Chapter 6: Trusts Broken

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(AN: That last chapter was the last one I had pre-written so I'm not going to be updating as quickly as I have been. Like I said at the beginning, this has been in my head and in my computer for a long time now (Since 2011). Thank you guys for your reviews/follows/favorites. I really appreciate it. Happy reading! ~ Pinky)

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The Girl Who Lived

While walking to Dumbledore's Office, I hear a shout and I immediately run towards it, absolute in my curiosity. I see Professor Trelawney lying in the floor next to the wall that would have given her access to the Room of Requirement. I also see the sherry bottles.

I help her up and she wipes herself off.

She hiccups as she stands with my help. It seems Firenze's post hasn't been taken too kindly by the Seer.

"What happened Professor?" I ask her.

"I was strolling along, brooding…"

"Why were you trying to get into the Room of Requirement?" I ask her.

"I didn't know students knew about it," she replies a bit more soberly.

"Not everyone does," I reply.

"I tried to hide some things and I couldn't get in," she replies as she hiccups once again. "There was someone already in there."

"Someone? Do you know who?"

"I have no idea. Whomever it was, he was whooping gleefully."

"Then what happened?"

"Everything turned pitch black and I was thrown out of the room," the Professor says indignantly. Ever since she made the Prophecy about me, I will no longer make fun of her, for she seems to be the real deal. "Everyone believes me to be a sham, but Dumbledore doesn't given that I'm still here. But I remember my first interview with Dumbledore, I was feeling a little odd, but then we were interrupted by Severus Snape!"

My mind completely goes blank. Snape is the eavesdropper that went to Voldemort and told him to go after my parents. He killed his best friend and the one person he ever loved.

"Shannon?"

"It's nearly curfew, I have to go," I tell her while my voice shakes right along with my body. For the first time in my life, I believe I'm actually filled with blinding, hot rage.

"Oh, yes. Yes, you shouldn't want to get into any more trouble," Trelawney responds.

I literally shout at the gargoyle that blocks the pathway to Dumbledore's office. Without a knock, I barge into his office. The door slams shut behind me once I enter the room.

"Well, I told you that you could come with me, Shannon."

"How could you let him teach here?" I shout at him.

"To whom —" Dumbledore begins to ask me, but I cut across him once more.

"I don't know why you have so much trust in a person that harbors so much hatred! He deserves to be punished for what he did. You could've stopped him, or was it all part of your master plan, to actually let my parents die for the cause?!"

"Shannon, Professor Snape made a mis —"

"Don't you DARE! Don't you dare tell me he made a mistake! He was intentionally listening at the door! That's not exactly what a mistake looks like!"

"When did you find out about this?" Dumbledore asks me calmly.

"Just now!" I snap back. "I ran into a bladdered Professor Trelawney on my way here."

I can feel my breaths come out as deep and shuddering. I've never been so livid in my entire life.

I pace up and down Dumbledore's study, hoping that moving will keep me from lashing out. My hands are balled into tight fists in order to avoid hitting something.

"Are you ready to hear what I have to say?" Dumbledore asks me, still remaining calm.

I just remain silent and give him a sarcastic "proceed" gesture with my hands.

"Professor Snape made a terrible mistake. He was still in Lord Voldemort's employ at the time he heard the Prophecy. Naturally, he hastened to tell his master everything he heard. He had no way of knowing which child Voldemort would go after, or the people that were destroyed as a result were your mother and father."

"He has been motivated by guilt, nothing more."

Dumbledore appears to be a bit frustrated with me now, but I don't care. "You have no idea the remorse Professor Snape felt when he realized how Lord Voldemort interpreted the prophecy. I believe that it's the biggest regret of his life, and why he returned —"

"He loved my mother, so what? He's the reason she's dead! If he were a human being, he wouldn't have told his 'Master' anything! Even if it wasn't my parents, how could he live with the death of a family on his conscience? He, along with his master, would be solely responsible for whomever it was that would be killed!"

"You have to listen to me when I tell you that I trust Severus Snape completely."

"He's a good enough Occlumens to thwart Voldemort, how do you know that he's not doing the same to you?"

* The Girl Who Lived *

After exiting the cave, Dumbledore, who is still weak from the potion, manages to Apparate us back to the Astronomy tower. I help him walk and sit him down.

"I'll fetch Madame Pomfrey."
"Severus. Severus is who I need. Tell him what happened."

Without a word more and without question, I cast my patronus and send her to Snape relaying our location.

I suddenly hear running footsteps and I suddenly freeze, hidden beneath my invisibility cloak. I've been put in a body bind.

Draco immediately disarms Dumbledore.

"Good evening, Draco," Dumbledore tells him. "There are others."

