In The Darkness

Chapter Fifteen: The Light

On the other side of the mound Harry heard the cackle that escaped Snape's mouth as he watched the three figures disappear below him, shifting against the wall he had landed against Harry put his shoulder against the rock that had fallen on Ron. With a firm shove he pushed it off while Ron kept his teeth gritted together despite the pain, sweat rolled off his face as his leg tried to assume its shape but refused to. 'Right,' Harry whispered, keeping his ears alert for any sound of Snape coming down their side, 'can you walk?'

'Oh yeah,' Ron said, 'the same way most Muggles can fly.'

'I've told you about aeroplanes right?'

'No, that was Hermione, and the Muggle joke was sarcasm,' Ron replied, still holding his teeth together against the pain, shifting his leg slightly brought an involuntary gasp to his lips,  'I'm not going anywhere Harry.' Looking around Harry searched about in the dim darkness to try and grasp his surroundings, small flaming torches were on brackets everywhere as well as some small lamps that glittered in the darkness, beneath the rubble that littered the floor around him he could feel a smooth rail of some description, looking around he noticed another before it hit him.

'We're in the Gringotts vaults Ron,' he muttered, still trying to stay quiet, 'Snape's attack must have cracked right through the ceiling above us.'

'Great, Ron replied, sarcasm on his voice, 'and this helps us how?'

'Well at least we know where we are, and that could give us an advantage in getting the better of him,' Harry replied, ignoring Ron's poor humour, instead he put an arm under his friend's shoulder and lifted him until he could hobble along with him. Leaving the wall they had been pressed against, Harry led Ron onto one of the paths beside the tracks to the caverns below, 'now we just have to find the others and hope that one of them has a bright idea on how to deal with Snape.'

'Let me help you with that,' a cruel voice said, cutting into the silence that had surrounded the duo, 'or at least with finding your friends,' turning to face the top of the mound Harry saw Snape with a ball of fire glowing in his hand, 'last time I saw them, they were on the end of one of these, care to join them?' On this he released the ball and before Harry could conjure up a shield it ripped into the ground in front of him and Ron, tearing it away from the floor and hitting them with the force of a small bomb. Unable to do anything but support his friend, Harry could only flail wildly with his free arm as the two of them were launched into space by the blast.

Fortunately for them Snape had overestimated the power of his spell and the explosion sent them both flying down to the opposite level of the tunnel system, with a harsh thump they both rebounded off the door that marked the entrance to one of the vaults. As he landed Ron let out a yell of pain now that it didn't matter, Snape knew where they both were anyway, looking down at his leg Ron saw the break had compounded and a harsh splinter of bone jutted out from beneath his knee. Again he yelled in pain, this time when Harry grabbed his leg and squeezed the bone back into the skin with a sickening meaty crunch, holding onto the broken skin Harry muttered a few words that sent a soft glow spreading over his leg, this dampened some of the pain but couldn't heal Ron's leg entirely.

After he finished Harry looked up to see Snape standing victorious on the edge of the pit, another flame held in his palms, there was nowhere for Harry to run to with Ron, they were trapped in the doorway, of course that didn't stop a mage being a danger. When Snape held the fireball above his head, a thin-lipped and vicious smile on his face, Harry struck, raising both arms he unleashed another bolt of energy, similar to the one that had sent Snape flying above Diagon Alley earlier, but this time he aimed for the floor beneath the Dark Wizard. With a howl of rage Snape disappeared amidst the rubble that toppled around him, falling down into the blackness that earlier had swallowed up the others.

Fifty feet below Ron and Harry a bloodied hand was scrabbling in the rubble that had fallen below, the hand was connected to the body of Draco which was in turn attached to Neville and Hermione, the problem was that either Draco's arm was going to no longer attach to him, or he would no longer attach himself to the floor, neither was a promising option. 'Any ideas?' he grunted while Hermione swung by one hand from Neville's shoe, grabbing for her wand in her robes.

'Give me a minute!' she replied, apparently not troubled by the situation.

