Disclaimer: I do not own or claim to own any of J.K. Rowling's characters, places, items, ect.
Comments: Sorry it took so long for this chapter, but it just would not come out the way I wanted it to! I still feel I could have made it a bit better, or at least longer...oh yes, and I've come to a decision which you all are going to kill me for. I am fairly sure that I am going to withhold Silver's parents' identity until the sequel. I am absolutely sure about withholding her father's, but her mother's I might reveal in the next chapter. Might.
Oh yes, and I find it quite amusing that a few of you have made a reference to LOTR. I never really meant for that to happen, and I didn't realize it until you guys told me. Heehee. Oh well.
Chapter 44 – Cup of Tea
Harry hit the ground with a thud that made him dizzy. For a moment he just stared at the cold, stone floor in front of him. Then he slowly and groggily sat up and looked around. For a moment, his vision was blurry. All he knew was that he was in a very dark, cold room. Slowly, everything began to come into focus. In front of him, all with their backs turned, were many more Death Eaters than he would like to count, all of them bowing towards a tall figure seated atop a stone throne. There was no doubt that it was Voldemort. Harry looked down at his hand to discover that the ring that he had been grasping was gone. He glanced up at Voldemort, who was busy giving a speech to a particular Death Eater kneeled at his feet. Harry then realized that he was out in the open, and probably very conspicuous. Although he would like nothing better than to punch Voldemort in the nose for whatever he had done to Silver, another half of him wanted to get back to her. He hadn't been ready to leave just then. He glanced around for the ring that he had previously held in his fist, and saw that it had fallen in between two kneeling Death Eaters. He must have thrown it on accident when he landed. There was no way he could chance getting it.
He looked up towards Voldemort again, and saw a heap of diamonds in the shadows by his throne. Diamonds? he thought, Not diamonds...Silver's robes! Anger and recklessness began to wash over him in waves, each more powerful than the last. He opened his mouth to yell, but abruptly snapped it shut. You didn't even say goodbye to Silver, an unfamiliar voice in his head scolded, Getting back to her is more important than killing yourself because you're angry at Voldemort. Harry edged towards a wooden table that was in the corner and crouched in it's shadows, thinking hard. But that little bastard deserves to pay! another, more familiar voice yelled loudly. And if you get yourself killed, Silver will pay! the other one argued. Harry put his hands to his head and suppressed a groan. He was beginning to get a headache. Fine, he thought suddenly, I won't do anything stupid...I'll just grab Silver's clothes, grab the ring, and get out. Simple enough.
He got up and began to edge his way along the far wall towards Silver's clothing. When he finally came into seeing range of the Death Eaters, he slowed his pace. None of them paid any attention to him, however, they were all watching and listening to Voldemort intently. Harry suddenly heard a snatch of the conversation. Voldemort gave a cold chuckle that caused a shiver to go down Harry's spine.
"Yes, yes, we will soon be having fun with what Lucius and I call our little flower," Voldemort was announcing.
Lucius? LUCIUS? Harry thought furiously.
"Oh you will, will you?" he asked angrily.
There goes the plan, the voice in his head said disappointedly.
The entire crowd of Death Eaters and Voldemort all whirled around to look at him. He was faced with the uncomfortable realization that there was a wall behind him, and a wall of Death Eaters in front of him.
"Well, well, look who's decided to join us," Voldemort said, his voice laced with amusement.
Harry opened his mouth and then snapped it shut for the second time in less than ten minutes. Just shut up and get to the ring, his mind yelled angrily, Voldemort's not even supposed to know that you know Silver!
"Cat got your tongue?" Voldemort inquired.
Harry looked into the red, snakelike eyes, and felt a twinge of uncertainty. He suddenly remembered his and Silver's conversation about the prophecy. "I'm not planning on losing," he had told her. "What if you do?" she had asked tearfully. "It's not even an option," had been his reply. But he hadn't been counting on facing Voldemort, in person, so soon. So what? the voice in his head said boastfully, You can take him on now! You have power that he knows not! Of course, if you knew what that power was, it might help a tiny bit...
"Damn," he muttered, for lack of anything else to say.
Voldemort chuckled.
"What's the matter, Harry?" he asked, a mockingly cheerful note to his voice, "Don't you want to be here?"
"Yeah," Harry answered sarcastically, "I was bored, so I just thought I'd drop by and maybe we'd have a cup of tea."
"Such good humor for someone who's about to die," Voldemort commented, "Your father wasn't nearly so cheerful."
Harry felt a surge of anger pass through him. He pointed his wand at Voldemort threateningly.
"Don't talk about my father," he said coldly.
Voldemort laughed, and a shiver went up Harry's spine. "I'll talk about whatever I wish, boy," he said, and then, his voice a soft hiss, "Don't tell me what to do."
"I'll tell you whatever I want," Harry answered hotly.
