AN: I bring you now to the track that first inspired this story.

As always, please review.

The Black Parade

Track 04 – The Sharpest Lives

Well it rains and it pours
When you're out on your own

Brushing the hair from his face, Severus Snape entered his kitchen. He pulled out a large mug while tapping the kettle with his wand. Severus tossed a tea bag into the ceramic mug. He poured the steaming water in and glanced out the window. He could barely see past his gate as the rain was so thick.

He rubbed the spot on his arm where the Dark Mark lay. That is what had woken him up so early this morning. 'Is it even morning yet?' he mused as he glanced out the window again unable to determine the time. His attention returned to the tattoo on his arm. The sharp burn had alerted him to a meeting, but it was not nearly strong enough to let him know he was invited to this conference. Not that he minded.

He grabbed the cup and entered his sitting room, flipping on the light. A groan made him reach for his wand.

If I crash on the couch
Can I sleep in my clothes?

"Too bloody brigh'," a voice warbled on the couch. A large glass bottle rolled on the floor as the lump struggled to hide from the piercing intrusion. Severus recognized the voice at once.

"Potter?" He hadn't been this close to the boy since the incident at the North Tower; that was over three years ago. He had received a letter from Potter two years earlier saying he understood what Albus had made him do; what that ring had done to Dumbledore already. They had corresponded when needed; Snape passed on what he could to the new leader.

Returning from his thoughts, Snape hissed, "Are you suicidal Potter? What makes you think you can come to my house in the middle of the night? Which, I may remind you, is very often a cross road for Death Eaters?" Without getting a coherent response, Severus stepped closer.

'Cause I've spent the night dancing
I'm drunk, I suppose

Severus analyzed the object that was now spilling small amounts of amber liquid onto his rug. "Is that my prized bottle of Firewhiskey? Potter, you have better explain yourself!" Snape growled as he waved his wand, enlisting the help of every lamp in the room.

"Sev-rus sit's too brigh' … I was sleepin…'"

The tea cup abandoned on a side table, Severus glided across the room to the couch. Gripping a handful of robe, he yanked the minor to his feet. "What are you doing here?" he hissed.

If it looks like I'm laughing
I'm really just asking to leave

Harry swayed on his feet before falling back on the cushions. Severus didn't bother trying to pull him up again. Harry smirked as his head lolled to the side. "Sit's funny, I just wanted ter ask for…" he paused as he repeatedly tried to reach for another bottle next to him. The ability to grasp the bottle was eluding him.

Severus went to grab it from him, when he noticed the blood staining Harry's hand. "Potter you're bleeding!"

This alone, you're in time for the show

The smirk left Harry's face. His face turned dark. His eyes become more focused. "Not mine."

"What do mean not yours? Whose is it then and why are you covered in it?" The dark red liquid was coating much of Harry's black robes. Severus noticed some had flaked off on his hand when he had grabbed the robes.

Harry stood up, staggering a bit, before pushing past Severus. He ran a shaky hand through his hair. "It's not mine. Not my blood. Cold."

You're the one that I need

"If it's not yours, then whose is it?" he repeated. Gathering no response, Severus let out a frustrated sigh. "Potter, you need to leave. A Death Eater can come through my fireplace any moment and you'll be dead. How will I be able to explain to the Dark Lord that Potter was in my home and I didn't bring him in?"

I'm the one that you loathe

"S'not my blood," Harry murmured again, falling back a few steps. "I couldn't save… spose to be secret… they knew… were there… it's cold…" A sob was choked back.

You can watch me corrode like a beast in repose

"Potter, you need to leave. There's a meeting tonight and I don't know if anyone will show up here."

'Cause I love all the poison
Away with the boys in the band

Harry had limped across the room toward the bottle on the ground. His bad knee gave out and he fell to the ground. He reached out and grasped the bottle bringing it close. It was almost empty but he brought the lip of the amber bottle to his own and drank the memories away. The tears that he had been holding back were starting to flow down his cheeks.

