Chapter Eleven
Anxiety was growing fast as June saw its end. Not only the students had to worry about their exams (and actually, Hermione seemed the only seventh-year in the DA really concerned about it), but they all knew Voldemort's attack was getting closer by the minute. Harry and his friends had exhaustively prepared their defense group to evacuate the younger students to the Chamber - and Draco left a very specific list of which Slytherins could be taken and which should be left behind, mostly from the later years, who eagerly looked forward to joining the Dark Lord. Harry had also made the fourth and fifth years learn to say 'open' in Parseltongue and tested it exhaustively. Those would be the ones in charge of gathering everybody and protecting them, should they meet enemies on their way. Only the two last years were allowed to fight beside the adults.
Harry had developed the habit of playing with the Potion flask he attached to the string Draco had given him, and had to come up with the craziest lies to cover it up from his friends. Also, as the exams began, students went to bed earlier and Harry was able to go to the dungeons in time to cross paths with Snape. Mostly they'd just share a silent look before the professor went through a door on the opposite side of the room, which Harry assumed led to his bedroom, but one night, a couple of days before the exams were over, the two of them found themselves sitting on opposing armchairs by the fire.
"Everything is ready. All the DA students know what to do when the time comes. Some of them want to fight with us."
" Their place isn't in a battlefield. They're just children."
"So am I."
"You're special, Potter." Harry had the impression he'd seen the ghost of as smile in the black eyes, but it only last a fraction of a second.
"We decided everybody 16 and up can fight. The others will hide."
"It's not your place to decide that, Potter. They're my students. Make sure they're all safe in the Chamber when the battle begins."
"Some of us are adults, and we have the right to choose. And it's been agreed among all of us who can make that choice. I'm not telling them they have to run and hide like children."
Snape shook his head slightly. "Stubborn as always."
Harry smiled, looking at the fire. "What will happen to you?"
"What do you mean?"
"The Dark Lord will expect you to be by his side when he arrives, won't he?"
"I suppose so."
"And he'll expect you to attack us."
"Potter, how many times do I have to tell you to stop worrying about me? I know what I have to do, and when the time comes, I'll be there to feed you your antidote. And that's all you need to know." Snape sounded more impatient than annoyed and, other than looking away, didn't move in his seat. After such an outpour, Harry had learned to expect a stormy exit, but it never came.
They stayed in silence for a few minutes before Harry asked quietly, "Why did you let me into your memories that day?"
"I didn't let you in. It was part of your exercise."
"Not those. Especially the ones with Lucius Malfoy."
"It just goes to show that, when you bother putting any effort into anything, you can actually learn it, Potter."
"I'm sorry." He looked at the older man, who still had his eyes fixed on the dancing flames.
"What for?" Snape was surprised to hear a spontaneous - and honest - apology.
"All that. What my father and his friends did. And all you had to go through."
"It wasn't your fault, and your guilt won't change what happened." He stood up. "You better sleep now. The storm's approaching and you have to be ready." He started walking, but stopped as he heard Harry's voice.
"You haven't been resting much either."
"I don't know what you're talking about, Potter."
"You do. But it's okay. Just so you know, I see it. At first I thought that door led to your bedroom, but there's actually a small potions lab in between, isn't there? And the light is always on."
"Go to sleep, Potter. If you can't mind your own business, I'll have to ask you not to come back here anymore."
"You should take care of yourself as well. The battle will be hard on all of us." Harry just stared at Snape's back for a few quiet moments. "Good night, professor." He wished before moving to his assigned couch, listening as the other man left him alone. Especially after all he'd learned about the Potions Master, he realized how lonely he was, and couldn't help the pain in his chest every time he saw it reflected on those black eyes.
He left the dungeons a little later than he expected, and was surprised not to find Snape at least frowning at him for the time. Actually, he was surprised not to find Snape at all, not in the living room, nor on his private lab, whose door was left opened and where potions were abandoned half-done. Harry felt very uncomfortable, and looked for the professor in his office and the Potions Classroom, equally empty. Trying not to panic, he decided to go back to the Gryffindor Tower before someone noticed he was gone, and come back after the morning exams.
Ron and Hermione were waiting impatiently for him in the Common Room when he got there. The redhead had immediately called the girl when he woke up and didn't find his best friend in his bed, and the two had been looking inside the Tower and its surroundings for him, before she remembered the Marauder's Map a few moments earlier, in time to find him leaving the Grand Staircase.
"Where have you been, mate? I almost freaked out when you weren't anywhere to be found this morning!"
