"Can you imagine what Hagrid would say if we told him we, uh, met, a Minotaur?" Hermione said, difficultly working her way passed the creature's body
"Yes, then can you imagine what he would do when we told him what we did to it?" Ron said, also working his way passed the body, just behind Hermione
"He'd probably keel over and die where he sat." Harry added with a small chuckle, bringing up the rear
"Are you sure ready to get going Harry?" Hermione asked once she'd gotten passed the corpse "I mean, we don't have to rush anything, if you need a little more time to warm up fully, that's fine."
"I'm plenty warmed up Hermione." Harry insisted for what felt like the hundredth time
The three friends rounded the corner and began the long walk back to the room with the fire as they talked.
"So," Ron began curiously "I thought Minotaur's were extinct."
"They're supposed to be." Hermione said "The Ministry started hunting them down hundreds of years ago because of how dangerous they were, and how overpopulated the area's they lived in were becoming. The last know sighting, and killing, of a Minotaur was about three-hundred and fifty years ago."
"Well leave it to Voldemort to be able to find a living one." Harry said in a scorning tone
"Yes, Voldemort does seem to have a talent for that sort of thing." Hermione said, sounding as if it were something she would ordinarily admire, but in this case despised
"There is one more thing I'd like to know though." Ron said, turning his head towards Harry who let out a questioning "hmm" sound "How is it that you knew what curse we should use on it?"
"Oh, I actually didn't." Said Harry "I just had this thought that since it was full of dark magic that dark magic might work on it, and since that was the only dark magic I knew, I tried it. In hindsight it was a pretty stupid idea."
"That's where you're wrong Harry; it would have only been a stupid idea if it hadn't worked." Ron said cheerfully, and bit too cheerfully for Harry's liking
How he felt was nothing like he felt after he had retrieved the Horcrux with Dumbledore, or at least, when he thought he had. This time he felt happy, and he could tell Ron and Hermione did too. It just didn't seem right, and it made Harry feel very uneasy for some reason.
As Harry, Ron, and Hermione headed for the large archway on the other side of the round room, the fire in the center turned from its present green, to its original blue. With the change of the fire both of the smaller archways returned to stone and the fiery dark mark disappeared.
"I guess we're lucky you decided to take the right arch, aren't we?" Hermione said, stepping onto the staircase that would lead them out
"Yeah, we are," Ron said, again, following right behind Hermione "We're lucky that he thought of the Sectumsempra curse as well, if I didn't know any better I'd say we had a little Felix with us today."
Just like the first time, their trek on the pitch black staircase seemed to take an eternity. On and on they walked upward, always hoping that they were about to reach the end. And finally they did, but what met their eyes was not what they expected; it was no longer the night it had been when they had entered. It was morning; it couldn't be much past dawn as the sun was very low in the sky which was still a bright orange, but morning none the less. It really had taken them several hours, all night in fact, which would explain why Harry felt as tired as he did. But once again Harry felt as if something weren't right.
"Well, that certainly took us a while, didn't it?" Ron said, staring up at the sky
"Yes, and now our watches about ten and a half hours off." Hermione said, looking at her watch
Harry opened his mouth to say something, but stopped, practically mortified, when he saw a man dressed in all black with greasy black hair and a hooked nose come around from behind the house holding his wand out in front of him.
"There you are Potter!" Severus Snape said, advancing on Harry, Ron, and Hermione who quickly drew their own wands "Please, I am merely here for Potter, there is no need for the idiot and the know-it-all to get involved."
"What are you doing here Snape!" Harry spat angrily
"My, my, Potter, I do believe you have become even more stupid since the last time we saw each other." Snape said mockingly, only furthering Harry's anger "I just told you that I was here for you, the Dark Lord wishes me to retrieve you for him."
"Shut up Snape!" Harry yelled, motioning his wand threateningly "How the hell did you find us."
"Still haven't gotten a hold on that temper of yours I see, Potter, it is going to get you into trouble." Snape said, keeping his tone calm "Now come along, unless you want a repeat of what happened last time."
