I'm back.

Seems like forever since I updated. Still despite the truly awful work experience weeks I've just had, at least I did get a bit of writing done.

Chapter 37: Words and Thoughts

Harry shifted his weight so that he could sit more comfortably while he listened to Voldemort and Snape. Hermione was leaning against his shoulder sharing the spy hole.

"My Lord their resistance is crumbling, the Shades are weakening and being forced to pull more heavily on the students. They will not last much longer." Snape said with a bow.

"Good Severus." Voldemort said, his attention had been on Nagini in her star speckled sphere, but now he turned to look at Snape. "Do you know why I have called you here?"

Snape shook his head. "No my Lord and I beg that you allow me to return. I will find Potter and bring him to you."

Voldemort's shoulders tightened and Harry felt the rush of anger slice through his scar. "There will be no need to bring Potter to me; he will come of his own accord."

"But my Lord..." Snape started.

Voldemort rounded on the Death Eater, the Elder wand lifted and levelled at his face. "Enough Severus. I know Potter. He will not allow his friends to die for him, he is weak that way." The Elder wand lowered, but Harry felt no change in his anger. Trying to distract himself Harry looked at Nagini.

The snake was obviously untouchable. Harry had only one chance and he couldn't be sure that any of the spells he knew would be capable of breaking such a powerful charm. Particularly if Yugi was right and the Elder wand allowed Voldemort to control the earth magic, then there was no telling how powerful the protection around Nagini was. Harry wished Yami had come with them now.

"I have a problem Severus." Voldemort noted thoughtfully. Harry reached up to rub at his scar; Voldemort's anger was getting stronger despite his quiet voice. Harry shuddered and resisted closing his eyes. He knew that the instant he did he would be inside Voldemort's head. Hermione's fingers tangled with Harry's and he squeezed her hand trying to tell her that he was alright.

"A problem my Lord?" Snape repeated quietly. Harry couldn't see his face, but Snape sounded nervous.

"Yes Severus. You see this wand." He held up the Elder wand for inspection. "It does not work for me. Not in the way that has been described." Voldemort's cold eyes flicked up at Snape, judging his response.

"My Lord you have worked extraordinary magic with this wand." Snape insisted.

"No Severus, I have performed no more extraordinary magic with this wand than I did with my old yew wand. I am extraordinary, the wand however remains unhelpful." Voldemort noted thoughtfully. He walked casually around to stand next to Nagini's cage. Snape's head swivelled to follow him, but he didn't respond.

Voldemort noticed Snape's lack of response and continued. "No Severus the wand fights me still, do you know why this is, do you know why I have called up back from the battle?"

"No my Lord and I beg that you allow me to return and find Potter. If he finds you then he will bring the Shades with him." Snape blurted out nervously.

Harry smiled faintly in the darkness; at least they had that right. As soon as Harry was sure he could get to both Nagini and Voldemort he intended on calling all the Shades in the castle to launch a final assault. Voldemort's eyes narrowed further. "The Shades will not be able to enter this place, the Veil magic will keep them out and if my Death Eaters keep up their excellent work then the Shades will all be dead by the time Potter arrives."

"But the Shade who lived at Hogwarts my Lord, the one called Yami. He has not yet joined the battle. We have been unable to bind the Veil magic to the Elder wand; you will not be able to fight him."

Harry raised his eyebrow. He hoped that the earth magic in the wand was preventing Voldemort tying the Veil magic to the Elder wand or they were in some serious trouble.

Voldemort had turned his back on Snape. "So we return to my original question Severus. What do you think will happen when I face Potter without the full allegiance of the Elder wand?"

"Surely my Lord there is no doubt as to your victory." Snape insisted. Harry blinked and caught a flash of Snape's face through Voldemort's eyes. His ex-Professor looked terrified. Another blink and Harry was once again inside his own head. He swallowed nervously, Voldemort's carefully controlled anger was still leaking through into his head and it was making it difficult to keep their thoughts separate. Harry wished that Yugi had put his spells back before they left.

"Tell me Severus, why do you think that both of the wands I have used against Harry Potter have failed me?" Voldemort's his voice seemed to be getting colder.

"My Lord." Snape almost begged.