"Yes, there are Death Eaters here in the castle," Draco says, quite proud of himself. He's no longer the crying boy I saw in the bathroom.

"Draco, you are no killer," Dumbledore tells him.

"How do you know?" I've done things that would shock you."

"You almost killed Katie Bell and Andrew Stanton. You have been trying with increasing desperation to kill me all year. I must wonder if your heart has really been into it. You are afraid to act until they join us. While we wait for them to arrive, might you tell me how?"

"The vanishing cabinet in the room of requirement, I've been mending it."

Malfoy and him continue on, but when I hear "Professor Snape has been watching you on my orders," everything just seems to fall apart. Of course, it had been an option when I heard the fight between him and Malfoy, but I never knew what to believe.

"I've got no choice. I've got to do this. Potter told me that I have a choice, but I haven't!"

"Shannon is very much like her mother and wishes to help those who are in need of it."

Suddenly, they all arrive. Snape a few moments later, his black eyes take in the scene and look to where there are no people, obviously looking for my presence since I sent him the patronus.

"We have a problem, Snape. The boy doesn't seem to be able."

"Severus, please," Dumbledore whispers, all strength forgotten. He whispered it. Anyone in their right mind would beg for their life with shouting, screaming any sort of yelling, but no one should be as calm as this.

"Avada Kedavra!"

The jet of green light hits Dumbledore directly in the chest. Everything again, fell into chaos. The enchantment that bound me no longer holds me, but I cannot will myself to move. What must I do? Shall I follow them or help the Order in the castle?

"Out of here. Quickly!" I hear Snape shout.

He grabs Malfoy by the back collar of his jacket and shoves him, forcing him to move. The spell that Dumbledore put on me lifted as soon as Snape killed him.

I stuff my cloak into my pocket and run. As soon as I force the door open, a death eater meets me, but I put him in a body bind: he never knew what hit him.

As I reach the main stairwell of the castle, I am horror-struck. A battle has erupted in the castle.

As I run after them, something knocks me down and I look into the soulless, wolfish eyes of Greyback.

I look him straight in the eyes. "Confringo!" I shout the blasting curse.

His eyes widen as he's blasted back against the wall and slumps to the floor, not moving. I see the blood pour out of him.

That's for Remus.

There are several near misses. I see everyone battling: Tonks, Professor McGonagall, Remus, Ginny, Hermione, Luna, everyone in the DA. The castle is taking some serious structural damage. I finally catch sight of Bellatrix, Snape and Malfoy leaving the castle. The rest of the Death Eaters are having fun fighting. I just pray that everyone will be okay as I leave the castle. I block random spells that fly towards me as I run.

As soon as I breach the castle walls, I make sure the coast is clear before I begin running at full tilt, as fast and as hard as my lungs and legs allow me.

They had a very good head start but I have to catch them before they reach the edge of the anti-disapparation wards. I finally see them. I run out into the clearing. Snape turns around and faces me.

"Go on!" he orders Draco.

Draco continues walking and disapparates away, but Bellatrix remains.

"Crucio!" she shouts.

Vainly, I try to stand up, ignoring the pain, but as soon as I find myself sort of upright, Bellatrix puts more venom behind the Unforgivable and it sends me back to the ground.

"Enough!" Snape finally shouts. "She belongs to the Dark Lord."

I stand up as soon as the curse is lifted.

Bellatrix just skips away and disapparates.

Snape and I just look at each other, a duel of the eyes, not the wands.

"Just go," I finally tell him and turn back to the castle.

The Girl Who Lived

As I remember why this all had happened, it suddenly brings tears to my eyes. I slowly make my way through the crowd and up to Dumbledore's body. I kneel beside his body as the tears begin to fall. I take the Horcrux out of his pocket and stuff it into mine. This has solidified my desire to find all of these objects and end Voldemort once and for all. Hermione walks up to me and stands me up. She leads the way to the hospital wing.

"I'm not hurt," I protest.

"McGonagall's orders. She sent me down. Everyone's up there now," Hermione replies.

"Whose dead?" I ask her.

"None of us, but Bill did get seriously injured: Greyback," Hermione reports.

"Greyback? Is he—" I start to ask.

"We don't know," Hermione says sadly as we reach the infirmary. The entire Weasley family, Luna, Tonks, McGonagall and Remus are gathered around another bed near the far end of the ward. At the sound of our approach, they look up. Remus walks forward.

"Annie? Are you okay?" Remus asks me worriedly.

"I'm fine," I reply. "Greyback's not going to be hurting anyone again," I tell the room.

"What?" I hear someone ask.

"He jumped me and I used the blasting curse on him. How's Bill?" I ask anyone who can answer.

No one answers, so that must mean he's pretty bad. I might as well drown everyone's parade.

"Dumbledore's dead."