledore could rant about Muggles and their sweets. What a revolting subject altogether. ""Sir, I have been summoned. I have not felt such a strong summons since Potter did his stupid little charade in the Hall of Mystery at the Ministry." He clutched his arm as the Mark flared again. "And even then he didn't summon twice."
Dumbledore sighed. "Well, then, I suggest you take your leave of me and search out Harry's rival." He gestured towards the door, already turning his attention back towards his sweets.
As Severus Apperated, he wondered what the Headmaster had meant when he had said rivals. Potter and Malfoy had been rivals, before Granger had started dating the blond Slytherin. No, Potter and Voldemort were enemies of the worst sort.
XxXxX
Harry stood in front of Voldemort and his Death eaters, but he still felt a sense of peace, oddly. These were the things, he could not call them human, and that had haunted his mind since first year. Night and his mind had lent them an air of mystery, of true magic. But here, face to face, he saw them for what they really were. Grown men, so wanting of power and twisted that they were willing, even eager to follow a ridiculous half madman, half corpse who would as often kill and torture one of his own as those on the other side. They used masks to hide their identities from each other, not the outside world.
Voldemort looked around the group of his gathered, cowled and masked followers. "We are missing one." He hissed, his reptilian eyes scanning the crowd as though he could see through the masks, which he probably could. "We are missing our dear Potions Master. I guess we will have to continue without him." He twisted his lips in a parody of a kindly mocking smile. "And he was so hoping he would get to watch your downfall. All he does is complain about how much of a thorn you are in his class."
Harry yawned "I do try my best, Tom. It was an…enjoyable exercise."
Voldemort laughed "Hear the snakling. You would think he was a Slytherin in his common room." Then he stopped laughing, a sneer traveling across his face. "But you're not. You're a little Gryffindor, in the middle of his worst enemies."
Harry raised an eyebrow, deliberately baiting. "It wouldn't be the first time I've been in this situation…And won."
Voldemort turned his eyes on Harry slowly, and then drew his wand from the sleeve of his robe. "Severus is late. He can miss the defeat and death of his least favorite pupil."
Harry drew his wand as well. "And here I thought that was Longbottom or Weasly."
Voldemort began throwing curses at him. "Disue patius! (2)"
Harry dodged the curse, while muttering a shield charm under his breath. "Agere aut moritius. (3)"
Voldemort sneered. "You think that will stop me? For that shield to be maintained, you have to be constantly throwing counterattacks. There is a reason it is the shield for posturing schoolboys."
Harry grinned back cheekily. "Since that's what you consider me, shall we continue?"
XxXxX
Severus slide into the Dark Lord's main hall through a little side door. He did not want it to be noticed that he was late. He entered, and suffered a severe shock. Harry Potter, the bloody Boy-Who-Lived, who was supposed to the savior of the Wizarding world, baiting his arch nemesis into battle. As they began to fight, he winced when he saw the spells Potter was using. Agere aut moritius? The reason that was the shield of schoolboys was the fact that the shield kept the curse immobile while you sent a curse back to your opponent. If your curse wasn't stronger, the shield fell, and the previous curses all hit you at once. But as Severus watched, he saw Harry creating another spell with the fingers of his left hand. Severus caught sight of a tiny blaze of light that quickly dissipated. He shook his head. He had to be seeing things. Potter did not just cast a spell, with wandless, wordless magic, that very few of the very most accomplished wizards and witches in the world could cast, and only then with their wands. But it seemed he had.
Voldemort stopped suddenly. "What did you do, boy?"
Harry had his back turned to Severus, so he couldn't see his face, but he could hear the smile in his voice. "Oh, just a little spell I call Dulce periculum (4)." He smiled in mock surprise at the look on Voldemort's face. "Of, you've heard of it? Combined with the Agere aut moritius shield, it is most effective. Because every time you throw a curse at me, I receive double the power from the Dulce periculum. That makes it no problem to return a curse strong enough to satisfy the Agere aut moritius shield." He yawned amid the gasps of the Death eaters. Severus would have laughed, except for the fact that one of his students was in danger.
Voldemort snarled "Stupid boy! There are still many ways to get you!" He fired curse after curse at Harry's shield.
XxXxX
Harry looked at Voldemort through his shield. He held his wand ready with the spell that would end it all. The other spells were just to mask this spell. He felt whole. : This is what I was meant to do.: He grinned, probably baffling everyone. : Trust someone with a Hero's complex as large as mine to figure out his destiny is to die to save everyone…and actually not be upset: His shield flickered. The next spell would collapse it. Harry grinned, and began muttering.
XxXxX
Severus saw Harry's shield collapse, and then saw Harry throw, in slow motion, the most disputed curse in history. "Requiemus!" He saw the curse strike the Dark Lord, and all the curses Voldemort, or Tom Riddle, or what ever you called him, had ever performed turn back on him. This wasn't too bad, until you take into consideration that the curse won't let you die until every curse has been replayed.
Severus saw Harry hunch over, clutching his scar. It clicked for Severus. Because of the scar. Potter was feeling everything that Voldemort was feeling. All around Potter, accidental magic began to stir. Severus threw up his own shield.
XxXxX
Harry had known it would hurt to die. He thought he had been prepared by the nightmares Voldemort had sent him. They were like a stuffed bear for comforting children to an angry grizzly what these were to what he was feeling now. Harry saw Voldemort's skin peeling off his face. Harry wondered if that was happening to him as well. He wasn't able to tell. All his nerve endings were dead to anything at the moment. Harry smiled sadly, as he and Voldemort collapsed at the same time, surrounded by the Death eaters who hadn't shielded.
XxXxX
Severus felt the magic end abruptly. He looked and saw Potter fall over at the exact same moment the husk of what used to be Dark Lord Voldemort fell. He ran out and placed his head next to the boy's mouth. Good, he was still breathing. Potter's eyes fluttered open. "Snape, you…are…a..s..sna..snarky…greas..y…g..git." Harry's eyes closed. "Just…wanted to …say th..that before …I ..I died." Harry's breathing slowed as to being almost non existent.
Snape gapped. The nerve of some children… he froze at the thought. Quickly, he performed a healing spell on Harry, and then formed two homunculi from one of his hairs and one of Harry's. As they formed, Severus gathered the young man in his arms and Apperated to his manor house.
Finite Chaptire
Monty Python made a Broadway musical that was a mockery of their movie Monty Python and the Holy Gail. It is called Spamalot. If you ever have a chance, listen to the soundtrack. It's hilarious.
Disue patius- from the Latin Disue pati, or learn to suffer… just the kind of curse you would expect Voldemort to have lying around.
Agere aut moritius- from the Latin Aut agere aut mori, or either action or Death… seems like something the guys at my school would say when they are bragging.
Dulce periculum. - Latin for Danger is Sweet. It's a very risky spell, because you can end up using your own power, instead of your opponents.
End notes.//Well, did you like it? I need a beta, so if your interested and you like throwing things at people, you will like betaing me. Anyway, I need girl names. If you think a girl name is pretty, tell me the name and I might us it. And a HP oneshot for the 20th reviewer.
This is me, signing off, and hoping you enjoyed the first chapter of "An Angel in the Dark."