Chapter 3- '… with your head held high'

Slowly, Snape's black eyes opened. In the distance, he could see many people gathering around Hagrid and Harry's dead figure lying on the ground. Snape made to touch his head with his hand and realised he had a terrible migraine, his head felt heavy and a loud, thundering beat pulsated in his mind. He tried to sit up, but his body was too weak and unable to balance itself properly. Eventually, Snape gave up trying and resumed to his pathetic position upon the soil. In the distance he heard screams of both anguish and fear. Seeing their hero lying dead upon the ground must have terrified and upset many of the witches and wizards fighting at Hogwarts. Everyone's hopes would be lost and, Snape realised, that meant Voldemort's permanent reign over the Wizarding world. He heard sobbing, loud, anguished sobs from people who barely knew the boy, weeping not for Harry Potter but for what they were about to lose because of his failure. Snape was furious, though he tried to prevent himself from feeling any real anger; it seemed that his migraine became ever more powerful whenever he felt any amount of emotion. He was angry, however and although he tried to deny it, he realised that a majority of the people gathered around Harry were selfishly crying out of fear, not because the boy had died but because he had failed. They, like Dumbledore saw Harry as a part of the plan. They may have expected the boy to die, but in dying, they wanted him to destroy Voldemort too. It seemed that many people knew that the boy attempted to die for the greater good, but failed. To Snape, however, the Potter boy gave it his best shot and as Snape always asserted, he never really stood a chance…

Staring into the distance and towards the forest, he suddenly noticed two figures walking towards him. Snape's heart began to race as he realised he would easily be seen if anyone were to look in his direction. He also knew that he was too weak to hide before they reached him, so lay still hoping that the people approaching him would not turn him in to Voldemort. As their figures became clearer, Snape recognised the person on the right… Lucius; he knew that long blonde hair and pointed stature from anywhere. To the man's right he saw a tall, thin woman and although he didn't know for sure, he hoped that the second figure was Narcissa. Breathing deeply, Snape tried to keep calm. Although he knew that Narcissa was not a Death Eater, she was still supportive of the Dark Lord as was her husband. Remembering the way Lucius looked in the Shrieking Shack when he watched his master's torturing spree, Snape hoped that Lucius may spare his life and keep his survival a secret.

"Who's there?" Lucius demanded as he held up his lit wand and shone it on Snape's face.

"Lucius…"

"Severus? The Dark Lord said he killed you!" Narcissa was beside herself and looked at her husband for an explanation. She was not present in the shack and perhaps felt she was betrayed by her husband for lack of details.

"He sent Nagini to kill me, but summoned her to him before she could finish the job." SNape said quietly.

"So, you survived?"

"Obviously, Lucius." Snape's voice was nothing more than a whisper.

"If the Dark Lord finds out-"

Snape looked into Lucius' eyes and saw the fear that was often present when the blonde Death Eater was either in his master's presence or otherwise about to disobey him.

"Lucius, he is ill, we need to help him," Narcissa asserted. Snape continued to stare into his friend's eyes, hoping against all reason that Lucius would heed his wife's assertion; he was too weak to speak.

"But if the Dark Lord found out that I-"

"He won't; he's so excited that he killed the Potter boy that he won't notice your absence." Lucius still looked unsure. Snape noticed Narcissa wringing her hands and recognised the action, not on the woman but among children and house elves; it means they've done something wrong.

"What is it, Narcissa?" Snape whispered, he voice sounding weak and pathetic.

"What? Nothing," Narcissa replied quickly. If Snape were well enough he would have tried to use Legilimency against her, but he knew that such an attempt at the present moment would be futile.

"I don't want to leave you here by yourself, we need to look for Draco," Lucius told his wife, yet Snape knew that wasn't the reason why he wanted to stay- Lucius was still afraid of capture- a coward.

"Don't worry Lucius. The Dark Lord is distracted; he won't notice your absence. I'll go ahead and look for Draco and you can go home, help Severus and then return here. It won't take long…" She looked at Severus and began to worry for the man. Though she didn't know him that well, she did trust Snape and was grateful to him for helping her son the previous year even though Draco refused his assistance.

"But-"

"He made an Unbreakable Vow with me last year! He protected our son!" Snape could feel himself losing consciousness due to the continued loss of blood; he needed medicine, a remedy- he needed to get away from Hogwarts grounds. He hoped that Narcissa would be able to convince her husband to help him, but was so near blacking out that to him, there wasn't much difference between living and dying.

"But what about the Dark Lord, Narcissa?"

"Who cares about him? He's so happy that the boy is dead that he won't even give a second thought to Severus and yourself."
"Perhaps,"

"Lucius, he protected our son and made sure that he didn't get hurt! We owe him something!"

"But,"

"You can take him back to the manor and tell the house elf to attend to him and I'll go into the castle and look for Draco."

