DH Spoilers
A/N: Did anyone else realize that Snape and Harry didn't speak once the whole the book? Sure Sev, barked some instructions, but there was never that moment of actual conversation you know? Until now… This is a two shot by the way. I'll be doing one from a Harry win, and one from a Snape win… you'll see what I mean.
Oh and as you read there will be points where I won't rewrite everything... you'll have to recall the missing moments on your own. Don't worry I'll let you know what you need to know though.
Summary: They should have had this conversation, or one like it. I didn't want Sev to die… especially not like that. But I can actually live with that. What I can't live with, is the lack of conversation… so here it is… and watch as I still try and make it fit too DH… bare with me.
Disclaimer: Me, own Harry Potter? If I owned it, I wouldn't need to write this. JK owns HP.
I'll be using passages and/or lines from DH. Those definitely belong to JK Rowling, Scholastic, Warner Brother's, the tree that made the paper, the squid that died for the ink, and whatever else that needs credit.
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"Have you seen Harry Potter, Minerva? Because if you have, I must insist –"
Severus Snape
Deathly Hallows- pg. 598
The story begins here...
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"I must insist on speaking to him" Snape said.
"I highly doubt Severus that you would only wish to speak to the boy" Professor McGonagall said.
Snape looked at her. Though his face was just as unreadable as ever his eye's seemed to soften.
"What you think, and what is true, are two different things Minerva. My words were true, I do not wish to harm him."
"Of course… I forgot, you only wish to hand him to your master. How silly of me," Minerva said.
"Now is not the time for games Minerva. I need to speak to the boy."
Before Harry knew what happened, Minerva and Severus were dueling, spells flying in different directions. Flitwick, Sprout and Slughorn showed and joined the battle. Slughorn having no idea Harry and Luna were there, bumped into him, causing the Cloak to slip off them.
"Potter"
Harry turned to see Snape looking at him, but watched with a smile as one of Minerva's Transfigured statues rushed at him.
He saw Flitwick, over to his left and ducked a spell from Sprout, as he made way over to him.
"Professor, do you know anything about Ravenclaw's diadem?" Harry said desperately.
"Now, is hardly the time to discuss such thins Harry" Flitwick said charming the books off the shelf to attack Snape.
"I know, but it's actually quite important. You wouldn't happen to know where it is would you? Have you seen it?" Harry asked.
"Seen it?" Nobody has seen it in living memory! Long since lost, boy!" Flitwick said.
Harry ducked out of the way as one of Snape's hexes had flown in their direction. Harry decided it was time to flee this while Snape was busy. He ran over back to where Luna was, and tried to pull her out towards the door, but she had to duck a spell, and he managed to only pull the cloak as he stumbled on a broken statue.
Unfortunately, this was the exact moment Snape had decided to make his own escape, and caught his arm around Harry's neck.
"Don't even think about reaching for your wand Potter" Snape said in his ear.
All spells stopped flying, seeing Snape having Harry in chokehold.
"Only to talk right Severus?" McGonagall asked wand still rose.
"Yes… but not here. This is a private conversation."
And before anyone could do anything Snape flicked his wand and the blue-and-bronze silks Harry thought were nice, now fell quickly and wrapped itself around the rest of his former Professors.
Snape quickly pulled Harry out of the common room and dragged him into the nearest classroom quickly locking the door behind him. Snape loosened his grip enough that Harry freed himself from it and had his wand whipped out in the blink of an eye. Snape seemed to be ready for this, his wand was out as well.
"So you wanted to talk to me, did you? Wanted to tell me how much you enjoyed killing Dumbledore?" Harry spat.
"Potter hold your tongue" Snape said calmly.
"I won't hold my tongue. You're not my Professor anymore… I can speak to you how I please." Harry yelled.
"Is this how you want to waste precious time Potter? Yelling the poor frustrations of your life at me?" Snape asked.
"You're an arse, you know that right? Do you know how long I've been wanting to say that to you?" Harry yelled.
"Bravo Potter. Eloquent as always. Can we get down to the matte at hand now?" Snape said indifferently.
"If you wish… Stupefy"
Harry watched as Snape blocked the jet of red light wordlessly, and sent another spell at him.
"Protego" Harry yelled.
The spell defected out of the window.
"What too scared to cast an Unforgivable? You always were a COWARD"
And Harry was not quick enough to avoid the full blast of the nest spell Snape sent his way.
"Don't call me coward, Potter," Snape spat.
"Coward"
Harry yelled as he stood up and then added-
"Crucio"
Snape side stepped it easily, and sent a spell at one of the bookcases causing them books to attack Harry.
