HARRY POTTER: THE LEGACY CHRONICLES – PREQUEL: THE RESURRECTION OF SEVERUS SNAPE
(ORIGINAL VERSION)
Written by SeverusGirl360
(Based on the Harry Potter Saga written by J.K. Rowling)
(Disclaimer: All characters and places of the Harry Potter Saga are the property of J.K. Rowling, no infringement intended, for entertainment purposes only!)
(Further HP fan-fiction characters and places of or related to Harry Potter: The Legacy Chronicles are the property of SeverusGirl360.)
NOTE TO READERS: As this is the original prequel (before the change in Severus's place of death), a few spoilers have been left in it, which will be featured in the current chronicles. Enjoy…
1998
EXT. HOGSMEADE – DUSK (MAY. 1ST)
As the last rays of sunlight began to fade into the red, blue and amber hues of early twilight, the calm and dreary interior of the Forbidden Forest began to take on a darker, more sinister appearance. Along the edges of this vast maze of haunting trees and blackened underbrush, a great wizard battle between the forces of good and evil was taking place.
But this was not a battle between rival nations, nor was it a battle between angels and demons, but a long and legendary battle which pinned wizard against wizard, witch against witch and magical creature against magical creature, a fierce and epic battle that was known as the Battle Of Hogwarts.
Among those who were fighting in this battle, the cries of the countless suffering filled the air around them, surrounding them, as people of every age and color desperately ran for their lives. Wildfires raged out of control as panic and chaos ensued, lighting up the early evening sky in an eerie crimson glow. The remains of scorched thatched roof cottages and half demolished buildings burned violently, the air turning ever darker as thick black smoke rose and filled the air. The battle continued on as an explosion violently shook the ground and a great plum of fire and smoke rose high into the air.
There was another loud explosion and then another and ever more immense plums of fire and smoke. Amidst the devastation and destruction, many wizards and witches both good and bad lied dying or dead on the blackened, scorched soil as men, women and children alike tried desperately to grab up what few personal possessions they could carry and swiftly ran for their lives.
EXT. THE FORBIDDEN FOREST – DUSK (MAY. 1ST)
Nearby, deep within the Forbidden Forest and away from the fires and chaos of the battle, a dark and menacing figure walked silently down a narrow dirt path that was flanked by the forest and underbrush on both sides, its long and flowing hooded black cloak trailing close behind it like a train on a wedding gown.
Suddenly, the dark figure stopped and began to look around cautiously, its ears catching the sound of loud rustling from the dark underbrush nearby. The dark figure stood alert but was not surprised, as though it was half expecting to see someone or something leap from out of the shadows and come charging towards it at any moment. Instinctively, the dark figure pulled out its wand and aimed it out in front of it towards the small clearing which sat at the end of the narrow dirt path.
Being surrounded by trees and in near total darkness, it was hard for the dark figure to see what had so carelessly stumbled out from the underbrush and onto the clearing in front of it. Though the dark figure's face and head were hidden underneath the brood rim of the hood on its cloak, the dark figure could clearly see that it was neither a man nor a woman and neither was it some poor and hapless beast.
It took only a few seconds for the dark figure to realize who and what the small figure was. The angry voice of a woman bellowed out from the blank, dark space which lied within the folds of the blackened hood.
"You! I swear Dobby one of these days…!"
Upon seeing the dark figure, Dobby yelped nervously and quickly scrambled up a nearby tree to hide in its branches for safety. It was clear that Dobby knew who the dark figure was and was in some ways frightened of it. But even Dobby knew that hiding up in the tree wasn't going to stop the dark figure from doing something horrible and unspeakable to him if it wanted to.
Dobby was a House-Elf; a small and light skinned humanoid, three feet tall, with long and skinny limbs, big round eyes and large, bat-like ears. Like most House-Elves were, Dobby was large headed and at the moment, undeniably dim witted, but he was still smart enough to realize that he had gotten himself into trouble.