"But what if Draco is-"

"He's not!" Narcissa replied hysterically, staring immediately at the ground, looking ashamed as if her outburst was indecent.

"Okay, fine. But if I am caught, you know the Dark Lord will kill me."

"I know, but who's to say he won't kill us all anyway? Help your friend. I'll cover for you if the Dark Lord asks. I'll look for our son."

Lucius nodded and walked towards Snape who was so close to passing out that he could only just hear the conversation taking place between the man and woman before him.

"Come on, Severus. Let's be quick before we are captured, tortured and killed."

Snape used his last ounce of energy to stand up for Lucius, so that he could place the injured man's arm over his shoulder and support him beyond the Whomping Willow and into an area where they could Apparate to the Malfoy Manor.

Although Snape's brain was telling his legs to move- to walk, his limbs continued to crumble beneath his weight. He could hear Lucius swearing quietly under his breath, but eventually pulled himself together and encouraged Snape to continue walking.

"Keep walking, Severus; we're almost there."

Out of the corner of his eye, Snape could see the field where he knew McGonagall's charms no longer prevented Apparition. The small amount of adrenalin that coursed through his veins gave Snape the extra amount of energy and motivation he needed to walk that little bit further for Lucius. Snape twisted his head to look at his rescuer and saw that Lucius looked fearful and worried, his bruises and puffy eyes still apparent on his thin, pale face. He was grateful that the man gave in to his wife; it showed that Lucius, despite his often selfish behaviour was still his friend. However, Snape was beginning to feel bad for Lucius, because as he struggled towards the field he felt like he wanted to die; he couldn't be bothered to continue forward; there was nothing waiting for him except a life- a world controlled by the Dark Lord.

After what felt like many hours, they finally made it to the clearing.

Snape hardly knew what was happening. He could feel Lucius' body next to him, hauling him to the front door of the Malfoy Manor. Muttering spells under his breath, his wand in his left hand, supporting Snape with his right, the door allowed the two men to enter. Lucius practically dragged Snape towards one of the many guest rooms on the left hand side of the house. Laying him down on the large king sized bed, Snape began to relax, however his breath was quick and short; he needed help.

"Greagor! Come here!" Lucius commanded. Snape was hardly conscious, his eyes closed as he heard his friend's voice echoing from what seemed like miles away. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw a house elf enter the room, his bat-like ears flapping madly in an effort to impress his master with his efficiency.

"Greagor, this is Severus Snape. He has been bitten by a poisonous snake and needs medical assistance. You are to obey his every order until I return, understand?"

"Yes, Master."

"Also, I forbid you to tell anyone that Mr. Snape is here. If you do, you will be tortured and then receive clothes."

The little elf shuddered at the prospect. It was clear to Snape that the elf wasn't about to disobey.

"Okay, Snape. I must leave before the Dark Lord realises I have gone. Hopefully Narcissa, Draco and I will return soon. Rest." Lucius was looking somewhat harshly at his fellow Death Eater, as if telling him that after all he has risked, he had better get well and soon.

Snape nodded. Lucius seems satisfied and left the room, the front door slamming behind him.

"How may I be helping you, Mr. Snape?"

"I- I- need you to clean my wound." Snape couldn't believe how weak he was feeling, how weak he sounded. Immediately the house elf left the room and returned with a warm bucket of water, a sponge and towel.

"Please sit up, Mr. Snape."

Snape winced as he tried to use his arms to lever himself into a sitting position. The little house elf helped the man sit up and began to dab at his wound, washing the dried blood away from the area.

"Greagor thinks the bite is clean now, Mr. Snape. What would you like me to put on it?"

"Um, I don't know," Snape was surprised by his own incompetence, but he was just too tired, too weak to give an educated answer, "anything you have that you think would work."

"Right away, sir." And the little house elf left the room in a hurry, coming back with a bottle full of clear liquid and bandages.

"Greagor is back with the disinfectant, Mr Snape. Please hold still while I put some on your shoulder." Snape was half asleep but could still feel the breath of the creature near his face. Bracing himself slightly, Snape clenched his jaw and tightly closed his eyes, knowing that such a deep bite would not mix well with the medicine.

"Ah!" Snape winced and pulled his arm away from the elf.

"Mr. Snape must allow Greagor to help him or his bite will get infected."

"No, I'm fine…" Snape was trying to ignore the intense stinging sensation, but it wasn't working. Taking deep breaths he tried to focus on something else as the elf pulled Snape's arm towards him, the man too weak to resist.

After a few more painful minutes, Snape's injury was bandaged and the man was given some more anti-venom by the elf who then requested:

"If you need anything else from Greagor, please ask." Snape nodded and the elf left, closing the door behind him.

