Harry Potter and the Final Journey

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Chapter 2

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Harry was startled out of his thinking as a flash of fire indicated the arrival of Fawkes, Dumbledore's phoenix. Harry had thought that Fawkes was gone forever when he heard the phoenix sing for a long time when Dumbledore died and then fly away from Hogwarts. Apparently that was not the case. Fawkes was here and was singing softly slowly healing the anguish within Harry. Harry smiled at him and awkwardly petted him and found that he had a letter tied to his leg.

When he slowly went to untie the letter, Fawkes allowed him to do so confirming his suspicions that the letter was for him. Excitement ripped through him and his mind rushed with so many possibilities, Dumbledore alive being the most predominant one. The letter was tightly rolled and was the same type of parchment, Dumbledore used while writing him to inform him, the time of the meetings, in which he was taught all about Voldemort and the horcruxes. On it Harry saw the now familiar handwriting of his Headmaster and a contrary feelings of happiness, sorrow, a thrilled feeling and one of great nervousness ran through him and he carefully unrolled the scroll and began to read.

Dear Harry,

If you are indeed reading this letter then I have gone to my next great adventure. While I am happy to go, my only regret is leaving you alone to face Voldemort. I am writing this after we have viewed the memory you retrieved from Professor Slughorn. I have never been as proud of you as I have been this year as I see you coping with so many things starting with Sirius's fall and the Prophecy last year to understanding about Voldemort this year. At the beginning of this year I found out the location of one of Voldemort's horcruxes at the Gaunt House. While I was able to destroy the horcrux itself one of the protective enchantments on the horcrux burst suddenly without warning and spread onto my hand and my hand started charring and the fumes from the enchantment started pulling my magic and life out.

Harry stopped there unable to read further as he found he was shaking very badly. He was petrified. If destroying a horcrux could affect Dumbledore like that then how could he destroy four more and then still be fine to attack Voldemort. He probably would die destroying the first one if he managed to find one in the first place. Most likely he would be killed before he even found the first of the remaining four horcruxes. He only hope was that he would be able to at least take Voldemort and Snape with him.

He looked at the letter in his hand and with a resigned sigh started reading again.

I apparated back to Hogsmeade and with the help of Fawkes managed to get to Hogwarts where it was only the timely assistance of Professor Snape I was saved. The poison in the enchantment was very cleverly hidden would have burnt my insides slowly that I would have met my death in a week's time in a most horrible manner. It was Severus who along with his many responsibilities brewed the necessary potions to prolong my life till I managed to set a few things in place.

Here Harry almost flung the letter away. After all that Dumbledore had done for Snape, he had very cunningly built on that trust before destroying not only the trust but also the man who had single handedly protected him from Azkaban for almost sixteen years. He started reading again.

Harry, you have asked me many times the reason as to why I trust Severus. While I cannot tell you, as it is not my secret to reveal, you may be rest assured that I do have ample reason to do so. Remember my child; it is always our choices and not our abilities that make us what we are. Choose wisely and remember that I am always with you.

Love,

Albus.

P.S

Harry, I am writing this as I have sent you to retrieve your invisibility cloak. You have just found that Severus was the one to have overheard the prophecy. Harry I want you to promise me one thing. One thing I ask of you. Please talk to Severus before you take any decisions about him. Please, and tell him all that you know and ask him his reasons for joining the Order of the Phoenix. This is my last request to you. Thank You.

The letter burst into flames. Harry was totally flabbergasted. What could he do? Was Dumbledore mad or was he? Harry did not know what to think and as he sat on his bed his head in his hands feeling rather frustrated, when, Fawkes came and perched on Harry's shoulder after a short trill. Harry absently petted him; his thoughts still haywire when suddenly in a flash of light he disappeared along with Fawkes.

When Fawkes landed along with Harry, he did not even have his wand with him and felt very exposed. He looked around but in the dead of the night he just could not see anything. It was very dark and as his eyes slowly adjusted to the night he looked around and saw that he seemed to be in a cave of sorts. As he was trying to get his bearings and trying his very best not to be scared or vulnerable especially as he did not have his wand with him, a dim light came from a corner of, he assumed a corner of the cave.