Bringing down its wand, the dark figure quickly stashed it away in its right sleeve as it walked up to the base of the tree, its long and flowing black cloak bellowing back behind it in the early evening breeze. Once near the base of the tree, the dark figure pulled back the large hood on its cloak, revealing the pallid but beautiful complexion of a woman, with long, flowing amber colored hair which framed her face in curtains and cold dark blue eyes.
Hiding among her hair on the right side of her skill, there was a lock of pure white hair, which had been elaborately braided and decorated with small bone beads, bits of gemstones and tiny feathers.
Her face clearly wore a calm and bitter expression, but with subtle hints of disgust and disappointment lying just underneath the surface, her thin lips curling into an eerie and wicked sneer.
Worried about what the woman could do to him, Dobby's voice squeaked nervously as he fidgeted with his hands and stared down at the woman, who continued to loom near the base of the tree underneath him and looking angrily up at him.
"Mistress…Dobby is so sorry that Dobby disobeyed Mistress by leaving the safety of Mistress's house. Dobby feels so ashamed…"
Peeved, the woman spoke bitterly to Dobby, her cold blue eyes glittering in a most dangerous way.
"What have I told you about wandering away from the house at night? I could have killed you just then! I did not bring you back from the grave so that you could turn around and get killed again! Otherwise, I would have let you stay dead!"
Grasping hold of the front edges of her black cloak, the woman menacingly wrapped the front of it tightly around her, crossing her arms in the process. She appeared like some large, overgrown bat wrapping its wings around it, hiding a long and flowing iridescent dark blue gown underneath.
Even though she was no longer yelling at Dobby, she continued to stare at him coldly, wearing a murderous, cold expression upon her face. This was not the first time that Dobby had seen his owner flare and it was most certainly not going to be his last. The black cloth that Dobby wore appeared as though it has been cut and sown out of an old black wizard's robe. Dobby also wore a short emerald green scarf, which was wrapped once around his neck. Nervously, Dobby grasped at the front of a tattered and dingy black cloth as he spoke, almost pleadingly in a high, squeaky voice.
"Dobby feels most aggrieved, Mistress. But Mistress Verena must forgive Dobby! Dobby went to find his brother Treevole. Treevole had left Mistress's house to pick berries but he has not yet returned. Dobby is worried that Treevole might have been killed…"
"Go then!" said Verena curtly, "Find Treevole, pick berries, do whatever any other House-Elf does. Just don't get in my way."
And with that, Verena looked on coldly as Dobby swiftly jumped out of the tree, landing on his feet in front of her before he scurried down the narrow dirt path in the opposite direction, once again vanishing back into the underbrush from which he came.
After losing sight of Dobby, Verena let her cloak hang loose once more and then turned to continue down the dirt path towards the edge of the forest. Off in the distance, she could still hear the cries of tortured and dying wizards and witches filling the air around her. Even from where she stood, she could still see the smoke and light of a thousand wildfires, bathing the land beyond the forest edge in an eerie glowing red light.
Suddenly, she stopped and began to here footsteps from the dark underbrush nearby again, only this time she knew that it wasn't Dobby, as these footsteps were much heavier and louder than Dobby's footsteps were. For a brief moment, only the far cries from the battle and the sounds of a light breeze blowing through the thick tangle of branches which hung overhead could be heard. And the quieter it got, the more Verena began to be ever more alert of her surroundings.
Suddenly, a man leapt from out of the shadows, charging towards Verena and screaming, his face consorting in a mad, wild rage. But Verena stood steadfast in place, undeterred and unafraid of the man who was quickly barreling down upon her. It was clear to Verena that this man was without a wand and was instead making a fruitless attempt in trying to kill her with a blunt wizard's hunting knife.