The bottle rolled from his hand.

I've really been on a bender and it shows

"I can't do this anymore."

Severus once again approached Harry. The stench of alcohol was more apparent only slightly masking the smell of blood. He looked nothing like the Daily Prophet portrayed him now. Severus saw a child, lost and without any direction; pushed too hard too soon. There were a few wrinkles tucked in the corner of his eyes, his cheeks were hollowed out, and dark circles outlined his previously vibrant green eyes. Her eyes.

"Potter you need to leave. I'll send you an owl later in the week. Go back to your girlfriend."

Harry snorted. The moment of sobriety was lost. Harry turned his gaze from Snape's. He stared out in front of him, not noticing the world. Another tear slid down his face.

"Potter –"

"I jus' thought you'd…" Harry Apparated before finishing his sentence.

Severus picked up his lukewarm tea from the side table and sat down in the space previously occupied by Harry. He picked up the bottle left on the couch and poured the remainder in his tea.

So why don't you blow me a kiss before she goes?

Harry limped through the hallway. For the first time in a while, the pain in his head was not related to the scar on his forehead. He leaned against a table, giving his knee a break.

It had all gone wrong.

A set of footsteps heading toward him made him tense. His hand was inching toward his wand when the figure turned the corner.

"Harry, where have you been?"

Give me a shot to remember

Ginny Weasley approached him. "Is that alcohol I smell?" She exhaled loudly. "We've had half the D.A. and just about all of the Order out looking for you, and you've been wasting away in some bar? We thought You-Know-Who had gotten you!"

"Not so loud…"

And you can take all the pain away from me

She went an octave higher. "You've been missing for over six hours Harry! You can't pull this stint when you're the only one who can defeat You-Know-Who. What were you thinking? What if the Prophet got wind of this? They could tarnish your image to the public. If they think you're off the handle, there won't be a united front. We could lose this war." Gaining no response, she walked closer.

A kiss and I will surrender

"Look Harry, we're all taking the loss of…"

"Don't. Don't say his name."

Her eyes blazed. "And why not Harry? He was your friend. He gave his life for your cause and you don't want to talk about him?"

"Please Ginny, I want to go to bed."

"You're tired? And what about everyone else who has been looking for you? Ron told me you just Disapparated after it happened. Just upped and left a carnage of bodies behind. I thought this was a secret mission: you said the Death Eater strength was minimal. That's why you went in with so few men."

Leaning fully against the table, Harry buried his face in his hands. The moments from the night were no longer being ignored by the strong alcohol. He inhaled deeply, trying to keep composed in front of Ginny. He was your friend.

Everything had gone wrong.

The sharpest lives are the deadliest to lead

"You've been getting bolder and bolder with every new mission you take. You take too many risks Harry. The Prophet is starting to take notice. The D.A. has been losing numbers; the injury rate is too high. You've been pissing off a lot of people. This war has been going on for five years already and you still haven't made a move toward attacking You-Know-Who. The people are looking to you as the Chosen One."

A light to burn all the empires
So bright the sun is ashamed to rise and be

Harry finally spoke, "I never chose to be; I didn't want this thrust upon me. I'd trade all of this in if I could have my parents back and this stupid scar off my forehead." He kneaded his forehead, willing the building thunderstorm in his head away. "But if it wasn't me in charge, who else would do it? Who else wants to lead a fight against Voldemort? I wanted to do this alone, without anyone's help. I didn't want to risk anyone else's life on my behalf. I made the choice to restart the D.A. to give the people hope." He paused, still trying to gather himself. "I realized that finding the Horcruxes isn't as easy as walking through Voldemort's memories or reading textbooks. I couldn't find them with just Ron and Hermione by my side. I push the D.A. as hard as I can because without those Horcruxes, the rest of the war is pointless. Voldemort is immortal."

