Chapter One
Of all the people Harry might expect to be in his room at Privet Drive, Severus Snape is not one of them. His thin, sallow features are leaning over the top of his bed, hands gripping both of Harry's shoulders as he shakes him. True to form, he's not gentle.
"Potter! Get up!"
It would be strange for Snape to be in his dorm room at Hogwarts, but at Privet Drive? It's downright bizarre.
"Snape?" Harry slurs, reaching for his glasses. "What the hell are you doing here?"
Snape doesn't even bother to chide him for the lack of respect. Whatever he's there for, it's obviously important. "Get dressed and pack your things. You're leaving."
Harry rubs the sleep from his eyes. The one night I don't dream about Sirius' death and I get woken up.
"What are you talking about? Dumbledore said-" Harry begins.
"Will you just listen to me for once in your worthless life?" Snape hisses.
Scowling, Harry throws the blankets off, ignoring the lack of privacy the potions master gives. He quickly dresses. "What's going on? Has something happened? Is everyone all right?" Harry asks quickly, shoving his wand into the waistband of his jeans. With Voldemort back and out into the open once more, it seems the only logical explanation for the man's presence.
"Just pack your things! Try not to wake your relatives. This will go much easier if they don't notice you're gone."
In a huff, Harry drags out his suitcase and begins packing it again, though it's only been a few weeks since he unpacked it after his fifth year. "Can you at least tell me where we're going? Hogwarts? The Burrow?"
"You move slower than a flobberworm dosed with Drowsiness Draught," Snape says irritably, ignoring the question. With a wave of his wand, Harry's belongings fold and pack themselves neatly away. "Now, hurry up, we're leaving."
This is all way too suspicious… Harry reaches for his wand.
"Petrificus Totalus."
Harry's body stiffens and he falls backwards helplessly onto his bed. Snape looms over him. "If I was going to harm you, I would have done it while you were still asleep, idiot child!"
Well, that's true.
"Now, for once, can you just follow instructions?"
Harry couldn't answer even if he wanted to.
"I'm going to release you, and if you reach for your wand again, I will feed you potions that will forceyour compliance. It will not be comfortable," Snape promises. "Finite Incantatem."The spell releases, and Harry slowly sits up. He doesn't reach for his wand again, though it would be a lie to say that he wasn't still suspicious.
"Now, get your invisibility cloak, then follow me with your trunk and that blasted bird." This time, Harry doesn't argue. He follows Snape down into the kitchen, after Snape levitates his trunk and Hedwig's cage down the stairs so they don't wake his aunt and uncle.
"So, where are we going?" Harry asks quietly, trying to sound more polite this time.
"Diagon Alley."
Harry wants to ask a million questions, the most pertinent being why, but no doubt Snape wouldn't deign it necessary to answer. Still, he has to say something. "But it's nearly two o'clock in the morning! Nobody will even bethere!"
It seems to take all of Snape's willpower not to snap back at him. "That's exactly why we're going now,"he says. "And Gringotts is open twenty-four hours a day."
Harry follows Snape out of the back door of the house. "Why aren't we going out the front?"
"Must you ask so many incessant questions?" Snape grumbles. "I want to make sure we're not seen, even by that squib across the road."
Does that mean Dumbledore doesn't even know Snape is here?If Harry was suspicious before, then he's even more sorely tempted to pull out his wand again, now. Something tells him it's the wrong move to make. If Snape wanted to harm him, it's the strangest, most roundabout way of doing so, especially since he had to wake Harry in the first place.
Might as well see what's going on.
At the end of the backyard, Snape spells a hole in the fence and urges Harry to climb through. Snape follows after him and casts a quick reparo to fix it from the other side.
"Take it," Snape says, holding out his left arm. With his free hand, the one not dragging his trunk and Hedwig, Harry reaches out to grab the outstretched arm.
And then they're spinning.
When they stop, Harry staggers away and promptly vomits onto the stone pavement of Diagon Alley.
"Most people vomit upon first apparition, especially side-apparition," Snape explains, completely unsympathetic.
Harry wipes at his mouth. "You could have warned me."
Snape shrugs. "Wouldn't have changed the outcome."
Harry shakes his head and looks pointedly away. Bastard.
"Now, I need you to follow my next instructions very carefully. Take your cloak and wear it all the way up to Gringotts. It's very important that you aren't seen."
Harry wants to tell him that there's not exactly going to be crowds of people around at this time of night, but a man like Snape isn't going to want to take any chances.