"Reducto" Harry said blowing half the books to pieces.
But in the explosion of paper that followed, Harry lost his focus and the next thing he knew he felt his wand fly out if his hands… he watched it soar to the opposite side of the room. Snape had wordlessly disarmed him, and was now approaching him with his wand out.
But Harry refused to die begging for his life.
"What are you waiting for? Do it? You didn't mind killing Dumbledore. I should be nothing to you" Harry yelled.
"Silencio"
Harry tried to speak but knew it would be no use.
"And do you know how long I've been waiting to say that to you Potter?" Snape said smirking.
Harry wanted to lunge at him with his bare hands…
"Now that you've cleared you system Potter. There's something you need to see."
Harry watched as Snape conjured a bottle with his wand and then put his wand to his head. Harry knew he was extracting memories but had no idea why. He watched as Snape set the bottle in front of him.
"Go to the Headmaster's office- it should let you in. Use the Pensieve to see the memories... I-"
"Reducto"
The door to the room had blasted open, and Harry watched as Snape took a hasty exit and jumped from the window as spells followed after him.
"Coward! COWARD!" McGonagall was yelling.
Harry slowly rose, picking up the bottle on the way. His mind racing to gasp what just happened… Snape had him… and he just gave Harry the memories instead.
Harry watched as McGonagall started giving out instructions to the other professors, and told the suits of armors to go protect the castle.
He and Luna made their way back to the Room of Requirement, where he saw that a lot more people had appeared. After getting things sorted out, the plan had been formed to make their way to the great Hall.
Harry noticed that Ron and Hermione were noticeably absent, but he couldn't help but think about the memories now sitting in his pocket-
"Potter, aren't you supposed to be looking for something?"
"What? Oh," said Harry, "oh yeah!"
He had almost forgotten about the last Horcrux, but he needed to see the memories first… they must be about Dumbledore. Everything had been centered around Dumbledore…
"Then go, Potter. Go!"
"Right – yeah –"
Harry headed towards the Headmaster's office at once. Hurrying up the stairs.
"Password" the gargoyle said.
"Dumbledore"
Harry said absent mindedly, because that was the only thought floating his mind in regards to the memories.
He hurled into the office and instinctively looked for Dumbledore's portrait, but all the frames were empty- no doubt trying to see what was going on in the school.
Harry went to the Pensieve in the cabinet, and poured the memories in.
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The Pensieve memories from 'The Prince's Tale' chapter…
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Harry rose up out of the Pensieve, and moments later he lay on the floor in exactly the same room: Snape might just have closed the door.
Harry never understood anything more clearly in his life. Snape had loved his mother… had only killed Dumbledore because Dumbledore asked him too… and he had to die…
But first he had to find the Diadem, and Ron and Hermione. He made his way back towards the Room of Requirement. On the way he saw Nearly Headless Nick…
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Story continues the same as it does from the moment he sees Nick, until the moments in the Shrieking Shack where Harry is watching Voldermort and Snape.
Those moments include The Grey Ghost, Ron and Hermione's kiss, getting the Diadem, saving Draco, Fred's death, and the battles encountered while getting to the shack.
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In the Shrieking Shack
Harry stopped as he heard voices and peaked through.
"I have a problem Severus," said Voldermort softly.
"My Lord!" said Snape.
"Why doesn't the wand work for me?"
"My- My Lord? I do not understand. You – you have performed extraordinary magic with that wand."
Harry listened as Voldermort spoke about how the wand was no different, and could feel his anger building, and Harry had to fight to hold back any sound.
"No difference" Voldermort said.
There was a pause, and Harry wondered if Snape was aware of Voldemort's anger.
"My concern at the moment, Severus, is what will happen when finally meet the boy!" Voldemort said.
"My lord, there can be no question, surely -?"
"- but there is a question, Severus. There is."
Harry watched Voldermort play with the Elder wand in between his finger tips. And the pain started becoming unbearable as Voldemort asked Snape questions that Snape either could not, or would not answer. Then Harry found himself looking through Voldermorts eye's at Snape. And now Harry had to fight the urge to not only cry out, but the urge to warn Snape to move…
"My wand of yew did everything of which I asked it, Severus, except kill Harry Potter. Twice it failed. Ollivander told me under torture of the twin cores, told me to take another's wand. I did so, but Lucius's wand shattered upon meeting Potter's."
"I – I have no explanation, my lord."
Harry watched as Voldermort watched Snape's attention on the snake floating in the sphere.