"I... woke up earlier and went for a walk. I had to clear my head."
"It's dangerous, Harry! Voldemort could attack at any minute-"
"But that's exactly it! He should've attacked by now. Snape said he'd come during the exams but-"
"Snape said?" Ron raised an eyebrow. No information that came from his former Potions Professor seemed trustworthy for him.
"Yes, Ron, Snape said. And yes, I trust what he says. But the thing is, tomorrow's our last exam and nothing! Don't you feel there's something wrong about it?"
"Maybe Snape was lying." Ron suggested, and Harry frowned at him.
"It is weird, Harry. But that doesn't justify you walking around alone, okay? Where did you go, anyway?"
"For a walk, I told you. I didn't even leave the castle, if you must know. But now can we just go down for breakfast? I don't want to go into the exam room starving."
The other two agreed reluctantly, and went to the Great Hall. Once all students were done eating, the room was reorganized to accommodate all those taking their O.W.L.s and N.E.W.T.s. While he waited to begin the exam, Harry unconsciously took his hand to the flask around his neck, but luckily he realized in time he could be accused of cheating and have it taken away, so he hid it back under his robe. He couldn't help noticing, however, that the snitch attached to the string seemed more agitated than usual.
Two and a half hours later, he left the Great Hall stretching his arms. He felt he'd done a good job, and was about to return to his Common Room to review some of the content for his last theoretical exam when two younger Slytherins passed by him and he remembered Snape had been missing that morning, also during breakfast, and made a change of plans.
He had only to wait fifteen or twenty minutes in the professor's sitting room, where he used to sleep, for the flames in the fireplace to turn green and the man he'd been looking for to step out of it, looking more determinate than ever. If he was surprised to see a guest, he didn't demonstrate it.
"It's today, Potter. The Dark Lord spent all morning explaining his strategies and is, at this very moment, gathering his forces to attack. He intends to be here within the hour."
"So that's it." He swallowed hard. "I'll put our plans in motion. In half that time, we should have everybody safely hidden."
"And I'll go to Minerva. Expect to see the Order soon." Harry nodded and they walked to the door. As soon as they were in the hallway, the boy had meant to run upstairs, but the professor held his wrist, looking into his eyes. "Be careful, Harry." He wished before running out of sight. Harry lingered there for another instant, a silly grin painted in his face, before turning his mind back to what mattered.
They met the DA members on the Entrance Hall, and everybody knew what they had to do. As planned, the students were readily rallied and taken to the Chamber. All those who weren't part of the DA were very confused, and specially the first-years, very scared; and the Slytherins were a little trickier to gather while keeping up the appearances to the others. But the professors were also taking their places, and casting protective spells over the castle; those lucky enough to have a moment to peek out a window witnessed an spectacle of lights and colors, and only those preparing to fight saw night fall at noon. Harry couldn't tell if it was some sort of spell or purely the concentration of dark creatures, but it surely made things a lot scarier.
Ron had met his brothers and taken the other Gryffindors towards the Owlery and the Northern towers; Hermione and most other students had surrounded the West Wing of the castle, overlooking the Forbidden Forest, from where they all knew there'd be massive groups of Death Eaters coming; Draco was fighting side-by-side with his Slytherins, his cousin Tonks and other Aurors, spread around the Lake; and Harry was at the Entrance Hall, waiting nervously for the fight to begin. He knew he'd be fine once adrenaline kicked in, but until that happened, he wasn't so sure.
For a few moments frozen in time, both sides just looked at one another, almost holding their breaths. Whatever was the result of that battle, it would be historic, and they all knew it. Then, as if compelled by a change in the wind, thousands of spells were cast at the same time, exploding loudly when they hit the barriers put over the castle. They all knew that shield wouldn't last too long, and when the first Death Eater came through, all those involved ran at each other at the same time, yelling spells and dodging the best they could.
There were so many explosions that, after a minute or so, Harry could barely hear them anymore. His ears had gone slightly numb, and all the yelling stopped making sense. Harry tried to cover his friends running through the main doors, but he knew he couldn't take unnecessary chances. He needed to find and destroy Nagini before tricking Voldemort into destroying the last Horcrux himself. And then hope for Snape to make it to his body in time. He tried to distinguish between the masses of black approaching too fast, but was unsuccessful. They'd assume Voldemort would come to the main entrance, instead of taking a back door, but as far as he could tell, the other wizard was nowhere to be found.