In love with all of these vampires

"But you're not Harry. You spend most of your time reading books, training the D.A., or planning the next raid. You hardly get a decent sleep and you rarely take a meal." Ginny moved closer to him, filling in the void between them. "What about me Harry? We never spend time –"

"This war is my life now Ginny; you decided you'd rather help with the paper work for a mission than fight along side us."

So you can leave like the sane abandoned me

Harry became aware of a buzzing noise that filled the room. He leaned more into the table. He knew he went too far.

Ginny surveyed him; he couldn't tell if she was furious or about to cry. She took several breaths. She walked up to him and put her arms around him. "Harry, let's not fight anymore tonight please. I'm tired of it all." She leaned in for a kiss ignoring the intolerable stench of alcohol and blood that clung to Harry.

There's a place in the dark where the animals go

Harry pulled away. "Please Ginny; I just want to get out of these robes and go to sleep."

"I'll make you forget all of this Harry." She trailed kisses up his neck. "You deserve a break."

Harry pulled away again. "I'm not in the mood Ginny." The headache was becoming unbearable. His knee was beginning to sing its own sonata.

You can take off your skin in the cannibal glow

Ginny kept insisting. "I'm worried that one day you won't come back to me and we'll never experience this as a couple. I love you Harry."

Juliet loves the beat and the lust it commands

She went in for a deeper kiss and locked lips with Harry. One hand became entwined in his hair while the other cupped his cheek.

Harry felt the nausea swell. The images from the battle were seared in his mind. The blood, there was so much blood. It wasn't his.

He pushed her off of him, yelling, "No!"

Drop the dagger and lather the blood on your hands, Romeo

"I can't do this Ginny." He limped backwards, placing distance between him and his girlfriend. He shakily displayed his hands. "His blood is on my hands, on my clothes, on my conscious." He inhaled sharply. "This," he motioned between them, "is not possible tonight. I just need to sleep." He paused again. "Just stay with me."

He wearily stepped back again, leaning against the wall. His head was pressed against the cool wall. Harry closed his eyes gently before opening them again.

I've really been on a bender and it shows
So why don't you blow me a kiss before she goes?

Ginny swelled. She took one step toward the tired Harry. "You can't let every death affect you like this Harry. He knew what he was getting into when he signed up. His death is just a statistic; a little blurb at the end of a column."

Give me a shot to remember

Harry recoiled as if directly hit. "He was our friend."

"He was just another solider fighting for the cause."

And you can take all the pain away from me

Ginny walked away from him and grabbed her cloak from a chair.

"He died because I was foolhardy. It was not for some greater good."

A kiss and I will surrender

"We've been fighting for five years and have lost countless of friends and family. What makes this one any different?"

Harry paused. Ginny put on her cloak and moved toward the fireplace. "He was our friend and I let him die."

The sharpest lives are the deadliest to lead

"Just as you did Cedric Diggory or Sirius or Dumbledore or my brother or Moody… I could go on but I think you got the point."

Harry avoided her gaze and looked out the window. On the horizon, he could see the sun start its creep toward the sky. Thick clouds held their ground as a few rays peeked through. The rain from earlier had slowed its decent.

A light to burn all the empires

"Please, just stay here with me. Just lay with me."

So bright the sun is ashamed to rise and be

"You probably should keep a better watch on this," she snapped, tossing a collapsible cane at him. "I'm going to inform the Order and the D.A. that you're alive, mostly. I'm sure they'll be happy to call off the search. Maybe when you're sober, we can have a chat about how you need to clean yourself up." She fastened the remaining string on her cloak.

In love with all of these vampires

"It's daylight – why don't you get some rest now?" She turned on her heel and went to the fireplace, disappearing in a display of green flame.

Harry slid to the floor. A few more tears were shed. The coolness of the floor slightly dulled the throbbing headache.

"Harry why is it so cold in here?"

"I'm sorry," he whispered to the empty room.

So you can leave like the sane abandoned me.

-Anaticulapraecantrix, 2008