"Be careful not to wear the cloak inside the bank. The goblins won't take kindly to it. Take it off at the front steps. Go to your vault and take out enough to transfer to about fifteen-thousand muggle pounds."
"Wait, you want me to transfer galleons to muggle money? Why-"
Snape lifts a hand. "No questions, just do it."
Harry sighs and nods.
"Then, make your way back here."
With a shrug, Harry throws the cloak over his shoulders and makes his way towards the bank.
"Really? A Muggle hotel?"
"What part of 'don't want to be seen'do you not understand?" Snape asks. "Nobody is going to be looking for you in muggle London."
"But you still haven't told me whywe can't be seen!" Harry argues.
Snape shakes his head. "Use your head, boy! If I don't want us to be seen, then obviously I don't want to be overheard, either!" When Harry goes to open his mouth again, Snape lets out a calming breath and continues. "Just get the room, and I'll explain what's going on."
Feeling more irritable by every second spent with the greasy potions master, Harry walks up to the desk. It's not the flashiest hotel in the world, which is probably why Snape picked it. If the bored looking clerk is surprised to see a sixteen year old boy booking his own room at two o'clock in the morning, he doesn't show it, simply taking Harry's money and giving him a room key for the third floor.
Snape follows him up, even going so far as to help him with his trunk. The room itself isn't much, just a double bed and a TV mounted on the wall. Harry doesn't waste any time dumping his belongings onto the floor and turning towards Snape.
"Explain," he says. It's clear now that Snape isn't trying to harm it at all, but the need for secrecy, apparently even from Dumbledore and the Order of the Phoenix, has him more suspicious than ever.
Snape gingerly places Hedwig's cage down on the floor of the room. "Sit," he orders, motioning towards the bed.
Harry just stares at him, until Snape motions once more towards the bed. Clearly not going to get answers until he does as Snape asks, Harry throws up his hands in surrender and sits on the end of the bed.
"Don't interrupt me until I'm done. There is much to say, and it will be difficult enough without you asking incessant questions the entire time."
Harry nods without hesitation.
"Yesterday evening I had a conversation with the headmaster," he begins. "A conversation about you, and about the Dark Lord."
Harry screws up his nose at the use of his enemy's self-given title, but he doesn't interrupt.
"He told me about what really happened that night in Godric's hollow."
"If this is about the prophecy, Dumbledore already told me," Harry says with a roll of his eyes.
"Didn't I tell you not to interrupt?" Snape snarls. "And if you believe that Albus has told you everything,then you're an even bigger fool than I thought you were."
Harry eyes him warily. He's never heard any teacher speak that way about the headmaster. As far as he could tell, they all thought that he was completely infallible.
"Understand, I have a great deal of respect for him. He is a brilliant wizard, but that does not mean that I agree with all of his decisions. There is one in particular that he revealed to me that I cannot abide."
Harry shifts on the bed, a sickly pit forming in his stomach. Finding out about the prophecy was bad enough, but somehow Harry gets the feeling that this is going to be even worse.
"On the night that the Dark Lord cast the killing curse, and it rebounded, a part of himself lingered behind, and it clung to the only living thing it could find."
No…
"A part of the Dark Lord lives inside you, Potter."
He doesn't want to believe it, but it just makes too much sense, like puzzle pieces finally clicking into place. The reason he can speak parseltongue… the reason he can see into Voldemort's head - it's all become abundantly clear. Not only that, but Dumbledore has known the entire time, had alluded to it right after the events in the Chamber of Secrets.
"I think I'm gonna be sick," Harry announces, cupping his hands over his mouth before rushing towards the bathroom. He vomits for the second time that night. Harry rolls from where he's kneeling in front of the toilet until his back is pressed against the wall, and he puts his face into his knees.
Snape is standing in the doorway.
"That's why he didn't die, isn't it?" Harry asks softly. "I'm the reason he's still alive?"
When Snape answers, it's low and soft, almost sympathetic, though still a long way from being comforting. "I don't think that's a fair assessment to make."
"Isn't it? If I was dead, would the part of him that's in me die as well? Could he have come back? Is that why he needed my blood to return?"
Snape lets out a long breath. "I'm not going to pretend to have all the answers, but I will say that I do not believe that the part of the Dark Lord that lives in you is the only part of him out there."
"But if I were to die, the part of Voldemort that lives in me would die as well?"
Snape glares. "Do all you Gryffindor's have rotted brains? Not everything requires a foolishly noble self sacrifice! I just told you that I find it highly unlikely that it's the only piece of him out there, so even if you wereto die, he would still live!"