'Whatever you're doing will you bloody well hurry up!' he shouted back, then with a grunt of effort he tried again to lift his other arm to grab the shelf that hung agonisingly out of reach, straining against the intense pain in his other arm he was only centimetres away when disaster struck. Several things happened suddenly; with a cry of triumph Hermione pulled her wand from her robes, with a twisting jerk that prevented him grabbing the shelf. From above the rubble and Snape fell with a shrieking yell past them, his flailing arm catching Neville's other foot while the other released the fireball into Draco.

With a yell of relief and pain Draco found himself thrown over the shelf to land on the floor of that level, his gasp of content soon changed when he realised the reason for this, flipping over and looking back down he pulled his head back just in time to stop Hermione and Neville bulling into him. 'Found your wand then?' he said with sarcasm as they ceased levitating to land nicely beside him.

'Yes thank you,' Hermione replied primly, using her wand to put out a small flame that he hadn't noticed on his robes, 'did you see what happened to Snape?' she asked after putting her wand back into her cloak and helping Neville to lift Draco off the ground.

'No, I was on fire and moving upwards very quickly, I barely saw him fall past.'

'All I know is that the blast separated us all,' Neville said, brushing a layer of dust off his face, 'and then Hermione grabbed hold of me when she flew up to you - thanks for that by the way,' in return he received the same smart nod from her, 'more importantly then Snape, where are Ron and Harry?'

'They must be up there', Draco said, 'what else could have made him fall, he landed on top of the mound.'

'Then we go up,' Neville decided, 'there's no way we can face him all by ourselves, even without Sirius's legend I wouldn't face him without Harry's help...now any idea where we are?'

'Gringotts,' Hermione replied promptly, 'the tunnels stretch for miles around Diagon Alley, we must have fallen through one, I assume Harry and Ron did the same, but they were opposite us. If we want to get up there again we need some stairs or we could levitate up.'

'Levitate,' Draco replied hastily, 'we need to find them quickly or we could all be in much more trouble then is possible to handle,' then pulling out his wand and casting a spell on himself he began to float upwards towards the hole in the ceiling where they had fallen through, a few seconds later Hermione and Neville followed.

Picking Ron up again Harry looked down into the blackness and caught the movement beneath them, pulling his wand out again he trained it on the movement and followed it up, but relief was visible on his face when he lowered the wand as the three companions appeared floating at his level. 'Snape?'

'Down,' Draco replied, indicating with his wand the last place they had seen him fall, 'we've got to get to him soon, if he gets out…' his voice trailed away, there was no need for further discussion and the group quickly all moved to the edge of the path they had followed. Looking to Harry, Draco received a nod of confirmation, 'jump on three…two…one!' and with that the five of them jumped off into space.

As one they shouted one of the first charms they had learnt; 'Wingardium Leviosa!' and as one their speed of falling slowed until they stopped at the level where Draco had grabbed the ledge earlier, looking around they saw nothing to indicate Snape's presence in the darkness. Moving down another floor the event was repeated until gradually they had covered at least another hundred feet, 'this is impossible,' Neville muttered as they arrived at the entrances to another level's tunnels, 'not even Voldemort could have survived a fall like this.'

'AND THAT IS WHY I LIVE!' screamed a voice behind him, floating in the air the five did not have time to face the screeching Snape as he threw his hands forwards to release a wave of fire that he had conjured. Chanting out a counter-curse Harry managed to release a golden beam that punched a hole in the wave that protected him and Ron beside him, but the others were thrown from the air to land against a wall. Cursing aloud Snape prepared to conjure another fireball when Harry released an icy blue beam of light that caught the Dark Wizard in the stomach, flinging him along the tunnel he had emerged from.

With a swift muttering of words Harry propelled himself to the entrance, pulling Ron alongside and on landing he leant him up against the wall, 'Keep watch, if he comes back launch off a stunner, anything to delay him.' Swiftly moving on he found the other three lying against the wall, a mixture of groans rose to greet his arrival, 'you all okay?' he asked and received three dazed nods in reply, Neville's head wound had reopened slightly and he ripped a piece of his cloak off to cover it, other than that they appeared fine. Giving an arm to Neville who still held his patch in place they joined Ron at the entrance to the tunnel, looking questioningly Harry got a shake of the head from Ron, Snape had not reappeared at all. 'We have to go after him,' Harry whispered in case he was near, 'Ron, you go with Hermione and Draco down the tunnel, Neville and me will see if we can circle round, if you find him delay him and call the others, remember the incantation, only together can we defeat him.'