Lights of all colors exited wands on both sides, and all those near the castle tried to get cover the best they could. They were outnumbered, yes, but if anyone could see, they were quickly turning the ratio even. After several minutes fighting by the front door, Harry decided he needed to check the rest of the grounds. Even if it meant leaving his group less protected, he knew finding the snake was more important at that moment. He fought his way to Hermione, and after some quickly yelled words, he moved on to Ron. Neither of them had seen any traces of Voldemort, and Harry started getting anxious. He went to the stairs that led to the boathouse, and then back around the castle, meeting Draco on his way. The blond also couldn't help.
As he watched bodies falling one after the other, from both sides, he started to grow apprehensive. Defying his common sense, he quickly made his way inside the castle and up the central tower, disregarding the constant attacks it was suffering and the bits of stone rolling down the steps. He dodged from a few ricocheting spells on his way up, but was thrilled to have taken that decision. In a few seconds, he saw his archenemy standing behind a thick wall of Death Eaters and other dark creatures, just where he expected him to be. Harry could distinguish a few werewolves while glancing quickly out the windows on his way down; he didn't know they could transform without the Full Moon. In the Dark Forest, he saw some giants having trouble to reach the castle; all its inhabitants had willingly agreed to help on the war effort.
He also got to see his friends fight, and felt his chest fill up with pride. They were all there, battling bravely beside him, and, for what he could see, very successfully. Hermione was taking on three Death Eaters at once on one window, and then had already left them behind and ran to help a sixth-year Hufflepuff a little father ahead on the next. It was almost a pleasure to watch the sea of red hair quickly gaining ground and pushing the invaders back to where they came from. He also got a quick glace of Draco, his back against Tonks, surrounded but knocking down one man after the other.
The first thing that got his eye when he made it back to the ground floor was that Hagrid's Hut had been set on fire. If he had enough time, he would've felt sorry for his friend, losing everything he had, but the next thing he saw was that same friend knocking down some Death Eaters - and simply scaring others away with his size.
He took a deep breath before taking a step outside the castle. He had to dodge a few spells coming his way, but saw very clearly as the black mass opened to let Voldemort pass, much like a story he heard as a child of a man who divided the sea in two. And right at his feet was Nagini. Harry looked around for support, but didn't find any of his best friends around. Only they knew the plan, should the man and the animal be so close together, and all of them were too busy to help. As he felt the panic wanting to grow inside his chest, he saw Neville hit one spell that was aimed at him and seized that change of plans.
"Neville, here!" He screamed as he pulled the boy back inside. "The snake. I need you to kill the snake."
"Harry, there are hundreds of Death Eaters out there, why are you so worried about-"
"Because if the snake isn't dead, neither is Voldemort." He reached inside a pocket and took out a small object. Holding it in his opened hand, he pointed his wand at it and said, "Engorgio!"
Neville's jaw fell. "Is that..."
"Gryffindor's sword. I was saving this for an emergency, and here we are. Take it." He gave the heavy object to his friend. "I'll distract Voldemort, but you'll only have a few seconds. Can you do it?"
"You can trust me. I won't waste any time."
"Right. Here, I think this will help." He pulled out the Invisibility Cloak from a magically extended pocket. "Great. Stay close to me. Kill it as soon as you can." Neville nodded. "Are you ready?" They exchanged one last look before walking back outside.
"My, my, Potter! Hiding, are you?" Voldemort smiled from a few dozen yards away. As if they'd rehearsed it, the fighters from both sides moved out of their way, leaving the two of them with a lot of space to battle.
"I don't need to hide. I'm not afraid." They were both waking closer to each other, and started moving in circle, like animals stalking their preys.
"Perhaps you should be, boy. Today is, after all, the day you die."
"No, Tom." He smiled at the enraged reaction the name got. "Today is the day you die."
"You're just a boy, Harry. What do you think you can do against me? Join me now. I won't punish you for your rebellion. And then we can both rule this world whichever way we want."
"I'd rather die to join you."
"Very well, then. Today's the day your wish will be granted."
They both pointed their wands at each other and cast their spells. Just like had happened years before, the wands joined and souls began leaving them. Harry watched from the corner of his eye where he assumed Neville was. The snake could tell there was someone there, and started fizzing, but Voldemort was too entertained with him to notice.
"You stupid child! Did you think I didn't know this would happen? That I wouldn't come prepared?" He laughed loudly, reaching into his robes with his free hand and pulling out a second wand. "I'll give you one last chance, Harry."
"I stand by my decision, Tom. And that makes me a better person than you'll ever be."
