Title: Shattering Heart

Category: Harry Potter
Summary: Before Harry could kill Voldemort in the final battle, the man hit him a spell that would end his life.

Rating: Tragedy, Angst

"Shattering Heart"

The Boy Who Lived stared at the book in front of him in shock. No. NO! There was no way that this could be happening. Since the final battle before the end of sixth year, Harry had been trying to find the spell that Voldemort had hit him with before he died the last time. It was now the beginning of seventh year and Harry had followed a hunch that he had had. The hunch led him down to the Chamber of Secrets. The spell had been in Parseltongue so it was probably safe to say that Slytherin either had a copy of the spell or would have a reference that Harry could follow. He never expected to find this.

The snake founder had actually wrote the spell himself. It had been meant to be used against one of his greatest enemies at the time. Fortunately, the man had died before he could use it and see if it worked. Harry scoffed. According to his symptoms so far it was working perfectly. Reading on, Harry cursed silently to himself. There was no counter spell. Slytherin never meant for there to be one. When he was going to cast it he wanted the man to die. What made Harry really sick was the man that Slytherin was wanting to kill was his own soulmate. Apparently, the man didn't want to share his power with anyone.

The spell had no English translation and was only spoken in Parseltongue. That's what really made this a pain in the ass. Harry was no spell creator. Even though he had the power to do it he didn't have the time to make a counter spell this delicate and by the time he did learn he would have to find another Speaker to cast it and he was the only one left. Harry sighed as he read over the spell again.

Shattering of the Soul

This spell will supposedly cause the one that it is cast upon to have to search for their soulmate desperately. The spell will active immediately although the symptoms will not show themselves for maybe a few months.

The spell itself affects the bond that searches for a soulmate. For the first few months the victim will experience pain within their very being. Pain will radiate across their soul and affect their magic. Soon, they will be unable to even walk and will only be able to lay still in unbearable pain.

If the person finds their soulmate(s) and they denounce the victim then the person's heart will begin to shred itself. The person's death will be slow and agonizing. Only the instant bonding of the the soulmates will save the person's life.

The victim will quite literally die of a broken heart.

Harry felt tears fall from his eyes. He already knew his soulmates. They had been bonded during the war after both of them had come out has spies for the Light. Shaking his head, the boy had to wonder at his luck. Not only were his soulmates the ultimate Slytherins around but they also had to be Severus Snape and Lucius Malfoy. The two people that hated the him most in the world beside Voldemort.

Harry had fallen in love with the both of them during the war. Dumbledore had gotten them to train him so that he could have a better chance at survival since they knew most of not all of the Death Eater strategies and tricks . When they had bonded after the war something inside of him had broken. What hurt the most was that they had invited everyone to come to the bonding ceremony, everyone except him. Even all the Weasleys, Hermione, and Neville had been invited and had in fact attended. While everyone was celebrating with the couple, Harry had sat in his room at the Dursley's covered in fresh bruises and cuts that he had been given by his loving family, crying his heart out. That was when the pain had begun. Harry laughed shakily. Since then, he had made sure that he stayed out of their way. Some instinct told him to, no matter how much not seeing them was, now quite literally, killing him on the inside.

Angrily wiping the tears that were falling freely away, Harry quickly wrote the spell out in English. Maybe Dumbledore would know what to do.

Harry watched as Dumbledore looked at the parchment on shock and sadness. Looking down at the letter that he was holding, Harry once again had to stop the wince of pain that the spell was causing his body. Before coming up to the office, Harry had wrote out a note for his soulmates. He knew that they would probably never read it but he wanted to at least make some kind of attempt to tell them how much they meant to him, how much he loved them. The sound of parchment hitting wood caused Harry to look up, straight into Dumbledore's eyes.

"My boy please tell me you know who they are."

Harry hesitated before nodding slowly before pausing. "How did you know that I have two sir?"

Dumbledore sighed as he leaned back in his chair. "It is the most logical idea because of how powerful you are Harry."

"Oh."

"Have you tried talking to them yet Harry?"

Harry shook his head.

Dumbledore looked at him in shock. "And why not my dear boy? They would want to get to know you before bonding with you."

Harry felt tears start to fall. "Cause they would not want me professor."

"You can not know that Harry."

Harry laughed harshly through the tears. "Believe me Albus. They don't want me." Looking out the window behind the headmaster, Harry finished softly. "They are much happier without me."

