MAJOR SPOILERS. IF YOU DO NOT WANT TO KNOW WHAT HAPPENS, TURN BACK NOW. OBVIOUSLY. I LIKE CAPS.
I loved the book, but I love my AU better. :)
A/N: a took an excerpt from the book, a paragraph or so. Just to fit with the story.
I realize that Mrs. Weasley kills Bellatrix before Harry duels Voldemort, but this is changed to fit my story. xD
What I've Done
"So it all comes down to this, doesn't it?" whispered Harry, staring daggers at Voldemort, "Does the wand in your hand know its last master was Disarmed? Because if it does….I am the true master of the elder wand."
"NOT MY DAUGHTER, YOU BITCH!!!" Harry heard the scream of Mrs. Weasley from behind him. Bellatrix cackled at her.
"Your son then" sneered the woman, and threw a silver dagger, the same dagger that had pierced Dobby's frail chest, at her left, where Ron stood, utterly perplexed. Just as Mrs. Weasleys killing curse hit Bellatrixs chest, the dagger hit Rons.
A red-gold glow burst suddenly across the enchanted sky above them as an edge of dazzling sun appeared over the sill of the nearest window. The light hit both of their faces at the same time, so that Voldemort's was suddenly a flaming blur. Harry heard the high voice shriek as he too yelled his best hope to the heavens, pointing Draco's wand:
"Avada Kedavra!"
Harry's killing curse struck Voldemort, who fell dead. He saw the body, but took no time to admire his work. He turned toward his best friend, Ron Weasley, laying on the ground, a steadily growing dark red stain upon his chest. An eruption of cheers came from the students, but Harry cared not. He crossed the stone floor before Mrs. Weasley or Hermione could get to him. He knelt down beside Ron, and shifted his body up into his arms.
"Ron, you can't…." he was shaking, he wanted to cry, but his eyes remained dry.
"Good, mate," Ron smiled weakly, "k-killed the bastard….."
Harry gripped Ron's shoulders tightly. "Ron, don't talk. Just relax. You're going to be okay."
"Tell Hermione, tell her-"
But Harry didn't hear what he needed to tell Hermione, because a piercing voice, one he thought he would hear no more, sounded in the crowd. "Out-of-my-way, you idiots! I'm on your side!" No, it couldn't be. He looked to his left, to see Severus Snape emerging from a rather shaken/angry crowd, his hair greasy as ever, a white bandage upon his neck. The cheers had died down when most of the other students had seen Ron's condition.
Harry paled. This wasn't possible. This had to be a dream. The defeat of Voldemort. Ron dying in his arms. Snape, emerging alive after being brutally attacked by Nagini. "He's right!" Harry called to the confused crowd, almost tonelessly.
He shifted his eyes to the body in his arms. Ron's eyes were full of surprise. "Greasy- arse. Our side? Doesn't make…." And the lips stopped moving. The eyes were vacant.
"Ron…" Harry breathed.
Mrs. Weasley gave a great wail. "Ron!! Not him!! Not Fred and Ron both!!!" Hermione was sobbing into Professor McGonagalls shoulder.
"Potter," he heard a voice hiss from behind him.
Harry tore his eyes away from Ron, and whispered harshly, "What Do You Want?" Though Harry had not forgotten that Snape indeed 'cared' for him in his own sick way, and was on the side of the light, he still resented the man for treating him in the manner he did.
Snape seemed rather taken aback, but answered coolly, "The elder wand, boy. Where is it?"
Harry pointed at Voldemorts body matter-of-factly. Snape nodded curtly, and walked toward the corpse of his former 'lord'. Harry looked back at Ron's vacant eyes, still full of query, and bit his tongue hard enough to draw blood. He laid Ron's top half gently to the ground, and scooted back, allowing Mrs. Weasley and Hermione to swarm his best friend's body.
"Help me pull this dagger out now, Hermione!!" Mrs. Weasley ordered who was wild with hysteria, gripping the silver handle, "come now dear. Can't let it stay, c-can't let it stay…" she dropped her head to Ron's shoulder, and loud sobs emitted from her. Mr. Weasley watched silently, tears trickling down his cheeks.
Harry had to tear his eyes away from the scene, he could take it no longer. He let his eyes sweep over the grief-stricken crowd to Snape, holding the elder wand in his hand. He nudged Voldemort with his toe, and Harry had to suppress a laugh, which he was sure, if had came out of his mouth, would have sounded maniacal. In one swift movement, Snape broke the wand in half, dropping the two brown sticks to the ground.
He swept around, looking bat-like his ever, and seem rather startled (for the third time, mind you) to be facing Harry. "Well done, Potter," he said almost mockingly.