"I sought a third wan, Severus. The Elder Wand, the Wand of Destiny, the Deathstick. I took it from its previous master. I took it from the grave of Albus Dumbledore."
And now Snape looked at Voldemort and Snape's face was like a death mask. It was marble white and so still that when he spoke, it was shock to see that anyone lived behind the blank eyes.
As Harry heard Snape beg to leave Voldemort's presence, he knew what was coming, and almost lost his control… but he remembered Snape's words to him from long before 'Control your anger, discipline your mind' and so he did…
"All this long night, when I am on the brink of victory, I have sat here," said Voldemort, his voice barely louder than a whisper, "wondering, wondering, why the Elder wand refuses to be what it ought to be, refuses to perform as legend says it must perform for its rightful owner… and I think I have the answer.
Snape did not speak.
"Perhaps you already know it? You are a clever man, after all, Severus. You have been a good and faithful servant, and I regret what must happen."
"My Lord"
"The Elder wand cannot serve me properly, Severus, because I am not its true master. The Elder wand belongs to the wizard who killed it's last owner. You killed Albus Dumbledore. While you live Severus the wand cannot be truly mine."
"My Lord" Snape protested, raising his wand.
"It cannot be any other way," said Voldermort. "I must master the wand, Severus. Master the wand, and I master Potter at last."
And Harry felt it as Voldermort swiped the air with the Elder Wand, and watched as the cage flew towards the unknowing Severus. Severus didn't even have a chance to scream before Harry felt Voldemort's speak in paseltongue:
"Kill"
There was a terrible scream now, ad Harry watched Snape's face the little color it had left. His face whitened as the Nagini's fangs pierced his neck, and his knees gave way and he fell to the floor.
"I regret it,"
Harry heard Voldermort say coldly.
Harry opened his own eyes, as he realized he was no longer in Voldemort's body. He felt the tears in his face, as he looked down at his hand- he had drawn blood while biting down on his knuckles in an effort not to shout out. He looked through the crack and could still see Snape's feet trembling.
"Harry" Hermione breathed behind him.
But Harry was already floating the crane blocking there way out of the way. He lifted himself in quietly.
He moved quickly once he was out the hiding place- invisibility cloak forgotten. There had to be something he could do… Snape couldn't die… he couldn't… not now that he finally knew the truth…
With tears still on Harry's face, he lowered himself to the man writhing on the floor, watching as Snape tried to staunch the flow of the bloody wound at his neck.
"I'm… I'm sorry…" Harry managed to say as he shut his eyes trying to hold back his tear flow. "Thanks… for everything… you did to help me…"
Harry felt like his words were inadequate after everything they went through. Not less than an hour or two ago he had plenty of things to say to him, but now he was at a loss.
Harry was shaken from his thoughts by Snape seizing the front of his robes and pulling him close…
But Harry didn't want to look at him... not another person dead because of him… So he kept his eye's closed until he heard what would be Snape's last words:
"Look… at… me…" Snape whispered.
And Harry opened his eyes. His green eye's met the black…
But after a second, something in the depths of the dark pair seemed to vanish, leaving them fixed, blank and empty. The hand holding Harry thudded to the floor, and Snape moved no more.
Harry remained kneeling at Snape's side, simply staring down at him with tears still rolling down his cheeks… until Voldemort's voice landed upon his ear drums.
Voldermort was talking but, Harry didn't really care… this was all his fault- Voldemort's. And Harry knew what had he to do.
"I'm going." Harry said.
"Harry you can't" Hermione said.
"No… I have to do this."
"Mate, we-"
"I know… but I get it now… everything. Go to the castle, do what you can." Harry said.
"We're going with you."
Harry just looked at his two best friends pleadingly.
"Come on Hermione" Ron said after a moment.
"Ron you can't be serious?" Hermione yelled.
"But he is…" Ron said.
And Hermione burst into tears as she hugged Harry. Ron gave him a hug too.
"Thanks…." Was all Harry could say.
They nodded and headed back towards the castle. Harry took one last look at Snape as he threw the cloak over himself, and really hoped that Snape and Dumbledore had put their love in the right people...
He headed toward the Forest his body aching, and remembered the Snitch…
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That's it. Keep the rest of the story. I just needed a conversation… and not a fluffy one either- I'm not delirious, you know.
Was this a bad way to go? I hope not. JK probably would have done a brilliant job with it… had she decided to let them both have time to acknowledge the memories instead of just Harry seeing them with know way to ask Snape about it.
The other version will have Harry prevail in the room, and the memories will be acquired differently. Reviews make me smile, see :)