Wizard hunting knives were weapons of dark magic, used by some dark wizards, dark witches and Death-Eaters who had lost their wands in battle. These hunting knives looked somewhat different from the hunting knives used by those who were without magical powers would use, though unlike normal hunting knives, Wizard hunting knives were infused with magic, which made them much more dangerous and deadly.
With her wand drawn once more and not wanting to give the man the time of day or the satisfaction, Verena raised her wand towards the man and aimed it straight at his chest.
"Lumos Deflectio!" Verena shouted, producing a powerful burst of brilliant white light that blasted outwards from the tip of her wand like a violent shockwave, throwing the man back hard into the underbrush and knocking him out cold.
Bringing down her wand, Verena walked over and bent down over the unconscious man, snatching up the knife and stuffing it into her waist band along with her wand. She could tell that the man was not of the enemy group and for a very brief moment, she looked down at him with a subtle look of remorse upon her face.
Speaking softly, she said, "Sorry, but I can't let you keep this knife. This is a Death-Eater's weapon and you are clearly not a Death-Eater…"
After a brief moment of looking all around her, Verena quickly stood up again and turned away, continuing onward towards the edge of the forest.
EXT. THE EDGE OF THE FORBIDDEN FOREST, OVERLOOKING A FIELD – MID EVENING (MAY. 1ST)
Upon reaching the edge of the Forbidden Forest, Verena soon caught the glimpse of a lone structure, which sat in the middle of a large open field. The field was surrounded by a long barbed wire fence and was eerily backlit by the light from the horizon. The lone structure, known as the Shrieking Shack, was the old and dilapidating remains of an abandoned house that was long thought to be haunted by its former residents.
Despite the fact that its exterior was slowly crumbling to the ground, its main structure was still intact and stable enough for people to walk and move about inside of it. And it was here, sitting on the edge of the Forbidden Forest that she would wait for her quarry to appear, for she knew that sooner or later, her purpose and reason for being there would find its way to where she was now hiding.
Verena glared up at the Shrieking Shack and with a soft voice, she spoke to herself, "I will wait for you here, Severus my love. When the time is right, I will run to you and I will save you…"
Long hours go by as she sat and waited there in the dark alone, the twilight fading into evening and the evening fading into night. She watched and listened as the moon rose above the open field and fell again, listening to the faint sounds of pain and dread that were being heard off in the distance.
Even though she felt the need and the desire to join in the battle, Verena knew that the real danger was lurking silently within the heart of the Shrieking Shack, far away from the death and destruction that was playing out in other parts of the Wizarding world.
But she knew that she had to wait, wait for the right moment to strike and bring down the enemy and the source of all the trouble once and for all. But she knew that she couldn't do it alone.
EXT. THE EDGE OF THE FORBIDDEN FOREST, OVERLOOKING A FIELD – EARLY DAWN (MAY 2ND)
Then, just over an hour before dawn, Verena sees the sign that she had long been waiting for. She looked up above her and saw a large white owl fly down and land on a large tree branch which was suspended just above her head.
The owl hooted and screeched softly as Verena hissed bitterly, "Hedwig! Where have you been you wretched bird? I've been waiting here all night for news!"
Hedwig screeched softly and flapped its wings as Verena continued, speaking harshly, "Save your apologies for someone who cares! Now tell me! What have you seen?"
Verena's eyes widened as she listened to Hedwig, as though she knew what Hedwig was saying and that it was something that she did not want to hear.
"No…he can't! He mustn't! I told him not to!"
Hedwig continued to make noises and screech as Verena looked over at the Shreiking Shack and then back at Hedwig, sneering and narrowing her eyes in disagreement.
Softly, Verena said, "You stay here. I will give you a sign when I need you again."
Quietly and cautiously, Verena stepped out onto the field. Walking through the entrance in the barbed wire fence which surrounded the field beyond it, Verena started to make haste across the darkened space towards the side of the Shrieking Shack.