"I said SHUT UP!" Harry yelled again, clenching his teeth
"Be reasonable Snape, you can't possibly take all three of us on!" Hermione spoke up nervously, her and Ron's breathing growing faster
"Yeah Snape, you can't, you know you can't." Ron said, just as nervously
"Oh yes, the ever articulate Mr. Weasley, but really, enough of this. Expelliarmus!" Snape cried, and before the spell could even fully leave his lips, Harry, Ron and Hermione all yelled "Protego!"
Snape's wand was sent up and backwards out of his hand and he turned and dove frantically for it. Snape was able to get his hand under his wand just before it hit the ground and whirled around on one knee to face the trio again.
"Don't get involved you two." Harry ordered Ron and Hermione with malice in his voice as he took a step forward
"But, Harry, you need our help." Said Hermione
"DON"T GET INVOLVED!" Harry screamed at her and a flicker of fear crossed her face. Not a fear that of someone who feared for their life or well being, but that of someone who had never seen a certain side of their best friend before and wasn't sure what they were going to do.
"You really are a fool." Said Snape, standing up "The three of you together, I admit, had a chance against me, but by yourself Potter, you're pathetically weak."
"Dammit Snape!" Harry said, and he sent a jet of red light at Snape without speaking, something that he was clearly not expecting, though still able to dodge in time.
Harry began to fire spell after spell at Snape, some verbal, some nonverbal, swearing loudly in between each one. Each one, however, was blocked or dodged, seemingly quite easily, by Snape. And then Snape used a disarming spell that Harry was just able to deflect, but not directly back at Snape which gave him the time to knock Harry off his feet by using an Impedimenta curse.
Harry hit the ground hard and rolled over quickly to avoid a stunner Snape sent his way. He got to his knees and pointed his wand at Snape just in time to see him disaparate. Snape reappeared a few feet behind Harry, who had figured out what he was doing, and they were now pointing their wands directly at each other's faces.
"Expelliarmus!" Harry and Snape said at the same time, and they, as well as their wands, flew backwards onto the ground
"Come on Ron, We have to help him!" Hermione said, pointing her wand at Snape before he could get to his wand "Don't move Snape!"
"Hermione," Ron said uncertainly as Snape stopped inches from his wand, not sure whether of not they should intervene
"I told you not to get involved!" Harry said as he recovered his wand and pointed it at Ron and Hermione "Accio wands!"
As soon as the words left his mouth, Ron and Hermione's wands jerked out of their hands and flew towards Harry who caught them and threw them aside. The next thing Harry knew he was on his back once again as Snape had made it to his own wand and hit him with another curse. He felt as if he'd been punched very hard in the stomach and was now coughing and finding it a bit labored to breathe.
Harry struggled to sit up and as he did Ron and Hermione called his name with concern in their voices, desperately encouraging him to get up. After all, they couldn't do much else without their wands, what a stupid thing for him to have done; now Snape had him.
"Well, well, Potter, it would appear I have bested you." Snape said triumphantly, standing over Harry as he managed to sit up "Now I would advise you put your wand down before I have to do any more to you."
'Damn,' Harry thought, an intense anger written all over his face 'He's right, he's got me, if I move I'm dead.'
"Come now Potter, set down your wand!" Snape demanded, starting to get angry and Harry realized that Snape's right foot was mere inches from his own
This was his only chance; he might be able to move his leg without Snape noticing. But what if he did notice? It didn't matter, he had to take the chance, and he was out of options.
Harry moved his leg as swiftly and as hard as he could into Snape's causing him to lose his balance and fall. Even before Snape could reach the ground, Harry yelled "Tarantallegra!" and Snape's legs began jerking and flailing about uncontrollably. By the time Harry stood up, however, Snape had already cured himself of his leg problems and was back to his feet; he was fast, Harry had to give him that. But he had to get this over with, he was starting to get warn out and wasn't sure how much longer he could go on; and what was more, aside from being slightly out of breath, Snape looked as fresh as ever. Then a way to end it came to him.
Snape brought his wand down across his body then moved it back upward quickly, sending a wave of blue light at Harry. Harry fell to his knees, avoiding the wave by less than an inch, thrust his wand forward and cried "Morpatia!". Snape tried countering with a shield charm but it instantly collapsed and he was thrown back and into the air as his chest sunk with the sound of several bones snapping; blood flying from his nose and mouth.