Dumbledore stared sternly at him. "Of course they want you my dear boy. No soulmate can deny the other."

Harry nodded to the forgotten spell. "Slytherin says that they can."

Dumbledore pinched the bridge of his nose. "They can for a sort time, but not for long Harry."

"All it takes is one time Professor."

Dumbledore looked at the boy that he considered a grandchild sadly. "You must try Harry. We, I, do not want to lose you."

Harry said nothing, choosing to instead give Dumbledore the letter that he had written.

"What's this my boy?"

"It is a letter that I wrote for them and only they can open it. I charmed the ink so that their names will not show until the final stage of the spell takes place. That way you can't try and pressure them into accepting me."

Dumbledore was glad for his old age that wouldn't allow Harry to see his blush at the last comment. "Harry. Please talk to them."

"I can't Professor. I wouldn't be able to stand hearing how much they hate me."

Before Dumbledore could say anything he felt someone step on the stairs leading to his office. "Harry please hide yourself and wait. We are about to have company and I don't want them to see you. And you're not leaving until we can talk about this. Am I understood?"

Harry sighed before nodding and and moved to stand on one side of the door. The door opened just as he was hiding in the shadows. His breath caught and pain started singing in his body as Lucius and Severus stepped through the doorway. No, no, no. Why are they here? He was trying to avoid them for a reason!

Dumbledore smiled brightly at the two men that stepped into his office. " Lucius! Severus! Please do come in! Would you like some tea? Perhaps a lemon drop?"

Lucius shook his head as he and his bonded sat down across from the Headmaster. "No thank you Albus. We were just wondering if you had made any progress in finding our third?"

Harry sucked in a breath. Something inside him clenched. This couldn't be happening!

Dumbledore shook his head. "All that I have been able to find out is that he is somewhere in the castle. It is probably someone that you know. Now that you are bonded you should have no difficulties being able to sense who they might be. Have you felt close to anyone here at all?"

Severus shook his own head. "No Albus. Everyone that we have come across has felt the same to Lucius and I."

"Well, who would you like it to be? That might help us narrow the search down a bit."

Lucius snorted lightly. "Anyone besides Harry Potter."

Harry felt the breath leave his body. Please Merlin no!

"Now Lucius,"

"I agree with my bonded. I would rather bond with a Weasley or even Longbottom as long as it was not Potter. The boy is despicable. Neither I nor Lucius can stand being in that same room as the brat. He thinks that everyone owes him something."

Dumbledore stared at the other man in disappointment. "Severus that was wrong to say."

Lucius chose this time to speak up. "Severus speaks the truth Albus. Why do you think that we did not invite him to our bonding ceremony? We were hoping to drive home the point that we could not stand the little upstart. Apparently it has worked since we have not seen him since then. We would not accept Harry Potter as a soulmate."

With tears falling silently and his heart starting to break, Harry quickly left the office and ran down the staircase. The first pain hit as soon as the gargoyle had closed behind making sure that no one heard his first scream. Hitting his knees, Harry gasped as he literally felt tears and rips start appearing in his heart. Drawing quick breaths, Harry staggered to his feet and made his way towards the castle entrance. He had to get outside where no one could hear his screams. The boy was able to make it outside but before he could even get half way across the large lawn the next wave of pain hit him causing him to fall.

Harry laid upon his back as rain started to fall from the heavens. He was not even allowed to see the stars one last time before he died. Even though Harry knew that Severus and Lucius could never accept him, he never thought that it would hurt so much to hear them say those words. What had he done wrong that had caused them to hate him so much?

Before the final battle, while they were training him, Harry had tried to show them the boy behind all of the masks that he had put up to protect himself. The boy that was not cocky and self-assured, that needed no one, and could stand on his own two feet. Harry tried to show them that he was shy, hated attention, was scared of the dark and closed spaces, that just wanted them to see how much they meant to him. He never cared if they loved him or not as long as they were happy. That's why when they announced their bonding to everyone after the final battle, Harry was both heartbroken and filled with joy for the two men. The two people that he loved would find happiness with each other.

Harry laughed to himself as the pain came at him harder and faster. It seemed that Slytherin was wrong about his dead line on when death would come. Harry couldn't find it in himself to care. He couldn't even find it in himself to fight one last time. Tears mingled with the rain.