Harry made an effort to stand before Voldemort, strong, still and calm, but it wasn't easy. He knew he wanted to be there, that he wasn't being dragged into this fight. After everything the Dark wizard had done to the wizarding world and to the many people he knew and loved, Harry was not about to cower from the fight before him.

Nevertheless, Harry's heart was pounding in his chest; he knew that this was the moment- the final showdown. Standing in the Entrance Hall, he could feel hundreds of eyes upon him. Lord Voldemort was directly opposite him, looking into Harry's eyes, with fear etched all over his face. If the situation was not so serious and deadly, Harry would have laughed at the sight; it wasn't often that Voldemort was afraid, but now wasn't the time to find humour in the situation. It seemed that Voldemort was thinking about something, some form of strategy. Harry quickly took the opportunity to look around the area and noticed Narcissa Malfoy sliding past the scene and up the staircases. Harry had no trouble guessing where she was going- to find her son. He was slightly puzzled as to why Narcissa had lied to Voldemort in the forest when Harry was pretending to be dead, but realised that her son meant a lot to her and that she too, was capable of undying love.

"Well Harry, the time has come. We meet for the final time," Voldemort stated in a deadly whisper.

Harry jerked his head back in Voldemort's direction; apparently the Dark Wizard had finally devised a strategy on how to defeat Harry,.

"Yes, well I hope this will be the last. Perhaps you should kill me properly… two failed attempts is a pretty poor effort if you-"

"Yes, I must admit, my previous efforts have been half hearted, but no more. I will kill you now."

"You don't get it do you, Voldemort? Don't you understand that you can't kill me? Haven't your previous two attempts told you anything? There is too much love in this world and it's unfortunate for you that you are not one of the billions of people who love, because if you were, you would have killed me years ago."

"What do you mean? I tried to kill you years ago!"
"Yes but it didn't work because you forgot the power of sacrifice and love; that when my mother sacrificed her life to protect me her protection continued to reside within my veins. Had you realised that, you would have been able to devise another way of killing me rather than attacking me with the Avada Kedavra curse, to your demise. And then tonight; you forgot once again the power of love. You knew that I came to you in the forest, willing to die for every other wizard, witch and human being on this earth. Again my love thwarted you. So now we stand here and you think that there is a chance that THIS time I will die?"

"You are not immortal, Harry Potter!"
"I know that, but while you deny the power of love, people continue to thwart you and your plans."

"People? Since when are you more than one person?" Voldemort sneered at the big headedness of the 'Chosen One'.

Harry smiled as he replied: "There are many people who have lied to you, tricked you because of their love for another."

"Who are you referring to then? I want names." Although Voldemort seemed composed and calm, Harry could tell he was worried. Having never being able to detect love when he saw it, it is possible that more than one of his Death Eaters defied him in favour of those they love.

"Severus Snape," Harry proclaimed. Numerous members of the audience gasped and began to whisper. Harry was sure that all of the people in the room knew who Snape was and was probably shocked to hear the man loved someone.

"Snape has never loved anyone!"

"Yes he has. He was best friends with my mother and eventually fell in love with her. When he found out that you were going to come after me, and kill my mother and father if you had to, Snape turned to Dumbledore and has been working for him ever since."

"That's impossible!"

"Well it's the truth! Just because you've been too arrogant to notice, doesn't mean it's impossible! Snape has been lying to you for years! He wasn't your spy, he was Dumbledore's!"

"He killed Dumbledore!"

"Yes, but Dumbledore was dying anyway; his hand was dead, the curse was spreading, you know, the one you put on your Grandfather's ring- your Horcrux?" Voldemort's red eyes flickered, Harry knew that the Dark Lord was scared, afraid that he may actually be defeated this time.

"But Snape never knew about my Horcruxes."
"And he still doesn't, but Dumbledore found out about them last year and has been hunting them down ever since."

"But I still have-"

"No, Tom. You have none left. I and a few of the people here tonight have helped destroy them, so now it's just you and me."

"But Snape hates you." It was clear that Voldemort was still finding it hard to believe that Snape was indeed loyal to Dumbledore and the 'Chosen One'.

"He does hate me, but he loved my mother and would do anything for her and if that meant protecting her son then that's what he'd do!"

"I don't believe you," Voldemort stated as if merely saying the words would make Harry's assertion a lie.

"He asked you to spare her didn't he? One would think that that would have been enough evidence for you, but you still didn't realise what she meant to him. When you killed my mother that was the final straw. You showed no mercy towards the woman he loved, so he showed no loyalty to you."

"But Snape loved the Dark Arts; he was extremely proficient at Potions. I have seen his work! He wouldn't waste that on Dumbledore."
"Well apparently it wasn't a waste because he has helped me get this far and I will be thanking him wholeheartedly after I am finished with you."

Voldemort let out a high pitched laugh, chilling Harry to the bone.

"Well it seems the 'Chosen One' doesn't know everything. Severus Snape is dead, Potter; I killed him for not bringing you to me as I asked."