A wave of rage rushed over him, just as it had done when Remus had told Ron, Hermione, and himself that Tonks was with child and he wanted to leave her to join them. But now Remus was gone..
"That wand wasn't yours to break." He snarled.
Snapes eyes flashed with annoyance. "So like you, Potter. Think your noble, do you? Because you saved everyone? You didn't do it for them, did you? You did it for yourself, for the glory. Wanted to become the possessor of death, will all the Hallows, just like Dumbledore did? Oh, yes, Potter. I knew of his mistakes. Honestly, boy. What did you expect?"
He looked at the former Potions master incredulously. "What did I- What did I- expect?"
Suddenly, there was no one. No one but Snape, who had just managed to insult him, even though he had defeated Voldemort. Harry's anger boiled over. And he exploded, worse than he ever had before. "EXPECT? EXPECT?!?! WHAT DID I EXPECT?" He was screaming, and Snapes expression, as always, was impenetrable, but he definitely was not wearing his sneer, "I-I EXPECTED DEATH!! AFTER I SAW THOSE MEMORIES YOU GAVE, WHAT DID YOU EXPECT?! AND I WALKED INTO THE FOREST, READY TO DIE, FOR EVERYONE!! I WAS WILLING TO DIE FOR ALL OF THE WIZARDING WORLD, RIGHT, WHAT A SELFISH BASTARD I MUST BE!!!" his chest was heaving, he was seeing red, "AND THEN I DIDN'T DIE!!!! I KILLED HIM!!! AND I FORGAVE DUMBLEDORE, I FORGAVE HIM FOR RAISING ME LIKE A, WHAT WERE THE WORDS YOU USED, A PIG TO BE SLAUGHTERED!! WHAT DID I EXPECT? I CERTAINLY DIDN'T EXPECT CEDRIC, SIRIUS, DUMBLEDORE, HEDWIG, MAD-EYE, DOBBY, FRED, REMUS, TONKS, AND RON TO DIE!!" he wanted to hurt Snape, "I DIDN'T EXPECT-" and his voice became more dangerous, more shaky, "I DIDN'T EXPECT YOU TO BE IN LOVE WITH MY MOTHER," he heard a few gasps of shock, and hoped that he had hurt Snape, and his voiced raised again, "and…..and….I didn't…I DIDN'T EXPECT TO SEE YOU ALIVE! I WANT TO KNOW HOW IN THE NAME OF BLOODY FUCK YOU ARE ALIVE AFTER VOLDEMORT HAD HIS SNAKE ATTACK YOU! YOU- YOU- YOU BAT-OUT-OF-HELL, GREASY HAIRED, SELF-OBSESSED, OUTCAST GIT!!!!"
He dropped to his knees, pounding his fists on the stone floor. He was shaking. He didn't let himself make a sound. He looked up, and saw the shocked faces of the entire crowd of students. They looked like they were empathizing with him, to his great relief, not judging or pitying him. Mrs. Weasley and Hermione were the only ones not stunned by his outburst, they were stunned themselves at the loss of Ron.
Suddenly, Georges voice rang out, sounding strangely authoritarian, "Alright. Gryffindor Common Room, everyone."
And gratitude filled Harry's heart for the remaining Weasley twin, but he was still shaken to his core, grief and rage overtaking him. He had just screamed bloody murder at his savior, though Snape had deserved it, he still wanted to relinquish the words to spare him further humiliation from the man.
Once everyone except Harry, Snape, Mrs. Weasley, Hermione, and Ron's body were out of the Great Hall, Harry stood, and drank in his surroundings. His eyes lingered on the three, but he shook his head.
"Potter," Snapes voice was still as piercing as ever, but it seemed as though he was trying to speak gently, "come here."
Guilt seized his heart tightly as he stood slowly. Harrys gaze was fixed on the stone floor, and he shuffled slowly across it. Why am I being so submissive? Harry thought, scolding himself. But he was so tired…
Once he was three feet or so away from Snape, he directed his gaze at the older mans sallow face. He tried not to show apology in his face. He musnt know what I feel.
"Potter-" he began, rather haughtily, but, with a considering look on his face, changed his tone, "Potter, I believe-"
He stopped abruptly. Harry had cast his eyes towards the floor.
"You will look at me when I'm talking to you."
Harry made no move to obey.
"Potter, look at me." Again, he softened his voice.
The boy-who-lived looked up. Harry's eyes were full of tears for the first time since he had visited his parents graves at Godrics Hollow. Harry felt horribly ashamed as a hot tear made it's way down his left cheek. Surely Snape would attack him now, 'Is Baby Potter cwying?' 'you're a coward like your father' 'worthless freak' He imagined these phrases coming out of Snapes mouth, which, admittedly, wasn't hard to do.
