A/n – Here we go! Nice and early, I hope with how much effort I put in to this chapter you will or forgive me for the cliffhanger. (: Please enjoy! I worked so bloody hard on it! (:
Chapter Twenty-One; Planned Abductions.
Desperation; that was what filled Harry as he burst through the door that led to his dormitory. Ron and Hermione both let out a startled shout and sprang apart. They had been snogging on Ron's bed.
He ignored them in favour of running in to the bathroom. He needed to know where Draco was taking Severus and he had a good idea as to where. He just needed to confirm it.
Hands clamped firmly on to the basin he was now facing the mirror, staring in to his own green eyes. He could see the panic within them. He knew what needed to be done no matter how dangerous it was. He let murderous rage flow through him, clouding his thoughts and turning his vision red. He was scared. Scared of the pain that this may cause him, but he had no choice. He fuelled the rage with thoughts of Malfoy pinning Rose against the corridor wall and of Malfoy betraying Snape's trust.
He watched in horror as his eyes slowly turned red and his rage peaked. He felt something shift inside him and it was not unlike what it felt like when he transformed in to a wolf.
"Harry," he hissed and that was when he knew he had been successful. He had been possessed by Lord Voldemort. He could basically feel the monster shifting around inside of him. His stomach roiled with rage and his hands clenched harder.
"We need to end this Tom, once and for all," Harry replied in a neutral tone as he tried to shut down the panic that was coursing through his body. He felt his mouth smile of its own accord and he shuddered at the power Voldemort now had over him.
"Are you coming to save Severus? I'm afraid you will not find him in the best condition," Harry heard his own voice whisper in what could be a conversational tone. He was then unwillingly sucked in to a vision.
Harry was looking out of what he knew to be red eyes. He glanced around the room and recognised it almost instantly. A large mahogany table sat in the middle of the room, an elegant chandelier hung from the ceiling and copious amounts of artwork hung the walls. Voldemort was in the dining room of Malfoy Manor and what he was staring at made Harry's breath hitch.
Severus kneeled before him and Harry almost tore his mind out of Voldemort's in sheer terror, but the monster clamped down on his escape. It appeared that Severus was barely conscious; blood dripped from his mouth and trickled in to the puddle that had formed beneath him. He was cradling his wrist against his chest and Harry could see that Snape's usual attire was soaked with crimson.
Black eyes looked up in to Voldemort's red ones and Harry saw defiance leeched through them. They were the eyes of a man who had seen so much pain in his life that more could not mentally harm him. Physically however, was yet to be seen.
"You promised," Severus croaked before he hung his head back down and his matted hair fell in front of his face covering his expression. The man before him looked broken, but those black eyes told a different story. They were as hard as rock, unyielding to the heaviest of pressures.
"Yes, he promised did he not?" Voldemort hissed and Harry gave an involuntary shudder, "he promised that if something happened he would not chase after you. Harry promised to just sit back at Hogwarts and watch someone else he loves die. Rest assured that I will make him watch every single second, Severus. CRUCIO!"
He could still hear the yells and screams from Snape ringing in his ears even after he managed to escape the vision. His red eyes were sparkling back triumphantly at him and Harry could still see Severus writhing on the floor before him, even if it was just memory.
"I'll meet you at Godrics Hollow Tom, let's finish this where it started," Harry stated in a hoarse voice. His hands were trembling as he let go of the basin.
"My absolute pleasure Harry," he whispered to himself before his red eyes converted back to green and it was just Harry staring at the mirror. His heart was thundering in his chest, but his mind was set. He had to save Severus and he had to do it alone. Too many people were dying because of him. He would not risk anyone any further.
He marched out of the bathroom and back in to the dorm, moving directly towards his trunk. He flung the lid open, ignoring the tirade of questions from both Hermione and Ron. They rushed over to his side and even shoved him slightly but he gave them no reaction. He would not let them follow.
He only answered after Hermione drew her wand and pointed it between his eyes. She was sparking magic once again and Ron seemed to be stifling his anger with great effort.
"They've got Severus," Harry murmured in a cold tone. He was steeling himself for the battle he was about to enter whether it was with his friends or Voldemort.