EXT. OUTSIDE OF THE SHRIEKING SHACK – EARLY DAWN (MAY 2ND)
As Verena crept silently along the side and towards the front of the Shrieking Shack, she could hear the garbled voices of two men talking to one another inside. One of the voices was a voice that Verena clearly recognized.
Upon hearing the voice she recognized, Verena whispered angrily, "No, you fool! You were supposed to wait for me! Why didn't you wait for me?"
Angered but undeterred, Verena continued to find her way towards the front of the Shrieking Shack, as the wildfires of the battle began to crest over the distant hills behind her, further blackening the sky in a thick smoke.
Suddenly, the voices of the two men became silent, causing Verena to stop and listen. To Verena, the abrupt silence was an ominous and eerie sign that something unthinkable and horrible was about to happen. After a few tense moments of silence, the sound of a most dreadful and ear-splitting scream rang out through the air, turning Verena's blood ever colder.
It was not until this moment, when her ears caught the dying cry of the man's voice that she recognized, that her true feelings about the situation began to reveal themselves. The normally cold and ill-natured expression on her pale face quickly became contorted with a look of dread and fear, though this was a dread and fear that was not for herself.
Verena began to speak in a panicked, frantic whisper, her eyes ever widening, "No! No! Oh please, No! Not him!"
Suddenly, Verena shrieked and flinched in pain, grabbing hold of her left forearm. Looking downward at her forearm, she quickly pulled up the left sleeve of her cloak, revealing the dark tattoo of a skull with a writhing serpent coming out of its mouth and the ethereal image of a burning white ribbon wrapping tightly around it.
"Oh, no you don't!" growled Verena defiantly, bearing her teeth slightly, as she pulled out her wand and pointed its tip onto the ghostly image.
"Ecto Impairio!" said Verena weakly, as the pain of the burning white ribbon was starting to drain her of all energy and consciousness. Upon speaking the spell for a second and third time, the image of the burning white ribbon began to fade until it finally vanished in a cloud of glowing white mist.
Afterwards, she quickly stashed her wand away back into her robes. Sweating profusely and with her face cringing from the lingering effects of the ethereal ribbon, Verena lifted her head up and glared towards the top of the Shrieking Shack.
Her eyes were soon met by the sight of a black and menacing figure, rising above the Shrieking Shack with its dark silhouette set against the dark early morning sky. For many years, this pale and sinister figure had been known by many names: To those who feared him, he was known as He-who-should-not-be-named, to those who followed him, he was known as the Dark Lord, but to those who fought him, he was known as Lord Voldemort.
He was followed by a large serpent in a glittering sliver cage that was hovering just behind him by his left side. Verena narrowed her eyes and scowled, all too aware of who Voldemort's companion was. Voldemort began to speak towards the writhing serpent without looking back at it.
"Nagini…observe…" whispered Voldemort in a cold and rasping voice.
After a short moment of silence, the high, cold voice of Lord Voldemort began to project outwards away from the roof of the Shrieking Shack and echoed out across the field towards the battle lines beyond it.
Verena listened as Voldemort continued to speak, claiming that he was merciful by giving those who opposed him one hour to dispose of their dead and ordered his followers in retreat. It was at this moment that Lord Voldemort uttered a name that Verena recognized all too well.
It was the name of a young boy, who many years before had cheated death when Lord Voldemort had killed the boy's parents. Like Lord Voldemort, the young boy was also known by many names, but to those who were closest to him, the boy was simply known as Harry Potter.
With his cold voice bellowing outward louder than ever, Lord Voldemort began to taunt Harry Potter, claiming that if Harry did not surrender to him and meet him in the Forbidden Forest in one hour, that the battle would recommence and that Voldemort himself would jump into the fray himself and seek out Harry.
With that, Lord Voldemort began to drift away from the roof of the Shrieking Shack and out over the open field, with Nagini and her shimmering cage in toe. After a moment more, Lord Voldemort and Nagini reached the edge of the Forbidden Forest and quickly vanished into it. At the instant Voldemort had left Verena's sight, she quickly turned and ran frantically towards the front of the Shrieking Shack.