Before he knew what was happening, Voldemort's wand was pointed at him and the Cruciatus curse was headed his way. Death Eaters flew out of the way as if they were being blown to the side. It hit him, and hot pain surged through his body. His head was about to split open where his scar was, and he fell to the ground, curling into a fetal position. He couldn't tell if he was screaming or not, the pain was so intense, but when the curse was lifted, Voldemort was laughing, and so he assumed he had been.
"Now, boy," Voldemort said, "You will die."
He's sure cutting to the chase quickly, Harry thought to himself, Although if I had wanted to kill someone for sixteen years and he always managed to escape at the last minute, I'd probably finish him off pretty quickly. Harry raised his wand subtly, ready to shout out every single curse or hex that he had ever learned and hope that he could end up with one of his arms intact, but he was interrupted.
A loud crack could suddenly be heard, and an unmistakable masked figure Apparated at the foot of Voldemort's throne. Voldemort surveyed Snape distastefully.
"I haven't summoned you," he informed him finally.
Snape straightened and began to walk towards Harry. He pushed his way through the Death Eaters until he was right in the middle of them and Harry.
"Snape," Voldemort hissed, "I have not summoned you."
Snape turned towards Voldemort and took off his mask. Audible gasps went through the Death Eaters. Harry supposed it was a sign of disrespect. Snape held his wand out in front of him, and a small ball of green light appeared at the tip. If it hadn't been such a serious moment, Harry would have laughed at the look of confusion on Voldemort's face. Snape muttered something, and the green ball of light began to expand, reminding Harry oddly of his torch.
"Get him!" Voldemort suddenly cried.
The Death Eaters exchanged glances and then lunged forward. As they did so, the ball of light seemed to explode, enfolding Snape in a green shield. It looked as if a tornado were taking place within the bubble, for Snape's hair and robes blew every which way. A string of bright white light went from the tip of his wand to the top of the globe he was standing in. Confused, and probably scared, the Death Eaters paused. One of them took a bold step forwards, apparently expecting to make it through the green shield, but as soon as contact was made, a kind of electrical force shot up their leg, making them scream and then fall to the ground.
"The boy!" Voldemort said, apparently changing his mind, "Get the boy instead!"
Snape whirled to face Harry with a menacing look on his face – or was it a grimace?
"What are you waiting for?" he demanded, "Get inside!"
"What?" Harry exclaimed.
He would rather be taken by the Death Eaters than be fried trying to step into some weird green bubble.
"Get. Inside. Now," Snape commanded, saying each word with painstaking exaction.
Harry stubbornly stayed where he was, which was pressed against the wall about three feet away from the edge of the bubble, as the Death Eaters swarmed around on both sides towards him.
"Foolish, impertinent, disobedient..." Snape raged.
Harry couldn't help but smirk.
"Accio Potter!" Snape yelled suddenly.
He can't do that, Harry thought, Not without using his wa...
Suddenly he was pulled forward as if he were tied to the back of the Hogwarts Express. He didn't even feel himself pass through the shield; the only thing he felt was Snape stagger backwards as he smashed into him. Snape pushed him away roughly, and Harry fell hard on his bottom. He let out a few choice swear words that made Snape look down at him in a mixture of amusement and disgust.
"Don't tempt me to dock points from Gryffindor," he said.
Harry was surprised that he could hear Snape what with all the wind that was inside of the bubble...or shield...whatever it was. It felt as if he were in the middle of a whirlwind, but the wind wasn't pushing him to the sides, it was merely blowing around him, and bouncing off. He was also surprised that Snape was treating the situation so lightly. He struggled to get his thoughts together. When he finally did, all he could think was, Snape is definitely going to get killed for doing this. Silver is going to have a heart attack and die when she finds out. He took a deep breath. At this stage, there was only one thing to do, and that was to help Snape...at least until Voldemort killed him...or both of them, for that matter. Torch, he thought, I need the torch. He took it out, but Snape saw.
"Put it away, Potter," he spat, "We don't need to be blinded right now."
Harry opened his mouth to protest, but Snape cut him off, his voice barely above a whisper.
"Listen, Potter, you must not let the Dark Lord see that weapon. Put it away this instant."
Harry grudgingly put it in his pocket.
"Now summon the ring," Snape commanded.
"No," Harry answered flatly.
At the same time that he spoke, Voldemort did as well. "SEVERUS!" he roared, his voice echoing through the room, "What are you doing?"
Snape turned to face him unblinkingly. "I'm saving Potter," he announced.
A look of pure shock registered on Voldemort's face, and Harry couldn't help but grin. He doubted Voldemort had ever been quite so confused. Voldemort's face suddenly grew hard.
"Get the ring," Snape hissed.
"TRAITOR!" Voldemort roared.
At the same time, Harry answered, "No!"
"Summon the bloody ring before you no longer have a chance!" Snape exclaimed impatiently.
"But..." Harry began.
He was drowned out by Voldemort. "I do not tolerate traitorous acts. You shall pay, Snape, and pay dearly." He was looking at Snape with an intense dislike, and although his voice was calm, it was ten times louder than Harry's.
"Get. The. Ring," Snape said calmly, his eyes locked with Voldemort's. He spoke quietly enough that Voldemort couldn't hear them, and Harry did the same, although his temper was rising.