"You cannot go after him, Harry!" Hermione screamed and she leapt forward at him, but he quickly evaded the attack.
"IT'S MY FAULT!" Harry yelled back as he pushed past them both to look under his bed for his broom. He pointed his wand at the window and it swung open sending a chilling breeze whipping around them all. He had never been so glad that Hagrid had the forethought to not tell the teachers of the discovery of Harry's broom after the Death Eater catastrophe. On his way over he grabbed his invisibility cloak off of his bed and slipped the silky fabric in to his pocket.
"Harry! You can't go!" Hermione and Ron both said as they advanced towards him.
"I don't think you get it! We said we'd look after each other! I'm going to find him!" Harry yelled as he seized his Firebolt and strode over to the window.
"C'mon mate! It's Snape, he can handle it by himself," Ron said in exasperation. He then reached out to grasp Harry by the arm. There was a loud bang and a scream from Hermione.
"Harry!"
"He is our teacher! He's on our side! I'm not leaving him," snarled Harry, as he glanced down at his best friend, spread eagle on the ground, gingerly lifting his head. Before either of them could say another word Harry had leapt out of the window in a free fall before he righted his broom beneath him. He could hear their anguished shouts from behind.
Without a look back Harry began his preparations for the flight and battle. He used the same spell Hermione had taught him to find destinations when he had been chasing after Snape for the first time. He then pushed his broom as fast as it could go. He could feel his skin rippling against the wind and his eyes stinging.
A total calm fell over Harry as he flew. He could do this and he knew it. Voldemort was a monster and he had so much against him. He did not know love and the powers it possessed. He lacked remorse and conviction. In the end he had lived for nothing and would die because of it. Harry would be the last thing he would see before the glow was extinguished from those red eyes.
He flew on and on. He could see car lights snaking through the hills below him. Dense forest and lakes soon were the only murky shapes he could make out from the dim moonlight. He could only hear the wind wailing in his ears.
Every now and then he would glance down at his wand and make sure that he was flying in the right direction. He made slight adjustments with the wind and flew higher or lower depending on the currents and whether or not they were working against him or with him.
As the endless darkness took over the country side Harry felt the cold creep in to his bones. He cast heating charm after heating charm but it was of no use, they were wearing out before they could take effect. His hands began to numb and he thought of all the difficulties that would cause him whilst duelling. That was when Harry began to lose his confidence. He was going in to a battle alone. Voldemort would have all of his followers with him, there was no question.
At least Harry knew that Voldemort would not let his minions kill Harry. That was to be his job, the prophecy said so. Therefore Harry decided that he would fight until every muscle in his body gave way if he had to. He would kill Voldemort and deal with the Death Eaters later. He would die with the knowledge that it was only them left; that the mastermind had died.
He looked around at the emptiness below him and wondered what it would be like to die. Perhaps it was just like this, flying through the darkness for eternity, nothing but the stars glinting above you for company. The darkness looked as if it could reach up and grab Harry, dragging him down in to its endless depths and keeping him captive forever.
Abruptly his wand started sparking green and Harry felt his heart catapult in to his throat. Time had passed quickly and he must have been flying at top speed for at least an hour now. He tilted his broom down, preparing to descend.
He looked down to see a dimly lit village. It looked to be only a main road and a few streets that ran off of it. It was extremely small and was most likely not suitable for a full-scale battle. It was just a small innocent village, it was true it had seen horrors in its past and it did not need more. At that moment Harry realised he was looking at his original home. He had never known it; it did not count in his mind. Hogwarts was his home now and always had been since he had arrived there as a first year. However the fact was that he had lived in that village with his parents for the first year of his life.
Harry slowly drifted down in to tree cover as a black mass standing before burnt-out house caught his eye. It looked as if it had been the victim of an explosion a few decades previous. The garden was a tangle of weeds and part of the roof was missing. It was the Potter's house.
He landed and believed his legs would give way. His vision blurred with the unshed tears of his past. He really had come back to where it all began. He shook his head and scrunched his eyes closed. Emotion threatened to be his undoing.