"Olivander told me of the twin cores and yet Lucius' wand also failed me. So I search out this wand." Voldemort held up the Elder wand and examined it critically. "The Elder Wand. The most powerful wand ever created, supposedly unbeatable, and yet I cannot yet be sure that it will allow me to defeat Potter."

Snape was silent. Harry could almost taste the tension in the air. After a moment Snape answered softly. "I do not know."

Voldemort turned. "You are lying Severus, I think you do know. I think you have known for some time now. I removed the Elder wand from its resting place with its last master; however Dumbledore was not the wands last master. Was he?" Voldemort asked.

Snape just stared back and Harry received another flash of Snape's blank face and fathomless black eyes watching him.

Voldemort continued. "The Elder wand belongs to the man who killed Albus Dumbledore. That man is you."

Snape's shoulders tensed. "My Lord..."

It was too late. Kill. Voldemort hissed and he twitched his wand at Nagini's cage. The starred ball rolled over in the air and before Snape could move the cage encircled his head. Nagini bared her fangs and stabbed them into Snape's neck. Hermione gave a soft gasp of shock from beside Harry's shoulder, but Harry was too intensely focused on Snape to even jump in surprise.

Harry felt strangely detached from himself. He had been so focused on Voldemort's emotions since they had arrived in the Shack that Voldemort's cold indifference to the murder of one of his Death Eaters infiltrated Harry's skull. He watched passively as Snape screamed while Nagini's fangs pierced his neck again before Voldemort drew her cage back.

Then with a snap Harry was back fully inside his own head. Horror surged through Harry, making his heart leap erratically. Voldemort was gone, having vanished through the other more accessible door so Harry slid into the dusty room. Snape lay on the ground, his body crumpled over itself, bleeding profusely. He was trying to stem the flow of blood with trembling white fingers.

Harry shivered as he leant over Snape, catching the dark eyes of his ex-Professor. "Harry!" Hermione whispered urgently. Harry ignored her. As much as he hated Snape, Harry didn't want anyone else to die today. He could see already it was too late. Snape's sallow skin was taking on a blue hue and his eyes were struggling to remain open.

"Take it." Snape gasped out, ending on a gurgle. For a moment Harry was confused, then he noticed the silver gaseous-fluid flowing out of Snape's mouth, nose and eyes. Harry looked about desperately, there had to be something to catch the memories which were welling out of Snape's mind.

A gentle hand reached around Harry's shoulder as Hermione held out a small potions flask. He didn't ask where she had pulled it from. It didn't matter. Harry turned and pulled out his wand. Gently lifting the strange filaments and stowing them in the little vial Harry noticed that Snape's face had lost the look of horrified desperation and appeared calm. "Professor..." Harry started, but he couldn't finish, he didn't know what to say.

Snape's eyes searched Harry's face. "Look at me." He said on a sigh. Harry met his eyes obediently. He saw something deep in Snape's eyes which Harry didn't understand. Something which made him curious, it hummed pleasantly and yet made him sick to the stomach. Then Snape's eyes went blank. Harry stared down at Snape's unmoving body for what felt like half a life time. A hand touched his shoulder and Harry looked up into Ron's serious eyes. "Come on mate we need to get out of here." Ron said. "We need to meet up with Yami and Yugi."

"Right." Harry shook himself and pushed himself to his feet to follow Hermione and Ron back down the tunnel towards the castle.

Hermione glanced over her shoulder and gave Harry a frightened look. "Do you think he's right? Do you think he is really the master of the Elder wand now?" She asked.

Harry shivered. "I don't know. We can ask Yugi when we get back." Voldemort's apparent control over the Elder wand wasn't the first thing on Harry's mind. Before he even considered fighting Voldemort they needed to kill Nagini. Voldemort was obviously not going to let the snake out of his sight until he was certain that Harry was dead. It left almost no room for movement, but there had to be some way to get Nagini without having to go through Voldemort.

OOOOOOOO
OOOOOO
OOOO

Yami looked down on the castle grounds moodily. He and Yugi had been waiting in Dumbledore's office for what felt like an age, but Harry was still nowhere to be seen.

Just as Yami was about to turn away from the window and pace back around the room to where Yugi was curled up on Dumbledore's high backed chair, magic flared through the air and a voice called out through the night.