"How long has it been? No! I must still have time! I must have!" whispered Verena frantically, her eyes growing ever larger with dread and desperation as she quickly ran towards the front of the Shrieking Shack, refusing to be delayed or deterred any longer.
INT. INSIDE OF THE SHRIEKING SHACK – EARLY DAWN (MAY 2ND)
Inside the Shrieking Shack, Verena ran up the flight of stairs and towards the bedroom beyond it. But just before she was to enter the room, her eyes caught the sight of three figures that were standing inside it. Verena knew almost instantly who these three figures were and quickly dashed behind the door to the room so as not to be seen by them.
One of these three figures was Harry Potter himself, who was kneeling down next to the lifeless body of a man lying on the floor in a pool of blood. Harry was accompanied by the two other figures in the room, a light skinned and fiery haired young girl known as Hermione Granger and another light skinned young man known as Ronald Weasley. Harry continued to look down at the lifeless man in a state of shock, his bright green eyes glaring out from behind bright sliver frames.
As Verena continued to watch silently through a crack in the broken door, she soon noticed that Harry was cradling a small, slivery flask close to his chest. Suddenly aware of what was contained in this flask; Verena was becoming ever more anxious and desperate, desperate to get to the body of the dead man, as it was only a matter of time before it would be too late to save him.
Scowling and narrowing her eyes, Verena whispered angrily, "Move you silly boy! Move! Leave! Get out of here now!"
Finally, spurred on by his friends, Harry got back onto his feet and started his way out the doorway to the room and back down the stairs towards the secret passageway which led to the Shrieking Shack from Hogwarts Castle, followed closely by Hermione and Ronald.
Verena, making sure that she would not be seen, stepped out cautiously from behind the door and briefly looked over the railing, before frantically turning and running into the room and towards the body of the dead man.
Verena quickly slid to her knees and started grabbing onto Severus, her Occlumency powers no longer able to control her emotions. Verena began to speak pleadingly to Severus, who was very much silent and dead. With much tearful emotion in her voice, Verena began to cry out, "Severus! I am here Severus! I am here! Please come back to me! Please come back!"
Verena began pulling Severus's limp body up towards her and held him in her arms, placing his head against her shoulder. She wrapped her arms tightly around Severus and began to sob, letting out a loud, agonizing cry of sorrow which filled up the room and echoed off its gray blank walls.
Though a hail of tears running down her face, Verena began to cradle Severus. Realizing that it was only a matter of time when it would be to late to save Severus, Verena swiftly pulled out her wand and began to chant a spell that Severus Snape himself had used many times before, placing the tip of her wand on the bleeding wound of Severus's neck. She repeated the spell three times, chanting it in the form of a melody: "Vulnera Sanentur…"
While she spoke this spell, the blood on the floor began to flow backward into Severus's wound and the wound began to heal and soon, the wound had closed. Once she had healed much of the wound, she hid away her wand and began frantically pulling at something that was hanging around her neck.
It was a small sliver flask which hung down from a long sliver chain. She quickly placed Severus's head on her lap, looking down at Severus's face, his eyes were closed and that his face was pale with death.
At that moment, Verena pulled the cap off the flask, tipped Severus's head back and began to pour a bright blue liquid into his mouth. She then laid him down on the floor and stood back up again, stepping a few feet away from him before she brought her wand out again, pointing her wand at Severus's still body.
At that moment, she began chanting a strange set of words: "Body, breath and serpent's sight, bring this now dead back to life!"
At the instant she spoke those words, Severus's body began to shake and writhe. His face began to contort with a look of agony as he began to groan and cry out. Once those words were uttered from her mouth, Verena knew that she could not stop until the spell was complete or she would loose Severus Snape forever. Verena continued, speaking the words though her tears, "Blood of wolf and hair of hound, let him stand upon the ground!"