"That only makes you a dead person, Harry." The boy saw as the snake got up ready to attack its invisible enemy, and then saw Neville's hand holding the sword appear from thin air and strike a precise cut on the animal's head. Voldemort screamed in pain and anger, throwing his head back. When his eyes returned to Harry, he could see just how much fury a person's eye could hold. "You little weasel! I'll finish you right now!"
As Voldemort cast the killing curse on him, he did what he'd been practicing with Snape for the last month. He felt as his soul left his body, and also some of the impact of the spell on his physical part before losing conscience. He was starting to dissipate in the air.
Laughing loudly, Voldemort turned to his followers triumphantly. Bellatrix Lestrange was the first one to stand beside him, also laughing and congratulating her master. The few seconds she distracted him were enough for Snape to reach Harry's body, and while Voldemort turned to who he thought was his most loyal servant and cast a spell on him, he had time to pour all the content of one little flask down Harry's mouth.
Snape was thrown high into the air and landed several yards away. Everybody else held their breaths as they watched Harry's body. The few seconds he took to move seemed to last forever, but then he sat up coughing, one hand around his stomach. Bellatrix let out a loud scream of shock, and Voldemort pointed his wand at the boy, ready to say the words once again. But before he could finish his work, Harry was up and with a second wand on his hand, defending himself and smiling. Their exchange of enchantments was the sign everybody else had been waiting for to start dueling again.
"What did you do, Potter? How do you keep dodging death?"
"I have something you'll never have, Tom. Friends willing to risk their lives for me." They screamed over the other noises while casting wordless spells.
"You're not about to start that Dumbledore talk about love, are you, boy?"
"Actually, their loyalty makes them want to work twice as hard with me to find ways to keep us protected. Your servants will never go an extra mile for you unless you're right behind them with your wand pointed at their necks." As he distracted the other wizard with his words, Harry managed to push him towards the castle. He could see large chunks of it falling, and knew how to destroy Voldemort.
"Oh, the naivety of youth! You don't actually think they care about you, do you, Harry?"
"Oh, but they do! Just because nobody ever liked you, Tom, it doesn't mean they can't care about me."
"They're just using you, boy! Using you to kill me! Like Dumbledore used them all to get you here! Come and join me, and be above all those manipulators!"
"We're not being used, Tom. We're cooperating! But I don't expect you to know the difference!"
"There is no difference, Harry! That's what you can't see! And it's your ignorance that's going to kill you!" He laughed loudly. Suddenly, he heard Bellatrix scream and didn't have time to even see the gigantic piece of Hogwarts wall fall on him.
Time seemed to run slower after that. Harry remembered the woman running to her master in despair, and turning to attack him. He was already in automatic pilot, and merely defended himself from her attacks. Little by little, the acknowledgement that Voldemort was dead spread through the battlefield, and the duels began ceasing. The Aurors did their best to capture as many Death Eaters as they could, and Harry just stood there, looking blankly ahead.
"Mate, you have to get out of here!" The war was won, but Voldemort's followers were still shooting left and right trying to escape.
"Come on, Harry!" Hermione screamed, pulling him by one arm just in time to avoid a light beam headed for him.
The next several minutes were a blur. Slowly, the shouting ended and gave way to the crying as bodies began arriving. Harry was still in the same place his friends had left him when they came back to check on him. As he saw one body in black being carried inside, his brain started working again.
"Where is Snape?" He sounded desperate. Ron and Hermione looked at one another. "Where is he? Just tell me! Is he alright?"
"Harry... " Hermione said carefully and the boy's heart sank. "After we thought you were killed, Snape gave you something and Voldemor saw it. He was thrown several yards into the air."
"Where's his body?" He asked quietly, trying to hold back the tears.
"Nobody's found it yet-"
"Then he may still be alive!"
"No, Harry. Nobody could've survived such a fall, not even a wizard as powerful as Snape."
"But they haven't found him! So maybe, maybe-"
"I'm sorry, mate."
Harry looked disbelieving from one friend to the other. "Who else?" He asked after a few minutes.
"Two Hufflepuffs and one Ravenclaw. A few Aurors we didn't really know. Percy. "
"I'm sorry, Ron." He put his arms around his friend and held on for a few seconds.
"And... Remus."
"I'm really sorry, mate." He added quickly.
"What? Him too?" His thoughts were as confused as his feelings, and then he remembered, "Draco!"
"Malfoy's fine, Harry. Some cuts and bruises, but he'll live."
"No, that's not- I can't- I- I have to find him." He pushed past his friends.