Emerald eyes that were starting to slowly lose their light stared up at the heavens. A heart that was now tattered and in pieces was starting to loose the battle against the spell that had caused all of this in the first place. One last thought caused Harry to smile one last time. Maybe now Severus and Lucius will be content without him around.

Harry's eyes closed as his heart gave one last beat. A whisper escaped his lips and floated away heard only by the autumn rain.

"I love you Severus, Lucius."

Dumbledore sighed as he felt Harry leave the office. He knew the boy looked up to the two men so hearing such harsh words leave their lips must have broken his heart. That thought caused his heart to clench with sadness. Looking down at the letter that Harry had given him, the old man frowned. Ink was starting to appear on the envelope. Slowly two names appeared in Harry's writing. The old man's heart froze.

Severus and Lucius

Dumbledore jumped to his feet quickly, causing the two to back up several paces. "We must find Harry!"

Severus frowned. "What are you going on about Albus?"

"Yes, Albus why should we go find the brat?"

The cold stare that they were hit with reminded them why the Dark Lord had feared this old man. "You will help me find him."

Nodding quickly, the two men followed the frantic old man out of the office.

Dumbledore ran as if the fires of hell were after him. He was putting every thing together in his head. Harry's assurance that his soulmates wouldn't want him. The heartbreak that had been on his face when Dumbledore had picked him up from his aunt's after the bonding ceremony. Every thing made sense. Harry loved the two men behind him but believed that they could never love him. Perhaps from their words that might seem true. But the man had seen behind their facade. They loved Harry as much if not more than Harry did them. They just would not swallow their pride and admit. And now that pride may have cost the boy his life. 'No. Harry still has a chance. If he can just hold on long enough for us to reach him then they can all bond. Please my son hold on!'

But even as he thought that and tried to find comfort in it Harry's broken eyes and tear-stained face floated in his mind with his words. "All it takes is one time, Professor."

Soon the three men were on the lawn and racing towards what looked like a lump on the grass. Severus and Lucius frowned when they realized that it was a body. Fear started to grip them and they forced themselves to run faster. Hoping in their hearts that that was not who they thought it was.

Dumbledore fell to his knees beside Harry. "Harry, my boy, please get up. Harry!"

Lucius, for once not giving a damn about getting dirty, fell beside Dumbledore with Severus on his other side. The potions master set to work trying to revive the boy, the stern mans heart shattering as Harry just continued to lay there.

Lucius turned to Dumbledore and snarled. "What the hell has happened Dumbledore?"

Dumbledore stared blankly at Harry as he answered. "Tom cast one last spell on him before he died. One that Slytherin himself had made."

"Well? What was it called?"

The old wizard turned his blank stare towards the blonde man. "The Shattering of the Soul."

Both former spies froze at this. Voldemort had gloated about the spell that his ancestor had created and told his Inner Circle every thing about it and how it could only be cast by a Speaker. Both had feared him using it on Harry before they realized that he would want to see the results of the spell to document if it really worked or not. He must have been desperate for Potter to pay if cast it without being able to see the outcome. Dumbledore's next words brought pain to their hearts as they realized what it meant.

"He was in the office when you came in."

Looking at each other in horror they gathered the young boy in their arms desperately calling out for him with tears in their eyes.

"Harry! We love you! Please little mate come back to us!"

"Damn it! Wake up Potter! We can't lose you now!"

The cries rang into the night and fell on deaf ears. They came too little too late. For the one that would have killed to have heard those words in life could no longer hear them in death.

The rain fell harder around them as a soul wrenching melody floated down to them from where Fawkes was perched on top of Hogwarts. Tears fell from the phoenix's eyes but even they couldn't heal the child now. Singing one last song for the green-eyed boy that had given every thing for the two he had loved.

And still the rain fell, as the world cried for a bright soul that was shattered by words that fell from lips that were supposed to only say words of love. The words of love that were only now spoken when pride was shattered.

But as muggles say: Too little, too late.

DR: I know that I'm probably going to get shot over this but I had to write. For some reason, I have been in a depressed mood lately and it led to this. Before you try and kill me, I am going to do another version where Harry lives I just don't know when.

Also, I'm thinking about doing another fic from this one where Severus and Lucius reads Harry's letter to him.

Anyway, please review and tell me what you think. Right now I'm going to try and stop crying and get some sleep.

Review please!

Ja Ne!