Severus's trembling body suddenly stood up and began to float a couple feet above the floor, appearing as though he had been suspended in water that was caught in mid-air.
Severus continued to cry out in agony before he began to speak in a sharp, rasping stutter, "Don't…loose…don't loose me…!"
The look in Verena's eyes made in clear that she had no intention of loosing Snape or to stop what she was doing as she continued to utter the spell through her tears, "Let him shiver and let him writhe, twist and tremble, now arise!"
Severus continued to cry out once more, groaning and shrieking loudly. Verena slashed the air with her wand towards Severus as she growled out the very last part of the spell, repeating it three times while Severus was still suspended in the air, his face and body contorting in agony. It was taking every last ounce of Verena's strength of will to maintain a stronghold over the spell, as she cried out, "RESURGIO! RESURGIO!…"
And upon the last cry of "RESURGIO!", Severus let out one last loud cry of agony before falling to the floor ontp his side, now still and silent. With the spell now having gone full circle, Verena ran up to Severus and rolled him over onto his back.
Hopping desperately that the spell had worked, Verena got back onto her knees and sat next to Severus once more as tears welled up in her eyes, "Severus?" she spoke softly through a haze of tears. "Please tell me I have saved you in time…please…speak to me…"
For one brief, tense moment, it seemed as though her spell had failed to keep hold of Severus. But then, a sharp, gasping breath suddenly came forth from Severus, his eyes opening wide as though he had fallen into a state of shock. Getting up on his hands and knees weakly and shivering with fright, Severus crawled over to Verena and began grabbing onto her arms. Verena began to cradle Severus once more as Severus suddenly fell quiet in her arms, his body still shivering uncontrollably.
Closing her eyes and raising her head up in relief, she began to whisper softly and quietly, "I did it, Severus my love…I saved you…I saved you…"
"I never doubted you." whispered Severus softly and weakly, as the trembling of his body began to subside.
"Severus…I love you…I have always loved you…" said Verena softly, as a haze of tears continued to pour down her cheeks.
"I know…" whispered Severus softly and weakly once more. "I love you to…"
Upon hearing those last words, Verena began to sob and wrench quietly. How Verena had felt about Severus and how they felt about each other had suddenly been proven true. It was at this moment, when Verena opened her eyes and looked down at Severus once more, that she noticed a lock of Severus's hair on the left side of his head suddenly turn from being pure black in color to solid pure white.
To Verena, this was a sign that the potion that she had given him had successfully fused onto Severus's DNA and that all was now as it was supposed to be.
"The deed has been done, Severus my love," said Verena softly, "Now aging and death will never find you again for as long as you wish them not to…"
"I…can't age or die?" whispered Severus softly, looking up at Verena weakly.
"Never again…just as I can never age or die ever again…" said Verena quietly, "I bare the Mark Of The Once Dead in my hair, Severus. Just as you now bare the Mark in yours. We are both cursed with endless life and agelessness, Severus. You will remain 38 years old and never die as long as you take the potion every eight years, just as I must take the potion every eight years.
"Don't worry, you needed only to feel the pain and hear the words to the spell only once. We can now live together in life and in love, Severus…forever, for as long as you and I wish it. Everything is what it should be…as it should always be…"
"But…Lily…" said Severus softly, "How will I ever see or be with her again?"
"You need not worry about her right now…" said Verena softly and calmly, "When you are strong enough, I will show you a way that you can be with Lily as well as be with me."
"But how can I?" said Severus weakly. "Lily is dead and in a portrait. How could I possibly ever see or be with her again?"
Verena sighed and spoke quietly, "There are more to those enchanted portraits then you realize, Severus...but that doesn't matter right now. Right now, you need to be quiet now and rest..."
And with that, Verena and Severus fell silent, left to look and be with one another on the floor of the Shrieking Shack alone.
_THE END_
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