"I won't get the ring," Harry argued, "I'm the one who can defeat Voldemort."
"Now, Snape," Voldemort was saying, fingering his wand as he surveyed the two inside the shield, "You do realize that your silly bubble cannot stop the force of my spells?"
"Listen, Potter," Snape said, completely ignoring Voldemort, "I'm not here to defeat him. You can do that later. As of now, you and I both know that you are not ready..."
"I am too," Harry answered.
"...normally, death would be inflicted, but I think we'll have a bit of fun first, shan't we?" Voldemort was inquiring silkily.
"Potter," Snape began, but he was cut off.
"Crucio!" Voldemort hissed, his eyes seeming to glow in their sockets.
A red light traveled down the white line of electricity that was connected to Snape's wand, and his body and face contorted in pain. He still held his wand arm up, although Harry could tell that he would not be able to do so for much longer.
"Go...to...Silver," Snape breathed, "Now."
Harry put one hand on Snape's arm as he pulled out his wand, but Snape moved out of reach.
"Don't take me," he whispered amidst Voldemort's laughs.
"Why not?" Harry demanded, "Silver will..."
"Get over it," Snape finished shortly, his breathing shallow, "Right now...he needs to be...kept busy. He can't know...about Silver...until she's...with Dumbledore."
"Your shield will not hold much longer, Snape!" Voldemort was crying triumphantly.
"Go," Snape hissed at Harry.
Harry looked Snape straight in the eye. "Silver needs you," he said.
"The world...needs you," Snape replied, pausing to wince, "You have...the world...and I...have her."
Snape's knees were beginning to buckle, but he stayed standing with much effort.
"You are the world to her," Harry replied, "Just come, let me take you."
"Get...lost...Potter," Snape grunted, "I'm...not planning...on dying...today. But you...have...to go."
A thousand thoughts chased around in Harry's mind. He wasn't sure if he should leave Snape or not. A year ago, I would have grabbed the ring and hauled off, he thought to himself. But this wasn't a year ago – Silver had changed everything. He wasn't sure how she would react to the news that he had simply left Snape in Voldemort's chambers.
"Potter!" Snape exclaimed harshly, although Harry wasn't sure if it was from impatience of the amount of pain he was feeling.
Harry took a deep breath and made a decision.
"Accio Ring," he yelled.
A fleck of gold shot towards him. Snape's shield suddenly vanished, and he crumpled to the ground. Harry immediately felt he had made the wrong decision. Snape managed to bring his head up to look at Voldemort as the ring landed in Harry's hand. Harry watched as his eyes, filled with defeat, landed on the pile of silvery robes next to Voldemort's throne. A remarkable change came over them – the defeat vanished completely, to be replaced by determination and hate.
"Bastard!" Snape shouted, bitter accusing filling his voice.
That was the last Harry heard or saw before he felt a tugging at his navel, and he was no longer in the cold, dark room.
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Response to Reviews
Black and Potter – You'll find out a bit about what happened to Silver in either the next chapter or the one after, I haven't decided yet, and you'll find out more in the sequel. Sadly, I'm not going to reveal her parents' identities...or at least her father's, until the sequel. –wince- Don't hurt me, though! And no, there shouldn't be a gap in between this and the sequel, no worries!
Tumblechick – Yeah, everyone should be finding out what happened to Silver in either the next chapter or the one after, no worries. Anyway, thanks for your review!
fINeLInEbETwEeNLoVeANdHAtE – Yeah, that's Harry for ya. We'll find out more about the ring and Harry and what happened to Silver in the next two chapters or so. Oh and sorry to disrupt your reviewing routine. ;) This chapter was a pain in the butt – I can't seem to get it quite right.
sun-star-n-moon22 – Me? Write cliffies? I don't know what you're talking about. Okay, so I do. But they add to the excitement, right? And LOL about the LOTR thing...read my comments at the top of the page.
PinkPixieDust16 – Yeah, Voldemort's pretty...bad...for a bad guy, at least. Hehe. We should be finding out about what happened to Silver in the next two chapters...or at least part of what happened to her. And nah, I'm thinking the last chapter is going to be a non-cliffy, since I've been torturing you guys so much already. ;)
Dobby's #1 Fan – Sorry for all the evil cliffies! At least I'll have them all out of my system at the beginning of the sequel! ;) And yeah, as I've said before and you've probably read in the other responses, we'll be learning a bit about what happened to Silver within the next two chapters.
Kittie Riddle – Yes – I'm addicted! ;)
I would also like to thank Amber, Keri, harryptaxd204, Dbish403, DiAmOnDs ArE a GiRlS BeSt FrIeNd!, P4L, Chocolatehundreddollarbill, LoveIsAGame2PeopleCanPlayAndBothWin!, Strawby168, SmileyMare1810, HoofsTails Gal, wiccanpriestess3451, Retrieve the Melon, Roxoan, wordwiz812, Arya Raven, Tekvah Ariel, and Icy-Shadow for their awesome beyond awesome reviews!