'Only together will we defeat him,' Hermione replied with a grim smile, then with Draco's help she lifted Ron and the trio set off down the tunnel after Snape's last retreat, watching them fade into the inky blackness Harry searched for any visible signs then turned to the next tunnel. Looking at Neville he took a deep breath and plunged into the blackness, that alone was enough to worry him, normally the vaults were well lit from goblin torches, now there were few…and they were going out. Gesturing with his hand he pointed Neville towards the torches as another extinguished itself, moving to the opposite sides of the tunnel they flattened themselves as they crept towards the remaining lights, as the next went out Neville swore he caught the silhouette of a figure beside it.

Moving in the darkness Harry ejected his wand from the spring-loader in his sleeves, this way he could channel more magic into a blast rather than rely solely on his own natural abilities, looking up he could see only the lights in the distance, not whomever was extinguishing them. Then he saw the three figures enter at the other side of the tunnel, without realising it he'd sent his friends into a deadly trap that could cost them their lives. Looking across he gave Neville a look, one the man recognised from the past, from when Harry had thrown himself in front of Dumbledore to prevent Voldemort killing the elderly wizard, before he could open his mouth to object Harry took off, running in the darkness. 'SNAPE' he yelled and the silhouette Neville had seen erupted into flame as the Dark Wizard turned to face the new threat, lips curling in a familiar sneer he began to throw his arms forwards when something happened.

On seeing Harry emerge followed quickly by Snape, the three at the end of the tunnel had started running forwards, ready to try anything to stop that madman escaping, simultaneously Neville had started off in hot pursuit of Harry. As they all sprinted forwards their wands began to glow, a soft golden haze, not the solid mass that they used in spells, but a soft hint, almost like sunlight that caressed their wands. As Snape had prepared to unleash his spell on Harry as the lone wizard charged forwards, the tunnel had suddenly erupted into a dazzling light that blinded them all, his eyes squinting against the glare Harry leant against a wall looking for the source of it, until he noticed the end of his wand. Pulsing from it was a soft golden beam that was growing outwards and spreading into the tunnel, likewise was Neville's beside him and so were the others on the other side of Snape, the Dark Wizard himself was now dancing around as if in agony, his eyes crazed open looked like they were afire, and what skin that Harry could see was swiftly blackening where the light hit it.

The Light, Sirius's words crept into Harry's head, Dumbledore's Light, raising his wand Harry pointed it at Snape and watched as the soft beam extended in length to wrap around the not smoking and twitching man. Slowly the others followed suit, each amazed at the energy flowing from their wands and each in turn began to wrap around Snape. Slowly he began to fade, first the wrapping coils wound around his feet until they disappeared into a shadow that slowly began to move upwards, now aware of the light Snape lifted his head and Harry saw the burning fire in his eyes had been replaced by blackness. Lifting his hand Snape conjured two fireballs and cast them towards Harry, but as they passed through the light they passed into blackness that was swiftly filled with the soft glow, by now Snape's legs were completely covered.

Cursing aloud he directed two more fireballs down at the light, but only succeeded in throwing them to explode around him, igniting his robes and plunging him into agony. On the other side of the circle Hermione closed her eyes as the flames spread to Snape's very skin even though he was disappearing, still the light emanated from her wand and did not fade, nor did it from the others. Clawing at his face Snape could feel the fire burning away his skin, but then suddenly he could no longer tear it away, Harry saw the black pits of his eyes reopen to study the shadows that were his hands…he wasn't screaming any more.

Indeed as the shadow began to pass over his neck the two soulless eyes turned round, regarding the five, finally settling on Harry, as the shadow crept over his head Harry could still feel them boring into him, until finally there was nothing left. With a suddenness that caused a strangled sob to escape him the tunnel was plunged into darkness, opening his palm he conjured a small violet flame that lit up the five's faces, in the centre of them lay a dark figure. They all stared, doing nothing until finally Neville slowly walked forwards, kneeling down in the dust he turned the figure over to reveal a blackened and charred corpse, before them it began to crumble away but not before they saw the face…a face that would haunt them forever, 'Pettigrew' Harry whispered.