"But eventually, I'm going to have to… die, for him to be defeated?"
Snape pinches the bridge of his nose. "Save me from the idiocy of Gryffindors," he mutters. "How about we instead focus on ridding you of it?"
Harry hesitates. "Is it possible? Wouldn't Dumbledore have already done it if it were?"
"Why do you think I'm here? Dumbledore has accepted what he thinks must be - that you must die for Voldemort to be defeated."
Harry feels the sting of betrayal, but at the same time, he can understand the logic. After all, it had led him to the same conclusion. "But you know a way to get it out?" Harry asks disbelievingly.
"…No, but I've yet to see any evidence that it cannot be done. In fact, I rather believe that it can."
"But Dumbledore is the strongest wizard-"
"He is not perfect, Potter, no matter how much some people may think. He does not know everythingabout magic."
Harry drops his head back against the wall with a thud. "So Dumbledore wants me dead, and you want me to live. What a world…"
"He doesn't want you dead, Potter," Snape clarifies. "But he has come to the conclusion that for the Dark Lord to be fully vanquished, your eventual death is of paramount importance."
"You'll forgive me if I'm struggling to see the difference," Harry complains bitterly.
"Like I said before, I respect the headmaster, but I don't agree with all of his decisions. I would have you live."
Harry climbs back to his feet to look Snape in the eye. "Why? After all these years am I supposed to believe suddenly that you don't hate me?"
"No, I do hate you. My reasons for wanting you alive are my own." Snape stares him down unflinchingly.
"Not good enough. I want to talk to Dumbledore."
"Are you truly so dense?"
"It's not like he would hurt me. Even if I have to die for Voldemort to die, he won't be the one to do it. He's still Dumbledore."
"Of course he won't hurt you, stupid child. He's dangerous in an altogether different way. His machinations have led you to this point in your life, and rest assured, they will lead to your death if they are let continue unimpeded."
Harry stands and faces Snape. "Then what am I supposed to do? Avoid him forever? Not return to Hogwarts?" He's being sarcastic, but the look on Snape's face tells him that's exactly his plan. "Absolutely not. Hogwarts is my home," Harry says firmly.
"Between the Dark Lord and Albus Dumbledore, it might as well be your coffin. The Dark Lord will not rest until you are dead, and Dumbledore will not rest until the Dark Lord is defeated, and he is convinced that youmust die for that to be a reality. Tell me, how do you expect to escape the fate that two of the most powerful and influential wizards in the world have set out for you?"
The words hit him like a confundus charm. He's been through more emotions in the past ten minutes than in the past week, and the thoughts bouncing around in his head feel like enough to crack straight through his skull. "This is insane,"Harry announces, pushing past Snape and heading back towards the bed. He lays back on it to stare at the roof. He can feel Snape's eyes watching him from the other side of the room.
"You have only one sane choice, Potter. You have to leave."
"And where the hell would I go?"
"Somewhere neither Dumbledore nor the Dark Lord can find you, obviously."
Harry shakes his head. "I'm not going to cut and run. I'm no coward. I'm not going to run away and let my friends fight my war forme."
Snape storms across the room and grabs him by the collar, forcing him into a sitting position. "For you? You think people are fighting this war for you?" Snape's magic billows around him, an invisible barrier of power. "Are you so arrogant to believe that you are the only reason people stand against the Dark Lord? Does your tiny mind even comprehend that this is biggerthan you? We are allat risk, and that is true whether you are here or not."
"All the more reason for me to stay and fight beside them!" Harry argues. They're almost nose to nose, now, both red and blotchy with rage.
Snape is the first to back down. "This isn't helping," he decides. "I'm not asking you to stay out of this war forever. I am asking you to leave and find a way to rid yourself of the piece of the Dark Lord living inside you. I am asking you to study, and to become powerful enough to finally end the Dark Lord. The Prophecy names you as the chosen one? Become worthy of it!"
It's something he'd been intending to do anyway. He's been able to think of little else since term ended. The prophecy states that neither can live while the other survives, but how is he supposed to be able to killone of the most powerful and skilled wizards who has ever lived?
"Is this why you're helping me? You're relying on the word of a prophecy that I'll come and kill Voldemort for you?"
Snape growls. "Your arrogance truly knows no bounds. I told you, my reasons are my own."
Harry shakes his head. "No. If you want me to do this, you need to give me a proper reason."
Snape glares, more vicious than Harry can ever remember. "I'm not helping you. You're right, if it was up to me, I could care less whether you live or die. I help you because of your mother."