"This is Lord Voldemort. You have all fought bravely. Lord Voldemort appreciates this. As such I am ordering my Death Eaters to retreat. Treat you wounded and locate year dead. Now I speak to Harry Potter. You have allowed your friends to die for you, now I offer you a way out. You have one hour to come to me in the Forest. If you come I will withdraw from Hogwarts and leave the school alone. However if you do not, I will enter the battle myself and everyone, every man, woman, child and magical creature who stands in my way will die."

The magic and the voice faded together. Yami turned to Yugi who was sitting bolt upright in the chair. Frightened violet eyes turned to meet Yami's impassive scarlet ones. "He will not do it will he? Harry will not give himself up?" Yugi asked desperately.

Yami shuddered, the movement served to pass off both his feelings on the matter and to shake loose the layers of earth and human magic which had settled over his shadows as he stood guard. "I do not think he will do anything without questioning us first Yugi." Yami told the little elf. He paced over to Yugi and swept the little elf up into a hug. Yugi nuzzled his face into Yami's neck seeking comfort. Yami held the little elf tight against his chest.

Around the castle he could feel the movement of elves, humans and Shades. Once in a while a Veil cloaked Death Eater would wander down a nearby hallway and send a sliver of pain lancing through Yami's core. Otherwise the empty Headmaster's office was quiet and peaceful.

Yami glanced over at the window as he felt the pressure of a Shade approach. Yugi twisted in Yami's arms and they turned to meet the thick coiling shadows of Atem and Malik. Malik slid exhausted into the room and dropped to the floor. Yami knew how he felt, but he met Atem's shadow graced eyes calmly. "How is everything going?" Yami asked quietly.

Atem snarled. "Not well, we are exhausted and the humans are not much better off. They and the elves are gathering in the central hall below. The Shades will gather nearby to re-energise. Do you intend on joining us?"

Yami shook his head. "We are waiting for Harry to return, hopefully he will have news."

Malik moaned and shifted upwards. Atem didn't even glance his way. "The boy is not foolish enough to give himself up to the non-human in exchange for the lives of the other humans is he?"

Yami shrugged. "He is, but he will speak with us first and we will not allow him to do so." Yami was pleased that the Shades were willing to stay sided with Harry despite the threat to their lives. Yami knew that some of the humans would be losing faith by now. If the humans turned against them, they would need all the fighters they could muster to get Harry out of the grounds to safety.

Atem jerked his head in what Yami supposed was a nod. "Very well. You have an hour of human time to come up with a plan." He turned and left via the window. Malik scrambled to follow him and Yami and Yugi were once again left alone in the office. They stood silently for several minutes both wondering where Harry was and what he was doing.

Yami's head spun sideways as he sensed a familiar flurry of emotions approach rapidly. The prominent emotion Yami could feel was guilt. Guilt and desperation.

Yami set Yugi on the floor gently and the two of them waited patiently as Harry's voice drifted up the stairs to them. "DUMBLEDORE!" Harry almost screamed. Moments later the flustered and obviously upset boy stumbled alone into the room. Yugi immediately ran forward and wrapped his arms around Harry's leg. "Harry are you alright?" Yugi asked quietly.

Yami shifted forward, drawn by Harry's emotions. Harry was obviously working hard to hold back the tears. "I'm fine. Well..." He choked out. Harry bent and picked Yugi up in shaking arms. "I just saw everyone in the Great Hall." Harry breathed. He had buried his face in Yugi's hair and was struggling to control himself. "There are so many dead. Lupin, Tonks, Percy, Colin, they're everywhere. All these people dying for me, it isn't fair."

For a moment the three of them stood in silence. Harry clutched Yugi to him like a lifeline with Yami watching nervously. Finally Harry looked up at Yami. "This has to stop. Tonight. Now." Harry's voice rung with ferocity and hatred. The tainting flared, searing Yami's mind.

Yami sighed and turned away. As he glanced out of the window again he remembered the rushed conversation with Ryou on their way to Dumbledore's office.

"He is a what?" Ryou demanded in a hissed whisper.