He turned around to see the person responsible for bringing him here. He saw four of them. Severus Snape, Draco Malfoy, Narcissa Malfoy and Lucius Malfoy. All four of them were looking at him silently. He looked at them shocked and then realizing who was there he just lunged at Snape with a shout to try and kill him at the least. Harry fell right on top of Snape and immediately tried to get his hands on Snape's neck to try and strangle him. Fury was coursing through him and was giving him added strength to fall on Snape and choke him. Suddenly he was thrown back and fell stiffly on the ground. He realized he had been hit by a mild expelliarmus.

Snape lifted him off the ground and set him on the ledge surprisingly rather gently, binding him with magical ropes and said softly, "So your stupidity knows no bounds still Potter? I would have assumed that with the events of the last few days you would have matured, but it is apparent that is not to be", Harry was still raging with fury, " why don't you just take me to Voldemort," he was cut off rather abruptly, " Shut up, you imbecile, if I wanted to take you to the Dark Lord I would have taken you on the day you so foolishly came running after me."

Harry stopped a moment confused. Then he remembered. The day Dumbledore had died. He had run after Snape and he had not got even one single curse in and suddenly his eyes widened, Snape had been telling him to keep his mouth and mind shut if he wanted to win. That did not seem like capturing him for Voldemort. Snape had also stopped the other huge Death Eater to curse him senseless as well. He stayed silent.

"Remember now, Potter?" Snape began, but Harry cut him off, " Yes, I remember very well. It was after all immediately after you killed Professor Dumbledore, wasn't it? Snape glared at him, How dare you," he hissed, "how dare you, do you have any idea how much has been sacrificed by me," he broke off abruptly as if he had said more that he wanted to.

Snape took a deep breath and continued seeing Harry was quiet. Harry on his part was stunned by the emotion in Snape's voice. He was quiet as Snape continued.

" I want you to be absolutely silent while I try to explain myself. As you know Albus was having a problem with his hand," here Snape stopped and raised his eyebrow. Harry nodded his head. " His hand was like that because one of the enchantments on the horcrux in the ring was," he stopped as Harry gasped and widened his eyes. Snape knew about horcruxes. Everything was doomed.

"Potter," said Snape impatiently, " I know, as that was the reason he used to make me kill him," "How can that be a reason for killing anyone? What are you going to do with this information about them? Dumbledore told me that no one knew." Snape paused, confused. Then, "Potter, your capacity for understanding is absolutely amazing. Do you really try to be so or does it come naturally to you? I meant about his hand was slowly killing him and if it came to a fight or altercation then I was ordered, yes Potter, ordered to kill him so Draco could be saved."

Harry thought about it. He had been horrified when Snape had mentioned about the horcruxes and for a single instant had thought they had lost the war. But if that were the case then why would Snape still be talking to him instead of taking him to Voldemort and how did Lucius Malfoy get out of Azkaban. Narcissa Malfoy and Draco Malfoy. Where did they fit into all this?

"How do I know that he is not plotting with Voldemort?" Harry asked. "By the fact, I have not already taken you to him", Lucius Malfoy replied. "I joined the Dark Lord for a purpose that was definitely not to torture or kill but once you take the Mark you are left with little choice but do as he says. It was to do as he says or watch your family be killed and then die, if you are lucky." He added as an afterthought. " Then why did you join him in the first place?" Harry asked bewildered. " That is a telling for another time Mr. Potter," said Lucius Malfoy, softly.

There was an awkward silence and then Snape cleared his throat. Before he could say anything however, Harry interrupted him, "You said something about, about," he stopped not knowing just how to ask Snape about horcruxes even though Snape had mentioned them in the presence of the Malfoys. Snape however took the matter out of his hands.

"You may ask me questions but before you do I wish to give you a general explanation on the events of the past". Harry suddenly blurted out, " If you are really Snape, then what was your other name?" Harry had got a doubt that it was an imposter who was posing as Snape as Snape could just not be reasonable, logical or this decent.