He quickly cast an illusion charm on his broom and stashed it behind a tree. He then, unexpectedly, doubled over and vomited. He knelt down on his knees and hugged himself as he tried to steady his breathing. Severus holding him when he was in the exact same position a few months ago made him snap his head up and stand. He had to do this.
He wiped the vomit from his mouth as he took a few shaky steps forward. His breath was unreasonably short. His wand was gripped tightly in his hand and he wished his senses were enhanced like when he was in his form. Harry smiled to himself as he went to shift, images of ripped Death Eater robes and crumpled masks filled his vision.
A burst of electricity zapped through his body and he held back from letting out a shout. He glanced down at his hands and was not all that surprised to see that he was still in his human form. How could he have been so stupid to believe that Voldemort had forgotten to put up anti-animagus wards after the massacre Harry had created last time?
Growling quietly to himself Harry began walking forward. He stepped out on to the dimly lit street and stopped dead at what he saw before him. Sliding out of the darkness and gliding towards Harry were dementors, hundreds of dementors. He could hear their rattling breaths and the coldness from them grabbing at Harry's soul. He needed to halt their advance before the sheer depression of the upcoming battle rendered him useless. He took a deep breath and focused his thoughts.
"Expecto Patronum," he whispered quietly and watched as the dementors stuttered to a stop as Harry's stag poured from his wand. It stood between the boy and the soul-suckers until they soon sunk back in to the darkness. The stag then looked at Harry and tilted its head slightly. Its sliver eyes glinted in the darkness of the night.
"Stay with me," Harry pleaded, feeling as if he was an eleven year old once again. The creature brightened before turning and walking in front of Harry as if he was lighting the way, the way to Harry's imminent death.
He began walking and his legs felt weaker than they had before. His stomach was doing flips and he felt as if his heart was going to fail him before he reached Voldemort. Every noise he heard had him spinning. The village was empty, the houses dark, yet something else was unsettling to Harry. It was not the dementors or the pack of Death Eaters waiting for his arrival; someone was watching him, following him. Harry felt the hair on the back of his neck stand up as he heard the crunching of gravel beneath feet behind him. Harry spun around, his wand raised.
"Don't!" Hissed the silhouette and Harry's wand faltered. He heard someone whisper, lumos, and Draco Malfoy came in to view. Harry's wand was raised in an instant and rage filled him.
"I'll kill you," Harry said in a dull emotionless tone, he was using all of his willpower to not utter a curse that would prove fatal.
"He made me do it! They wanted revenge after they knew he was a traitor. If I didn't get him to them... they were going to kill me, I swear. I didn't want to! He is the closest thing I have to a real father. Surely you know how stubborn he is! I'm begging you. You have to let me help you. I have to save him," the blond hair boy said in a rushed whisper. Harry had never heard him speak in such a way, he was basically pleading. He lowered his wand. Malfoy was right; Severus would risk everything for those he loved.
"You didn't hex him?" Harry replied.
"Yes, but he told me to. If... if I didn't bring him, Potter, they were going to kill me. I'd rather they did than him, but he wouldn't listen."
Harry nodded his head and looked to his stag which seemed to be watching the conversation with great interest. Everything Draco said was true. Severus would not have let him die. He seemed to value everyone else's life above his own. In a way he also had a 'hero complex' just like Harry.
"Where is he?" He asked as he took a step towards Malfoy and reached in to his pocket.
"With the Dark Lord," Malfoy replied as he took a step back. Harry had never seen him so edgy, scared. Every arrogant Malfoy bone in his body had disintegrated and had left a scared boy of sixteen. That's all they were, two boys of sixteen going up against a force darker than the night sky above them.
"Take this," Harry said as he handed Malfoy his father's cloak, "get to Severus. Try and get him out of here before the battle."
Malfoy nodded his head, accepted the cloak and before pulling it on, said,
"Be careful Potter, it will kill him if anything happens to you."
"You to," Harry replied and watched as Malfoy slipped the cloak on and most likely headed off through alleyways to get to Severus quicker.
He then looked to his patronus and the stag led on. He soon rounded a corner and Harry looked down what he assumed to be the main street of Godric's Hollow. He swallowed as he saw the dark mass waiting at the end of the street for him. The stag walked on without hesitation, ignoring the young wizard's trepidation.
