Disclaimer: I don't own them.  I don't know why anyone would think that I did.

Fall

By Selke

He hadn't meant to do it.  When he pulled out his wand and screamed the curse, he had no way of knowing who was beneath the bone white mask and ebony robes. 

Harry Potter sat surrounded by dozens of dead and dying Death Eaters, grasping at one of them with all of the strength that was left in his body.  He looked down at the body in his arms.

The once snide and regal Severus Snape lay in his arms, his lifeless onyx eyes staring up at him.

I'm so sorry, Severus…  You betrayed Voldemort to aid me…  Harry thought, hot tears springing to his eyes.

Harry had finally decided to bring the War to Voldemort.  He had been fighting the Dark Lord for nearly two decades now, and the straw had broken.  Harry had apparated to a supposed Death Eater meeting place, wanting to simply end everything, be it his own life or the life of Lord Voldemort.

He had cast the killing curse on the one who was once Tom Riddle.  He'd watched him fall to the ground, dead.  He had been filled with a feeling of euphoria, one that disappeared quickly as the Death Eaters nearby, all save one, attacked him.

Harry had fought with all that he had, casting curse after curse, hex after hex, towards the onslaught of death eaters.  His eyes roamed to the single man in black who stood there, still as death. 

As Harry felt himself weakening, dropping to his knees, the figure approached.  It started out slowly, the eyes behind the mask darting from side to side.  Panic spread through Harry as he cast one final curse, knocking out and killing every death eater within twenty feet of him.  The single figure had been one of them.

"Potter…" The man croaked, falling to his knees, then to the ground.  Harry recognized the voice in an instant.

"Severus?"  Harry stood shakily, glancing around at the fallen figures on the ground.  He stood still for a moment, making sure that all of them were dead or unconscious, before rushing over to the known man.

He took Severus Snape up into his arms, tearing the mask from his face.  Snape's eyes opened and closed slowly, staring up into the face of his former pupil.  A violent cough racked his lithe body, blood dripping from his mouth onto his robes.

"I-I didn't know it was you."  Harry stumbled over his words, tears coming to his emerald eyes.  With much effort, Severus lifted an arm, wiping the tears from Harry's cheeks.  "I-I'm sorry…  Severus, I'm so sorry…  Please, please, please…"

"D-don't…  Don't apologize…" Severus whispered, coughing slightly, his voice wheezy.  A rare smile graced Snape's pale features.  "Congratulations, Potter.  You've done it.  Voldemort is truly dead."

"How do you know?"

"T-the mark…" Severus raised the left sleeve of his robes, revealing smooth, unmarred skin.  It was as if there had never been a dark mark there.  "It's gone."

Harry ran a hand over Severus' arm, sending a chill up the elder man's spine.

"We've got to get you back to Hogwarts, or to Mungos…"

"No."

"Severus, you need medical attention…  You were the farthest away from me when I cast the curse…  That's the only reason that you're alive.  We can't push that luck."

"N-no.  There's no time."  Severus wheezed.  His body began shaking slightly, sweat pouring from his pain racked body. 

Harry nodded, holding his former professor tighter, rocking him back and forth as tears streamed from his eyes.  As he felt the last breath leave Snape's body, he felt a small bit of his own soul leave as well.

-End-

Mmm…  I've started a bit of a Severus/Harry romance story, but I'm debating continuing it.  There's so much of it out there, I don't know if I want to add to it.  Not to mention it's all better than anything that I could ever do.  Let me know if anyone cares to read it.