Snape didn't speak, though Harry did not know whether it was from shock or amusement. A lump formed in Harrys throat, and he could no longer look into the pale face. A sob erupted from his mouth just as he looked away, and he fell to his knees as it all hit him like an oncoming train. He heard himself screaming at Snape about the deaths he did not expect, but it had just now hit him. They were all dead, though they died with dignity, they died because of him….
"They're all gone…" Harry half-sobbed. There was a pause.
"Yes, they are," he heard Snape respond tonelessly.
"B-because of me…" Harry wailed, so ashamed at how pathetic he sounded.
"No," Snape shifted in movement, kneeling before him, "for the last time, boy. Look at me," there was the commanding tone Harry had come to know. He looked up at Snapes impassive face, "they did not die in vain, Potter. They died to protect you, though it wasn't your fault. It wasn't your fault you needed protection, It wasn't your fault that a sadistic power-hungry wizard victimized a child because of a ridiculous prophecy. A prophecy, which, he enacted by believing it."
As Snape said these words, more to himself then Harry, he looked as though he was just realizing the truth in them. There was a pause before Snape spoke again. "I…" he said, his face suddenly readable, "I am so- sorry, Potter."
A silent sob wracked Harry's body, and he fell forward into Snape. He felt Snape give a start, and Harry began sliding, but the man caught him with strong arms, and held him, rather awkwardly. Harry felt them shift as Snape pushed himself into a sitting position.
"You really-" Harry whispered into Snapes chest, "you really mean that?"
The man patted his back awkwardly. "Yes, I do, Pot-, Harry."
And that was all the boy-who-lived needed. Harry began to cry openly into Snapes chest, his body shuddering violently, his cries loud and muffled. And it no longer became awkward as Snape tightened his grasp on the boy, hoping to god that he was, somehow, holding the broken child together.
Harry's eyes opened slowly. The blurred faces of Hermione and Ginny were the first thing he saw. He mumbled and smiled. He felt an odd sense of euphoria.
He saw Ginny's face in the soft light. "My beauuutiful Gin,Gin," he grinned, one hand finding her cheek. Ginny's eyes brimmed with tears and she laughed.
"Must be after-effects of all the healing potions," said Ginny to Hermione.
"Hermyyy oo neee," Harry directed his gaze at his brilliant friend, "R-rons gone," he stammered, feeling a lump form almost immediately in his throat, "it makes me sad."
Hermione nodded tearfully. "Me too, Harry. We should let you rest." And with that, the two girls were gone. Harry sat up, and looked around. There was one bed next to his, the unmistakable form of Draco Malfoy lying there. Lucius and Narcissa sat at his bedside, talking to him.
"Malllfoy…" he slurred, and the blonde boy stopped speaking to his parents, and turned his head.
"I'm glad, I'm glad your parents survived." Harry almost beamed.
Draco bit his lip, surveying Harry. "Me too…." And then, quickly, he added, "and thank you. For saving my life…….for saving me. Twice. Weasley was right to punch me."
Harry furrowed his brow, "Ron…."
"I'm sorry about him. What Bella did…." But this time was the voice of Narcissa Malfoy, who had unmistakable gratitude in her eyes, "and thank you, thank you for telling me…" her voice trailed off.
"Nooo," Harry said, "Thank you, Malfoys mum. For not telling Voldy Mort I was still alive." A faint smile appeared on Narcissas and Dracos face.
Suddenly, an unmistakable black figure swept into the hospital wing.
"Severus…" Lucius said weakly. Snape cast a disgusted look over at him, and looked back at Harry.
"Potter," he said quickly, "what is your condition?"
"Pretty damn good," Harry slurred, "considering you-know-whooo is dead."
Snape nodded curtly, slightly amused, and moved to leave. "Professor?" his voice, with the slight medicinal drunkenness he was experiencing, sounded more pleading than ever.
Snape looked at him. "What is it?"
"You apologized to me," Harry said, almost adoringly, "it was nice. And…and….its okay."
Harry fell back to his soft, fluffy, white pillows, and closed his eyes. Snape walked over to him. He brushed a hand over Harry's face, stroking the scar once with his thumb. Lucius Malfoy looked dumb with shock. "Sleep well, Potter," said Severus Snape, a faint smile on his face. All was well.
I didn't want Snape to die. But its okay, still liked the book. Bawled through the last three chapters though, can't believe its over.
For y'all who have read the book, read chapter thirty-four listening to jimmy eat worlds 'hear you me'. It's really fitting. Just my opinion.
The reason I did this story is that it bothered me that Harry didn't have a good cry after all that he went through.
Please review!!