He made it halfway before he could hear the jeers of the Death Eaters. Harry wondered if they had attacked anyone before he arrived. The village was eerily quiet minus their harsh shouts of abuse, the crunching of gravel beneath his feet and the roaring of the blood pulsing through his veins.
He walked on and with every step he felt his grip tighten on his wand. He felt the sweat drip down his brow and ribcage. His breath quickened and he stopped blinking all together.
The group before him shifted and Harry watched in horror as Voldemort made his presence known. His grin was almost as unnatural as his glowing eyes. His constant companion, Nagini, slithered by his side as he walked. He watched in glee as Harry walked closer and closer.
Harry only stopped walking when his stag did. It looked at Harry as if it was indicating to wait for the group to move towards him.
Voldemort was the first to take the lead and walked until he stood fifteen paces in front of Harry. The Death Eaters circled around them as if they were wolves waiting for their opportunity to pounce. They were quieter now, whispering things to themselves and Harry.
Silence fell and Harry could hear his heart pounding. He was waiting for his ribs to crack, for it to tear through the muscles and tendons and fall before him with one last resounding thud. He tried to still the shaking in his hands.
The Death Eaters continued to prowl around them in silence. Harry could see through a gap in the circle that someone was slumped on the ground behind them. Harry's grip tightened but he did not dare look away from those red orbs. Either way Voldemort knew where Harry's attention was focused.
"Lucius," he hissed and Harry watched as Malfoy Senior took a step forward from the left of Harry, "get Severus."
Malfoy nodded his head and moved off. Harry watched out of his peripheral vision as the man grabbed Severus by the collar and dragged him across the road; small rocks breaking lose under the body and cloak. Snape looked as if he was dead. The black mass was pulled in to the circle and was situated in between Harry and Voldemort. Severus was facing Harry and his face was black and blue as well as smeared with blood
"Give him the restorative potion and the muscle repair. I want him to be able to focus on Harry," Voldemort ordered as he pulled two vials out of his robe pocket and tossed them over to Malfoy. The man caught them, pulled Snape's head up by his hair and tipped the contents in to the man's slightly ajar mouth, one vial at a time.
Severus spluttered and his eyes opened instantly. To his credit he only recoiled slightly but it still made Harry's blood boil. He looked around and glazed eyes scanned past his only ally. Suddenly they sharpened and flicked back. They were now staring intently at Harry. They were filled with fury.
The Potions Master went to say something, but it was as if his voice failed him. Lucius kicked him in the ribs as he passed and Harry raised his wand, but then looked back to Severus. The man was shaking his head as he gripped his side. Harry stilled the movement of his lips, the hex he had been about to utter dying away.
"So weak Harry," Voldemort spat, "taking orders from filth."
"He's the same I suppose," replied Harry as he raised his wand and ignored the pounding in his chest. He was pointing at Severus, "He did take orders from you for fifteen years."
Voldemort hissed, but remained smiling. The Death Eater's however, raised their wands as one and pointed them at Harry. They were shouting threats and abuse, but were quickly silenced as Voldemort slashed his wand through the air. Harry flinched slightly.
"I am not filth Harry. I'm working to wipe out the muggle population. To put them in their right place, working below us... grovelling out our feet. Your friend Hermione Granger is filth. Ronald Weasley is filth as is Dumbledore."
Harry shook his head and did not answer. He wanted to take Severus home. He wanted to end this war. He was so tired, so cold and in so much pain as he looked at the weakened form before him that he wanted it all done with, whether he lived or died.
"What're you waiting for Tom?" Harry said in a cold tone, "no point waiting around to kill me. I usually get away when you stall."
The Death Eaters hissed and Harry saw the first spark of anger in Voldemort's eyes. He readied himself for the spell. He was prepared. He was itching to duel.
He met those red orbs, the eyes that wizards and witches were frightened of above all else. He looked at the face of someone who had taken so many innocent lives. He watched his wand's brother be raised and pointed directly at his chest. His eyes flicked to Severus. His stag flickered out of existence. The dementors rose out of the darkness. Draco Malfoy ripped the cloak off and took a few steps forward in to the circle. Shouts came from behind him. Severus rolled to the side. The Death Eater formation broke apart and Harry met those red eyes again.