Snape looked amused, which was downright disturbing on its own," I believe I told you that I was the Half Blood Prince, Potter. Do I get an assurance that you will not attack me if I remove your binds? Or will you persist in behaving as you usually do?" he added with a sneer on his face.

Harry scowled at Snape and nodded his head, "You will tell me why you had to kill Professor," he trailed off as he looked at Snape hesitantly. " I mean, he was alright even with charred hand, wasn't he?" and as a new thought struck him," who told you about the," here Harry looked at the Malfoys suspiciously but could not do or say anything as Snape had mentioned the horcruxes in front of them," horcruxes. I thought that Professor Dumbledore had not told any one about them."

Suddenly Harry glared at Snape and spat at him," you are the reason I have no parents and the weight of the Prophecy hanging over me. You may have convinced Professor Dumbledore with some silly reason and begged a second chance but never me. I will never forget that you heard the Prophecy and went running off to the snake face," Harry stopped there unable to go on. How could he have forgotten that it was because of Snape that he had no parents?

Snape was looking at him as if he was seeing a ghost. He became so white and pale that the veins were showing eerily on his face. "Who told you that?" he said, his voice all strangled and hoarse. He looked petrified and betrayed. Harry was beyond caring at that point," Don't worry," he sneered, "It was not Professor Dumbledore who let it out, but Trelawney. You were the intruder weren't you, who was thrown out in the middle?"

Snape took a deep breath and visibly calmed himself. He looked at Harry for a ling moment and visibly composing himself, swallowed hard and said," Yes, it was I, who did overhear the Headmaster and Trelawney in the Hog's Head. I was a Death Eater at that point and so did run to the Dark Lord with it. I had no clue at the time that it would involve your parents," and as Harry was going to interrupt to say something, he continued, "In fact, at that time I was not looking at the repercussions of my actions, any of them, Potter, I later on paid for every single of them with interest. I know these words will not bring back your parents, Potter and for that, I deeply apologize and have nothing to say in my defense."

Harry was absolutely flabbergasted. He did not know what to say. The small speech with an apology to him for heaven's sake in itself was so out of character he did not know how to react. He was silent and wanted to ask Snape just why he turned to the Light when he by his own admission was a Death Eater at that time. But he instinctively knew Snape would not reveal his reasons.

Snape silently removed the magical binds from Harry. Harry stretched and flexed his hands. Then Snape still silently conjured five chairs and five streaming cups of tea seemingly unconcerned about the magic he was doing, as if he was not bothered about the ministry finding out about magical traces. He passed a cup of hot tea to Harry who looked at it suspiciously and then with a shrug took it. He was under the assumption that if Snape wanted to kill him he would have done it long ago. Harry looked at the others. They still had to speak anything to him; none of them had even breathed a word, well except Lucius Malfoy.

"Now, Potter, let us begin again. I wish to speak to you and I wish for you to listen to me in silence and after I finish if you have any questions I will try to answer them, if I can." Snape took a deep breath and began.

"It was in your second year when you destroyed the horcrux of the diary that Albus started working in earnest to find if there were any others and if there were, then to find all of them and destroy them. Though he had his suspicions even at the time your parents were killed and he was working on finding them even then. But it was difficult, as not many people even in the inner circle knew about them. But Albus suspected and that was the main reason in placing you with your mother's relatives, so that you would be protected while growing up. He knew that the Dark Lord would return and he wanted to make sure that as many as possible horcruxes must be destroyed to give you an easier task than it is now.

"But it was not so easy, Potter as they were very well protected and extremely well hidden. Then he found about the Slytherin ring and as he was destroying it one of the enchantments hit him with a curse that would ultimately end his life. All of my potions would not be able to help." He said bitterly.