"Harry, wait!" Hermione called after him.
"I have to find him!" He yelled back, without turning. It was only then he noticed he himself had some injuries, but the pain they caused was no more than a soft tickle compared to his emotional pain. He found the blond sitting on the edge of a bed conjured in the hallway. "Draco?" He called quietly.
The boy had his elbows on his knees and his head dropped, eyes on the floor. He didn't bother looking at Harry when he replied. "It's over."
"I'm sorry. I really am."
"It won't bring him back, Potter. Either of them." He sounded bitter, and Harry realized that the boy not only had lost his lover, but also his mentor. His whole family.
"I know." He sat beside the boy. He wanted to hug him, tell him it would be fine, but even in his thoughts it felt wrong and he couldn't believe it. "Did you... Did you lose anybody else?"
"Lucius and Narcissa are dead. I'm glad for that. But also Crabbe. And Blaise got a few hits to the head, he'll probably have memory problems for a while. You?"
"Ron's brother Percy."
"One less mouth to feed."
"Draco! Don't say that!"
"Well, at least he still has five of them, doesn't he? Who do I have?" He raised his tone.
"You've got me!"
"Yeah, right, Potter."
"I mean it, Draco."
"I don't need you. I don't need anybody." He mumbled, and Harry thought it would perhaps be better to leave him alone for the time being.
Everybody was injured, tired and dirty, and they were all torn between being happy that nightmare was finally over and the sadness for those they'd lost. The last thing Harry remembered of that day was noticing night had already fallen when he walked away from Draco, meaning the battle had taken much longer than he'd realized.
Harry woke up very early the next morning, to find himself sleeping in a hospital bed. Looking around, he recognized what now were the ruins of Hogwarts, and lazily stretched his limbs before getting up. It all felt so surreal that, if now for the undeniable evidence - the destruction, the injuries and the deaths -, he wouldn't be able to tell if it'd been a dream. He was returning from the kitchen, where he'd made himself breakfast, when the first reporters invaded the Entrance Hall demanding interviews from him. There were still people working to recover the bodies out there, and Harry was revolted with how bold those people were. Didn't they have any respect?
Harry quickly realized that no, they didn't, when a rather young and slim man appeared beside him claiming to be the new Minister of Magic and tried to force him to pose for photos. If Ron and Hermione hadn't shown up at that very moment, he would've jinxed everybody in the room. They took him back to the Hospital Wing, where some people were waking up and, seeing him, smiled and waved. He couldn't bother replying.
"I can't believe those people!"
"I'm afraid you'll have to put up with a lot more than that from now on, mate." Ron laughed. "You are, after all, the Boy-Who-Killed-You-Know-Who."
"Cut it out, Ron." Harry asked annoyed.
"Talking about killing, wasn't that a pretty stupid way to die? I mean, for such a powerful wizard like You-Know-Who, to be crushed by a rock sounds..."
"There was no other way, Ron. He was too powerful for any spell to injure him fatally. Maybe I'd be able to scratch him or something, but even if I cast the Killing Curse back at him, I think he'd be able to at least escape alive. It's like Grindenwald. Dumbledore never killed him, just defeated him. And I wouldn't feel any safer knowing Voldermot was in cell somewhere instead of out there."
"It's a strange logic, but I think it makes some sense." Hermione muttered. "What's important is that now he's dead."
They heard the low noise of the reporters trying to come in. "I have to go."
"What do you mean, mate?"
"I'm sorry, Ron. I won't be here for Percy's funeral. Or anybody's. I have to go now." He found a coat large enough to fit him in one of the beds and, putting it on, summoned his broom. "If I stay here, that will never stop." He tilted his head towards the door. "And I can't handle that right now."
"Where are you going, Harry?"
"I don't know, Hermione. Far. I'll send you an owl when I can."
"But, mate, you just saved the world! You're even more famous now! You could be even richer-"
"That's just it, Ron. I've saved the world. I've fulfilled my duty. I don't have to put up with any of it anymore." He looked at his friend for a moment before holding him strongly.
"Be safe, mate. And we'll be here when you come back."
"Thank you, Ron." He turned to Hermione, and she smiled weakly before they hugged. "Take care of Draco for me? He can be an ass, but he's hurting too bad."
"You don't have to worry about anything, Harry. Just take care, okay? And write us."
"I will." With one last look to his friends, he mounted his broom and exited through one of the many holes that had been made to the castle structure. He went as high and as far as he could, and only allowed his tears to fall when his fingers were numb and he didn't know where he was.