Snape's expression softened and he gingerly placed his hand on Harry's shoulder. The boy lent into the contact, staring fixedly at the hearth.
"Harry, you're not in this alone."
"Then why does it feel like it?"
"I can assure you Harry I am not going to let you go through this war alone. No matter what I am told to do," snarled the Professor and both of them knew that an understanding had passed between them, something that would most definitely change their relationship for good.
Voldemort faltered slightly, but only Harry took any notice. He pushed forward ignoring the emotional pain he was putting himself through. He was in too deep with Legilimency to retreat.
He was cradling himself on the floor, but a pair of arms covered in dark cloth had wrapped themselves around him and his head was resting on a broad chest.
Knowing that he should feel extremely uncomfortable with the situation, but not having any will power to move or wanting to for that matter, he listened to the steady heartbeat of Severus Snape.
Voldemort took a step backwards and Harry felt tears well in his eyes. He was reliving every moment that had made him feel loved in the past year. He was reliving every moment he felt as if he had a parent.
"We need each other..." He whispered as he took a step closer and before Severus could register anything that was going on the young, messy haired boy had launched himself in to Snape's arms and was sobbing in to his chest.
The man returned the embrace, albeit stiffly, but eventually he began stroking Harry's hair hoping it would calm him. In that moment the severe Potions Master was not holding the Golden Child, Boy-Who-Lived, The Chosen One or even Potter's spawn, he was holding Harry, just Harry.
Red eyes enlarged and Harry felt as if he had been punched in the stomach. His breath was gone. He had missed so much in his childhood and it hurt.
Snape pulled the boy back around by his shoulders before he linked his finger under the silver chain Harry had refused to take off. He pulled the chain until the sliver of blue stone was visible.
"It represents perseverance, courage and luck Harry, remember? If anyone has an excess of sheer dumb luck, it is you." Snape said quietly as he looked in to Harry's green eyes, "I believe in you Harry."
That was all Harry needed to hear.
The shouts grew louder around them, but they did not break eye contact. Harry felt that sliver of stone cool against his burning chest.
Snape reached a hand out to touch Harry's forehead. It was nice and cool against Harry's searing scar. Harry leaned in to the contact and let out a sigh of relief as he looked in to Snape's black eyes. They were full of concern and indescribable distress that Harry was in pain.
Voldemort let out a noise that sounded as if he was wounded. Harry knew it was nothing like the emotional torment he had drowned himself with.
That look was back in Snape's eyes again and Harry felt his insides squirm. No one ever looked at him with such care and worry. Now with those endless depths showing a display of emotions Harry never would have thought were meant for him, he could not be happier that those eyes belonged to Snape.
The noise around them rose higher and higher, screams and shouts filled the air. Neither of them took notice. They were fighting without their wands.
Snape looked up at him and Harry physically jerked at the look that was in them. He could not believe that those emotions were being projected towards him. Concern, fear, worry and love. Love burned in those eyes and Harry felt his heart stop. No one had looked at him like that before. His parents may have, but Harry could not remember. Now with it burning in those endless depths of black Harry wondered at how much his life had turned in those few months.
It was as if everything muted as Voldemort's wand fell from his hand. Red and green finally broke away to watch the wand clatter to the floor. They then met once more and Harry was raising his wand and Voldemort was shouting. He leapt down towards his wand, but it was too late.
"EVISCERO!" Harry screamed and he watched as silver light shot out of his wand. Silence fell in the small town of Godric's Hollow as that jet of light soared towards the monster that was Lord Voldemort.
The disembowelment hex cleaved through his chest and blood spurted in to the air. A strangled scream was the only sound in the night, before Tom Marvolo Riddle fell to the floor. He landed with a thud and blood pooled around his black robes. He had died like any other human. The monster had not been the body, but the personality. It had been twisted, sick and morphed in to a dark, consuming power.