"My mother?" Harry tries to ask.
"That is all I will speak of this," Snape says, enunciating heavily. His lips are pressed tight together, and there's no doubt that he means what he says. He will not say another word about it.
My mother? He knew her? Were they friends?
"I am tired of this conversation. I have done all I can do persuade you to my way of thinking. The decision is ultimately yours." Without another word, Snape turns on his heels and leaves.
Harry doesn't get a wink of sleep. He knows its stupid, but it's like he can feel Voldemort's broken soul inside of him, like a pussy sore growing in his head.
It's a strange sensation, arguing with one's self, but Harry has been doing it for hours. Somehow he's reached the point where it's both selfish to leave, and selfish to stay. One the one hand, if he leaves, it's like he's running away, leaving the Weasleys and Hermione behind in a war-torn community.
On the other, if he stays, there's really very little he can do. He is talented at defensive magic, but he's just a sixth year, and his opponent knows incredibly powerful, dark magic, and is probably the most skilled wizard to ever live. How can Harry compete with that? At least if he leaves it gives him a chance to study away from the chaos, as well as to try to find a way to get rid of Voldemort from his head.
Snape doesn't return until just after eight in the morning. He has heavy bags under his eyes, and his movements are slow and ragged. "You're still here," Snape says, his eyebrow raised in an arc.
Harry shrugs. "You made a compelling argument."
Someone steps into the room behind the potions master. "What the hell? What is hedoing here?" Harry yells.
"Nice to see you too, Potter," Draco Malfoy drawls sarcastically. He's dragging a black trunk behind him, his initials inscribed on the top in ornate silver letters.
Why does he have…
"No. Absolutely not," Harry says. There's only one reason Malfoy would bring his belongings with him.
"And here I was so excited for a roadtrip," Malfoy's voice is practically oozing disdain. "I told you this was a bad idea, Severus."
"Both of you, be silent."
"His father's a death eater!"
"Yes, and Draco is here to avoid the same fate," Snape explains.
"Bullshit. He's been acting like a mini death-eater for as long as I've known him."
"Really? When was the last time I tried to murder you?" Malfoy asks dryly.
Harry ignores him. "You can't seriously think this is a good idea."
"Seconded," Malfoy says. It would be surprising to hear Malfoy agree with him if it were literally anything other than them stating their dislike of one another.
Snape mutters under his breath, a curse that sounds suspiciously like the word 'teenagers'. "Actually, I do think it's a good idea. Both of you need to disappear, and for very similar reasons and from the same people. It make perfect logical sense to go together."
"Except for the fact that we will probably kill each other,"Harry adds.
"Sometimes I wonder if you are actually capableof coherent thought," Snape says. "It doesn't matter how much you get along, or rather don't. What is important is that you are both in the same predicament, and that you can keep each other safe."
"Oh good, going into hiding with just Malfoy for company," Harry groans. "I think I'd prefer youcame along."
"Not possible. You know that my position within the order is too important."
"I was kidding,"Harry stresses. "I don't want you to come any more than him,"Harry motions towards Malfoy.
"Merlin save me, you are just too warm and fluffy," Malfoy says with an air of sarcastic humor.
"Draco, be quiet," Snape orders. Surprisingly, Malfoy obeys. If he were any other Hogwarts teacher, Harry's sure he wouldn't be nearly so respectful.
"So, you agree?" Snape asks, leveling his serious dark eyes on him.
"Yes, fine, I agree," Harry says quickly, though truthfully he has some pretty major doubts. He's not sure if in this situation there even isa right decision. "What do we do from here?"
Snape lets out a sigh of relief. Evidently, he hadn't believed Harry would actually listen. "From here, it's up to you. It's safer if I don't know where you're going. To that end, I've procured these for you."
Snape reaches inside his robe and pulls out two small, maroon booklets. Official British passports.
"How did you get those?" Harry asks, taking the one offered him just as Malfoy takes the other. On the inside is a clear picture of Harry, along with his name and address, though he has no memory of any photo ever being taken.
"It doesn't matter. They are official. You have your freedom, use it wisely," Snape says, turning around to leave.
"Wait!" Harry calls before he reaches the door. "Won't Dumbledore be suspicious of you?"
Snape scowls. "As soon as I return to Hogwarts, I will be taking a forgetfulness potion. I will have no memory of any of this. Even if he is suspicious, I cannot reveal information I do not know."
Snape doesn't do anything by halves…
Again without another word, Snape walks out, leaving Harry alone in the hotel room with Malfoy.