Harry paused momentarily. He couldn't believe that Snape was dead, he just couldn't. He was hoping to speak to the man about his mother and their past. He wanted more information and wasn't willing to give that up so soon. He knew that Snape would have been tortured by his master, but to hear that he was actually dead from the murderer himself just made everything final. He would never get to speak to Snape again.

"Are you mourning for the man, Potter?" Voldemort smirked.

Harry shook himself from his reverie.

"Come on, Tom! It's time to end this! You have made too many mistakes that have concerned me, it is time you finished off the job and fulfill the prophecy!"

Harry could tell the time was about to come; Voldemort raised his wand. Time began to slow down as Harry saw Voldemort's mouth move in a way that clearly pronounced the words 'Avada Kedavra'.

Harry retaliated immediately with his trademark, "Expelliarmus!"

Harry knew what was about to happen and was not the least bit surprised when Voldemort's wand flew out of the wizard's hand and into his own. Harry saw the beam of green light, rebound off the location where the two wands and their spells collided into each other and watched the tall, thin body of Lord Voldemort collapse onto the ground.

He was dead.

Cheers exploded from the Entrance Hall as families, siblings, friends and teachers hugged one another, talking hysterically, finally celebrating the death of the Dark Wizard that was Lord Voldemort. Harry was smiling, the crazy smile that he often displayed when he won Quidditch or felt proud of himself. But something was different- his smile wasn't completely genuine and he knew why.

Ron ran up to Harry and patted his mate on the back, cheering with the rest. Hermione walked towards him, completely flabbergasted by what he had done and gave him a hug, clearly relieved that he was okay, that they all survived. Finally Ginny approached Harry and noticed his disturbance.

"What's wrong, Harry?"

"Nothing,"

"You're not happy?"

"I am, it's just…" He didn't quite know how to express what he was feeling, especially seeing as his friends only just found out about Snape's true loyalties, he really wanted to make sure they understood where he was coming from. "Snape-"

"Yeah, I loved it how you used that ploy as a way of tricking You-Know-Who."

Both Hermione and Ginny looked at Ron, not quite believing that he thought Harry actually lied to Lord Voldemort.

"Ron, it wasn't a lie; all of it was true. Snape did love my mother and he did give me the memories to look at. I saw them just before I went into the forest."

Ron's jaw dropped dramatically.

"What? That slimy git actually loved someone? That came out of nowhere!"

"I know. But what is even more amazing is that silver doe we saw. That Patronus belonged to Snape."

"No… that's bizarre, that is."

"Well it's the truth. His Patronus represents the love he has for my mother; her Patronus was also a doe." The four of them froze apparently deep in thought.

"And Voldemort said he's dead?" Hermione asked looking solemn.

"Yeah…"

"I bet you wanted to talk to him about it, huh?" Ron asked, not sure if he could hardly believe what he was saying.

Harry nodded his head.

"Don't worry, Harry, at least we know the truth, his sacrifice won't have been in vain," Ginny reassured him.

Harry nodded again; he couldn't bring himself to speak.

"I cannot believe how many casualties there are; it is amazing that a majority of us survived. Can you imagine what would have happened if Voldemort entered the fray?" Hermione asked.

Ginny nodded in agreement, staring into the laughing eyes of her brother, Fred. The four of them had begun to look at the bodies of casualties, allowing their deaths to sink in. Harry was most upset about Tonks, Remus and Fred; they had been with him all the way, given him support and advice. Tonks and Remus especially, they had a little boy to care for, his Godson, he couldn't believe how one minute Teddy had two loving parents to having none at all, just like him when he was a year old. Harry didn't know what was going to happen now that the war had ended, but hoped against all hope that one day everyone: the Weasleys, Hermione, the Order and himself will move on.

"Do you think a funeral will be held for Remus and Tonks?" Ginny asked, teary eyed, knowing too well that a funeral for Fred will definitely occur.

"I hope so, Ginny." Hermione answered, blowing her nose.

Ron nodded; it looked like he was about to be sick.

"Come on, let's go and find the others." Harry said, pulling his friends away from the masses of bodies. Together, the four of them walked away from the casualties, preparing themselves for the moment when they would have to say goodbye and move on.

A/N: Please review as I love reviews and also because I want to know what you guys think about where the story is headed.

A/N: Also Harry and Voldemort discuss the Elder wand in their conversation in this chapter, but because it would be word for word what is written in the cannon, I decided not to write it. But just to let you know, Voldemort knew Harry knew about the Elder wand and for the same reason outlined in the book, Harry knew he would get the wand because of his conversation with Dumbledore in the 'King's cross' chapter and because he wrestled Draco (see Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows for details).

A/N: The next chapter: 'there are things worth dying for' has already been written and I will post it up soon. Thanks for reading!