Harry stood there in front of his first home, in front of the man who had been hunting him his entire life. His wand was still raised and his heart was pounding in his chest. Tears fell from his eyes but he regained a proper state of mind as he saw Snape stand and stumble over to Voldemort's body. The man stooped low and grabbed the wand. He met Harry's eyes, but Harry did not look at them long enough to recognise any emotion. Severus then spun around and began firing spells behind Harry. The boy spun on his heel. It was as if everything was in slow motion.
Hundreds of people were in raging duels in front him. Members of the Order and DA, students of age and some that were not, his Professors and Harry assumed the residents of Godric's Hollow duelled with masked and unmasked Death Eaters. Death Eater numbers were greatly reduced, but Harry could still see many of his allies bodies littering the blood soaked ground.
He pulled his wand as he saw Bellatrix Lestrange charge towards him. She was howling in fury and grief as she saw Voldemort's lifeless corpse behind him. Her teeth were bared and she was throwing dark hexes at anyone who stumbled in to her path. Harry had a stunner on his lips as she advanced towards him, but before either of them got a chance to hex each other Lucius Malfoy had leapt in between them and was shaking Bellatrix by the shoulders and pointing frantically towards the sky. They argued for a short moment until the crazed woman spat in to Lucius' face and abruptly apparated. Malfoy senior spun around, ignoring the chaos that surrounded him. Albus Dumbledore was to his left battling with seven masked Death Eaters. Minerva McGonagall was trading spells with Yaxley and Severus Snape was duelling with Avery.
Harry looked to the side. Malfoy Junior was duelling against Fred Weasley and they looked evenly matched. He was alone once again.
Harry swallowed convulsively as the first spell from Mr Malfoy was thrown. It narrowly missed Harry's shoulder and before he had time to recover from leaping to the side another red spell was flying towards him. Harry hastily conjured a block and deflected the jet of light. His breath was short as he stood and repelled another attack.
Out of the corner of his eye he saw Fred Weasley's wand fly out of his hand. A shout was heard and then Draco Malfoy was sprinting towards Harry as a jet of green light burst from Malfoy senior's wand.
Snape turned around as he heard the forbidden curse yelled and so did most of the other battlers. They, as well as Harry, watched in hopeless defeat as Draco Malfoy threw himself in front of the Avada Kedavra. Harry stared wide eyed as his sworn enemy sacrificed himself. He watched as the boy's father snarled in distaste as the lifeless body dropped to the ground.
No one moved. Harry stared at the Draco's body until a yell of rage was issued from the left of Lucius Malfoy and Snape was firing spells at a rapid pace. Harry was able to finally drag his eyes upwards.
Voldemort's lieutenant faltered and took several steps backwards as he struggled to deflect the tirade of spells. Flashes of red, blue and black issued from Snape's wand and they only ceased as the man with flowing blonde hair was dropped to the ground. Severus raced forwards wand still raised, but before he reached the body, Lucius looked up, smirked and then disapparated on the spot. Snape swore and wiped the blood from his face. It looked as if several layers had dried at separate times because each layer of crimson was a darker shade.
The heart wrenching screams stopped the ongoing duels and everyone turned to look in the direction of Harry. Even the Death Eaters lowered their wands as they looked to the vanquisher of the Dark Lord. The screams continued and they were full of grief, loss and desperation. Harry was standing before Draco Malfoy's body looking down at the scene before him. Narcissa Malfoy was shaking her son's robes and frantically brushing his hair out of his face. Her tears dropped on to his lifeless face and that seemed to make her shake him harder. She repeated his name over and over as she hysterically tugged on his collar. His face remained emotionless, his jaw slightly ajar, icy-blue eyes open and dull.
Suddenly Snape was before her and had grabbed her shoulders. He was pulling her back roughly as she clawed the dirt trying to reach her son. The screams and cries that filled the air made Harry pale. He looked at the blood residue on the asphalt from Narcissa's fingers and the shrieks shredded Harry's composure.
Snape's eyes met Harry's and the boy could see how much pain the man was in, physically and mentally. He struggled with the distraught mother and he bodily wrapped her up in his arms. Harry knew what he was going to do. He yelled out. Severus could not leave him, but he did. They were gone with only the wake of apparition marking their absence.