"Harry is a Horcrux, he always has been. What I need to know is if there is a way for me to destroy the soul within his without damaging Harry in the process." Yami breathed back. They were holding this conversation in an unstable corner of the castle while Bakura watched Yugi. Yami didn't really want either of them to know what they were talking about.

"He cannot be." Ryou insisted, his brown eyes wide with worry.

"Ryou you know very well that elves cannot sense darkness the way that Shades can. Trust me." Yami had never thought those words would ever pass his lips.

Ryou bit his lip. "I cannot think of anything right now, but leave it with me." Yami knew that Ryou would keep that promise because at that moment Yugi's life hung in the balance as much as Harry's did.

"Yami?" Harry asked.

Yami glanced over his shoulder at Harry. "What?" He asked back.

Harry shrugged. "I couldn't get to Nagini, Voldemort has her well protected and I can't think of any way to get to her without killing him first." Harry sunk into one of the available armchairs and settled Yugi on his lap.

Harry winced irritably and fished underneath himself. After a moment he withdrew his hand to reveal a small glass vial containing a familiar silver liquid. Yugi examined it curiously, but Yami threw out a question before Yugi could ask what memories the vial contained. "What did you learn?"

Harry didn't look up from the vial. "Voldemort is seriously angry about all this. Apparently the Elder wand isn't...wasn't working properly for him."

"Wasn't?" Yugi asked in concern.

Harry tilted his shoulders. "I'm not sure. He said something about not having won the wand's allegiance, and to do it he had to kill Snape." Harry almost sounded sorry.

Yami was confused, he was certain that Snape was the Professor and traitor. Perhaps Yami had heard the name wrong. He shook his head in confusion. "Anything else?" Yami asked.

Harry finally looked up. "Yeah. He's still sure that I'll go to him. Oh, and he isn't worried about the Shades. Apparently he's carrying the Veil magic around with him so you won't be able to get near him. He even tried to bind the Veil magic to the Elder wand, but he could do it."

Yami swallowed and Yugi went pale. "He did not?" Yugi gasped.

"What?" Harry asked in distracted confusion.

"He tried to bind the Veil magic to the Elder wand?" Yugi sounded very worried and for good reason. Though Yami was almost certain it was impossible, Earth magic and Veil magic were complete opposites, even attempting to bind them together could be catastrophic.

"Yeah, but he couldn't do it." Harry repeated.

Yami rubbed his temples. That was close. Yugi filled Harry in on the problem. "Harry if Voldemort had tried too hard to bind the earth magic to the Veil magic then he could have destroy the whole world. It would have been like...I cannot even think of something as devastating as that could have been."

Harry didn't seem overly worried. Yami grimaced. He could see that there was something bothering Harry and it wasn't just the many dead below them.

"Harry what is wrong?" Yugi asked quietly.

Harry looked down at Yugi. "Before Snape died, he wanted me to have these. They're his memories. Why would he want me to see his memories?" Harry asked in a puzzled tone.

Yami shifted and spared another look outside. Their hour was closing fast and they still needed a plan.

"We should look at them." Yugi suggested. "Do you not think Yami?" The elf asked. Mentally he sent a further request. /I think he needs to see them. Please let him. Harry needs some answers and so far I do not think he has had any./

Yami sighed. He also thought it was a good idea to see the memories. Dumbledore had trusted Snape, apparently foolishly, but he had trusted him none-the-less. Perhaps Dumbledore had left a clue in the Death Eater's mind. "Yes I think we should look at the memories." Yami paced over to the opposite wall and with a flick of shadows he called out the Pensive which was hidden behind the wall.

Yami scooped up the silvery basin and carried it over to Dumbledore's desk. As he set the heavy bowl on the polished wood Yami glanced down at his reflection. He hadn't ever wanted to do this again, but apparently he had little choice.

Harry stepped up beside Yami and uncorked the little bottle. Yami pulled over a chair for Yugi to stand on and then took his position on Harry's other side.

Harry glanced between the two of them. "Ready?" He asked quietly.

Yami grimaced and closed his eyes, ready to blend his mind with Yugi's. "Ready." He agreed.

"Ready." Yugi added.

Together the elf-child and the human boy bent over the bowl and plunged their faces into the silvery surface of a dead man's memories.