Snape hit the ground some twenty feet away, bounced back up, bringing quite a few sickening cracking sounds with him, and hit once again a few feet further very near the edge of the trees.
Harry rushed towards Snape, purposefully driving his foot into Snape's wand, which was laying a little ways away from him, snapping it in two. Harry couldn't think of a more fitting way to have defeated Snape, using the curse that was created by the man he couldn't despise more. And although Harry felt a great deal of pride that he had done something he'd wanted to for so long, he felt even more anger towards Snape than he had just moments ago when he was on the ground and thought Snape had him. Here Snape was, wandless, lying on the ground; blood pouring from his mouth and broken nose, which hung strangely to the side, covering almost his entire face. He could barely breathe because there was so much pressure being put on his chest without the support of his ribs, all of which, Harry figured, were broken, along with countless other bones. 'This is no less than he deserves.' Harry thought as he grinded his teeth and stepped up beside Snape, who was coughing wildly, sending even more blood across his face and neck 'After all, Dumbledore was just as helpless when he killed him, why shouldn't I do the same thing?'
"WHY!" Harry screamed, pointing his wand down at Snape, seeing fear rapidly fill his eyes "Why Snape! Why shouldn't I kill you!"
Harry could feel his bottom lip start to quiver and tears gathering in his eyes, but didn't care if Snape saw him cry; he couldn't mock or make fun of him now.
"Stop Harry!" Hermione said, running up from behind him
"Why Hermione, why should I stop?" Harry asked as Hermione came up on his left side, warm tears rolling down his face "He deserves to die!"
"Yes he does, but it's not for you to do."
"WHY NOT!" Harry demanded, a wrath as he had never felt beginning to fill him
"Because Dumbledore wouldn't have wanted you to." Hermione said, putting her hand on Harry's arm and trying to force it to his side
"She's right Harry," Ron said coming up on his other side and, with Hermione's help, forced his arm down
"You're right," Harry said grudgingly, closing his eyes and wrenching his arm away from Ron and Hermione, tears still rolling down his face "Dumbledore wouldn't have wanted me to kill him, but that's the only reason I'm not."
Harry wasn't sure if he actually meant what he said, but knew had Ron and Hermione not been there, he would probably have a much easer time meaning it.
Harry turned away from Snape, Ron, and Hermione, wiped his eyes, pointed his wand upward, said "Phoenastrum." and started walking away.
"Harry, wait, we have to get him help." Hermione said
"He will get help, once someone sees that and comes to see what it is." Harry said, jerking his head towards the golden phoenix now hovering overhead of them
"But Harry, what if nobody comes, or doesn't come before he dies?" Said Hermione
"I don't know, and I don't care, I'm leaving."
"If no one comes then leaving him here like this is exactly the same as killing him yourself! You're being so stupid!" Hermione said, grabbing Harry's shoulder to get him to stop "Just like you were when you were fighting him and you took our wands from us. The only reason you're not dead is because he had orders to bring you to Voldemort. If he had been ordered to kill you, you'd be dead!"
"Yes, but he didn't, and I'm not, so…"
"Stop it you two!" Ron interrupted "Hermione, I have to admit that I want to just leave Snape here just as much as Harry does."
"Ron, you can't possibly…"
"I wasn't finished," Ron interrupted again "So both of you shut up until I am. Now despite how much I hate Snape, Hermione is right, leaving him here is the same as killing him, and Dumbledore wouldn't want that either."
"He killed Dumbledore!" Harry said as he turned back towards them "I'm not helping him!"
In the end, after quite a bit more yelling especially between Harry and Hermione, Harry went on back to the Inn, and Ron and Hermione stayed behind to do a few healing spells on Snape, though not many as their knowledge on that subject was limited. And even though she had disagreed with Harry about what to do with Snape, Hermione's sympathy did have a limit, especially after Snape attempted feebly to move his arm to prevent her from performing a spell on him.
When Ron and Hermione left him, Snape could still not move very well, let alone get up. But he was able to breathe much easier and was only occasionally coughing up more blood.
Both Harry and Hermione were very upset with each other when they met back up at the Inn a few minuets later. So upset, in fact, that they did not speak to each other for the rest of the day, and rather used Ron when they needed to tell the other something; and that's how it would remain for the next few days after.