It was as if nothing had happened as everyone looked to their opponent and the screams of incantations were filling the night air once more. Blood mixed with asphalt and magical residue rose up in to the air.
Harry stood there looking at the panic and destruction. No one attacked him; Death Eaters were greatly outnumbered at this point. He was shaking and his heart was pounding. Death. That's what he had caused. He had killed someone and so many others had died for him tonight, for his safety. They had died for a murderer.
A hand clamped down on Harry's shoulder and threw him to the ground. He looked up, wand raised, to meet the enraged face of Albus Dumbledore; the wizard had had enough of the onslaught judging from his expression. Fire poured from his wand and it whipped down the street. Harry watched in fascination as the fire split and knocked Death Eaters to the ground, it then swiftly bound their bodies and transformed in to metal chains. In a matter of a minute the fighting had ceased and the side of Light were looking down upon the captured Death Eaters. They had won, the war was over.
Cheers and yells of joy filled the street as people rushed over to Harry, who was still lying on the ground. Dumbledore then took a step forward and bodily shielded him. The last thing he saw before he fell unconscious was the crowd stumble to a stop. Blood and sweat dripped from each person.
888
Harry woke to a hard pressure on his shoulders. He opened his crusty eyes and they were met with black, enraged ones.
He leapt backwards and many places in his body screamed in protest. He had a few seconds to realise that his bed was surrounded by gifts and it was dawn before Snape had snatched his chin up to meet his eyes.
"WHAT DID YOU THINK YOU WERE PLAYING AT?" He yelled. Harry had never seen him so furious, even when he had looked into Snape's memories in fifth year. Harry knew he could match that fury.
He grabbed the man by the collar of his hospital gown, pushed him backwards and then quickly swung his legs down to the ground. Now on his feet Harry grabbed a startled Snape and pinned him against the wall. Shouts from the other patients and shrieks from Madam Pomfrey did not deter him.
"ME? HOW COULD YOU FUCKING BE SO HYPOCRITICALLY?" Harry screamed as Snape pried the boy's hands from his collar. "HOW COULD YOU BE SO SELFISH! YOU WERE QUITE CONTENT TO LEAVE ME!"
"Harry," Snape said in a quiet voice as he grabbed the murderous looking boy by the shoulders. He was stunned to say the least. He was supposed to be the one acting irrationally.
"DON'T YOU REALISE HOW MUCH YOU MEAN TO ME!" Harry continued on as he ignored Madam Pomfrey trying to pull him off of Severus. Somehow he had managed to latch back on to the man's clothing. "YOU'RE ALL I'VE GOT!"
"I know," replied Snape as Harry was shoved back on to his bed by a furious medi-witch. "I know Harry."
"Then why did you leave me?" Harry sobbed as Severus sat down on his bed. Madam Pomfrey seemed to be ordering him back to his own bed so he could rest, but he would not have any of it. Harry needed him. The matron soon gave up and walked over to the other patients in the wing.
"Because I had no choice," Severus said as he pushed Harry's hair out of his face, "If I had not gone... D-draco... would have been killed... he would not have had a... chance."
Harry snapped his mouth shut when he saw the misery engraved in to Snape's features. It clicked then; Draco had died. Harry then went to say something. That was until he saw the crimson slowly soak through Snape's gown.
"Severus!" He said in horror when he realised that he had opened Snape's wounds with his earlier aggression, "Madam Pomfrey!"
Poppy snapped her head up from her patient, Jessica Sparland, and quickly bustled over. By this point Snape had moved back over to his bed and was losing colour quite rapidly.
"Severus!" Harry cried and went to stand, but two flicks of Pomfrey's wand and he was bound to his bed.
"You've helped enough thank you, Mr Potter," she said briskly as she stripped Snape's gown off of him and quickly healed the reopened wounds. Once they were all fixed she pointed directly between Snape's eyes with one of her pudgy fingers.
"Do not get out of bed," she snarled threateningly and Harry was surprised to see that Severus look admonished and chastised. The older man then turned to look at Harry and he smiled. Harry did not think he deserved to be smiled at.