There was a silence and then Snape continued. " It was at that time Narcissa came to me to my house, along with Bellatrix, where I was staying with Wormtail," as Harry looked startled and then frowned, "I could not do anything Potter, as you very well know. Wormtail was with me to keep an eye on me for the Dark Lord. Narcissa wanted me to take an unbreakable vow to protect Draco who had been given an impossible task of killing Albus. Lucius was in jail and the Dark Lord wanted to punish the whole family by making an example of Draco's failure.

"I promised to help Narcissa and was forced to do so by taking an unbreakable vow to throw off the suspicions of Bellatrix who was casting aspersions on my loyalty to the Dark Lord all the time she was there. I immediately I went to Albus, who at once told me I would help Draco by killing him if it came to that, so that I would, (1) I would stop Draco becoming a killer and by doing so, not only him but all of them could be saved. (2) I would prove once and for all my loyalties to the Dark Lord and be able to keep my place in the inner circle, and be able to provide solid information to the Order.

" I fought that all the year long, Potter but to no avail as Albus was adamant that I complete the task for another very important reason. If Nagini was a horcrux as Albus suspected then I would be needed to kill her, as that would be one horcrux that you would not be able to destroy, as she would always be near the Dark Lord.

"I have, however taken care of that," here was interrupted by Harry who incredulously, " How did you manage that?" "By giving a slow reacting potion that is a poison and one that cannot be deducted. If Nagini is a horcrux we have nothing to worry. Otherwise we may have to find what the other horcrux is. I have finished, Potter. Do you have any questions for me now? Do not ask me any questions I will not be able to answer."

Harry was silent for a while. His mind was dizzy trying to process the information that was given to him by Snape. Why was Snape acting so polite? He had hated Harry with a passion for the last six years and that was not going to just vanish overnight. Then why was Snape acting like this, especially, as there was no one now to talk on his behalf. How did he trust the Malfoys? What had they said that would make Snape trust them so much? How much did they know about the horcruxes? Harry felt his head was going too fast for him to control things. He sat silently sipping his now very cold tea thinking all of this. All the others were silent as well giving him the mental space he needed.

After a while, Harry thought of the perfect way to see if they were serious. The unbreakable vow. If they were indeed telling the truth, as they were proclaiming then they would have no problem in giving him an oath, now would they? He grinned to himself. Time to see if all of them would pass the test. Though if they did, well he did not know what he would do. To trust Snape and the other three when he had been so distrustful and suspicious of Snape, not to mention the Malfoys, that would come under unbelievable, amazing, shocking and so on.

Harry suddenly came to a decision. He looked around to keep his cup when it was vanished away by Snape. He looked at Snape," If I am to trust all of you, not that I can do anything extraordinary now, then I need something more than explanations and assurances." As Snape simply looked at him raising an eyebrow, Harry continued," I want some kind of a promise or oath that all of you will work against Voldemort, and some proof that you were working with Professor Dumbledore" As they heard this Lucius Malfoy hissed," who are you to ask for an oath? How dare you? The very fact that we have not taken you to the Dark Lord proves our loyalties, Potter."

"This will convince, whom Mr.Malfoy? The others will think I am a traitor as well and accuse me of working with Voldemort for even talking to you let alone Snape here. Even if you give me your oath people are going to be suspicious. And that is nothing compared to the searching for the horcruxes. We just cannot let them know about it. Professor Dumbledore did not tell the others for a reason. While I do not know what it is, I want to respect his wishes."

Snape interrupted him. "The reason he did not wish for anyone to know about the horcruxes was because there is another spy in the Order and the spy is working for the Dark Lord. We have been pouring disinformation, Potter and one of the reasons the Dark Lord is still trusting me is because whatever I bring is verified by the spy".

Harry went white. "Who is it?" he asked. The Malfoys also looked interested to know. "I do not know, Potter and neither could Albus find out, as he ran out of time. The spy is in the inner circle. I came to know of it from Wormtail, he let it out by accident. Wormtail also does not know the identity of the spy as he is deeply hooded. We only know it is a man and that too because Wormtail heard him speak to the Dark Lord."

There was total silence as every one thought about every thing that had been discussed there.

End of Chapter - 2

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