"Now, Mr Potter," Madam Pomfrey said in a softer tone, "How are you feeling?"
Harry looked at her and then around him. Everyone in the hospital had their eyes riveted to him. He met the eyes of Ron and Hermione, glad to see that they seemed to have only a few minor cuts and bruises. Jess was groaning and she had a large bandage covering her chest, Katie had a split lip and large gash ran from the corner of her left eye to her collarbone. Dennis Creevey was covered in bandages that looked like they were covering burns. Minerva McGonagall was nursing her wrist and she had a bottle of skele-grow next to her. Professor Flitwick had bruises covering his face and Neville Longbottom had large gashes over his own. Rose appeared to be asleep and she had no visible marks.
"We won?" Harry croaked as all of the emotion he had exposed came crashing back down on him. So many different things could have happened, so many different possibilities.
Madam Pomfrey then gave Harry a fond smile and replied in the affirmative. Harry managed a smile back, but he then turned to look at Severus. He was staring up at the ceiling with dead eyes. They said there was no victory without sacrifice.
"Good," Harry replied firmly as his gaze wondered over the infirmary's occupants again, "I feel like shit."
"Language, Mr Potter," she scolded, "I am also disheartened to hear it. The party will be held when you are feeling up to it."
"Party?" Harry asked. He shuddered at the thought. So many lives had been lost, that was not a cause for celebration.
"The party for Voldemort getting his arse kicked of course! We're all going!" Ron shouted from the other end of the room. The occupants laughed and nodded their heads.
"Oh... you're all going?" Harry said to the room, but it was obvious that the question was intended for Snape. So everyone stayed quiet and Severus nodded his head as black met green.
"Yes, everyone can go," Poppy said in a business tone, "as long as they all return as soon as they feel ill or fatigued."
The entire room grumbled in acceptance and their now unwavering focus was back on Harry. It was rather unsettling. Most of them were looking at him in awe, but one or two, being Minerva and Hermione, were looking at him scoldingly.
"I guess... I guess I'm sorry for my recklessness," he said sheepishly as he made eye contact with Hermione and then his Head of House. They both smiled. The entire room were trying to ignore the dead tone in Harry's voice; they were trying to forget the dead, trying to keep the mood jubilant.
"You didn't think we knew this was how it was going to end Harry?" McGonagall said with a sad smile, "You have to run off in to the fray. We knew that the end would not be organised."
Harry laughed at this, but then fell back in to silence. He could still see the bodies littering the ground before him. He could still see that jet of green light colliding with Draco.
"How many did we lose?" He said quietly and the entire mood of the room dampened further. They did not want to talk of it.
"We lost five... which in all respect is not too bad, but it is still too many," Hermione replied sombrely.
"Who?" Croaked Harry and he felt fear grip his stomach. So many people were missing from the hospital wing. People he had expected to be there were not.
"Uh, Tonks, Colin Creevey, Cho Chang, Madam Hooch and Padma Patil," Ron stated hesitantly. Each name felt as if Harry had been smacked across the face. He sunk further in to the soft pillows behind him.
"We lost six," was his reply and everyone nodded their heads. Snape scrunched his eyes together as if he was in pain, "Which Death Eaters did we get?"
"It'd be easier to tell you who we didn't!" Commented Neville as he tried to bring cheer back in to the room. Many people did smile.
"So basically Gerard Yaxley, Lucius Malfoy, Bellatrix Lestrange and Peter Pettigrew escaped," Hermione said, "a lot of Death Eaters have been sent to Azkaban and a few were killed during the battle."
"That is enough talk, Mr Potter needs to rest," Poppy said and the room quietened down and resumed lying in silence. Their minds were still out in the battle, their nerves still twitching and their blood still pumping. Harry rolled over and watched Snape until he fell asleep.
a/n2 – VOLDY MOLDY IS DEEEEAAAAD! Yaaay! Let's hope he stays that way! (:
Eviscero means disembowel or cut in latin. (: I hope you enjoyed it! Do not expect an update for a while because I have given this to you early so I am so behind! I hope it was worth it! Just be thankful it was not a cliffhanger. ;) Thank you all for you support!