Chapter Fifty One
Harry took several deep breaths, unable to tear his eyes from Gemini on the floor above him. She was still standing at the window, half hanging out, her hair plastered to her skin at the front and blowing in the slight breeze at the back.
"That was an impressive splat." Gemini laughed to herself.
Harry didn't move until he saw her heading for the door. His brain clicked into gear and he knew that there was no more reason for him to stay tucked away in the Astronomy tower. Dumbledore was dead and his friends would need his help still.
He waited until he could hear Gemini skip down the stairs, at least a corner away from him, her singing growing echoey and faint.
Harry climbed carefully down the stairs behind her, wand at the ready and pressed against the tight stone bends. At least if he did need to defend himself, stone stairs like these were designed to give an advantage to those heading down rather than up.
It was an advantage he might need. Gemini clearly had no trouble crossing the line to killing people, but she was still only fifteen and Harry wasn't sure he wouldn't hesitate.
However he reached the bottom of the tower without Gemini having even noticed that he was there.
Harry looked around for her and saw her and Severus running across the grass outside, heading for Hogsmead.
Harry took several deep breaths, confusion flooding through him. They weren't chasing each other, but holding hands and running together.
Harry took off after them, knowing he was faster than his father it didn't take him long to catch up so he was in earshot.
"DAD!" Harry yelled, breathing heavily.
Severus and Gemini slowed to a stop, Gemini raising her wand. Severus stopped her, placing a hand on her wand so she couldn't move it.
"Keep going, I'll be with you shortly." Severus ordered Gemini.
She glared at Harry for a moment before turning and running towards Hogsmead. Severus took two steps towards Harry, so they were less than a room's width apart and raised his wand.
Harry didn't expect the blow and landed hard on his back, the air knocked from his lungs, his wand landing several feet from him. Severus pointed his wand to the sky and muttered something.
The Dark Mark burst from the tip of his wand, filling the sky with a sickly green light, a muddy, ill version of the Northern Lights.
Severus pointed his wand at Harry again. Harry grasped helplessly in the grass for his wand.
"Dad… don't." Harry covered his head with his arm as the spell hit him and the rain stopped in mid air.
Harry stood up slowly, looking around. The leaves had stopped blowing, he could see Gemini in the distance frozen in the unmoving rain.
"Harry I'm so sorry…" Severus said, running over and pulling him into a hug.
Harry hugged back automatically before pulling away, shaking his head, "I don't understand… you shot a spell at me!"
"I knew it wouldn't hurt you." Severus said, his eyes filled with tears.
"Say that to my new bruises." Harry said, smirking a bit.
"They had to see us fight, they had to know that… that I…"
"That you didn't love me any more." Harry finished for him, feeling another wave of pain flood over him, increasing his need to scream before he broke under the weight of it all.
"I will always love you Harry." Severus said forcefully, "You are my son and I will always love you."
Harry nodded, wiping the tears from his face, "I know, I love you too… You're leaving, aren't you? To become a Death Eater full time?"
Severus let out a sob and covered his mouth, before taking a deep breath and nodding, "Yes. Now we must hurry, there is so much I want to say to you but the spell wont last long."
Harry looked around again, "Yeah about that, it's a pretty cool spell…"
"Not to be repeated." Severus said with a smirk, "It took the destruction of a wand and time turner dust, I've been preparing it since last year, just in case."
"You knew this was coming?" Harry sighed.
"I feared this was coming." Severus corrected, "Now, things I must say. Firstly, give this to Draco, Narcissa has come with me and unlike me, she never got the chance to say goodbye. Only you and he must know about this letter, tell him to burn it when it's read and make sure that he does, Cissy will be in enough danger as it is."
Harry took the heavy paper envelope, the Malfoy crest water marked across it, "I will."
"Secondly, I didn't kill Dumbledore out of revenge or anything else. It's what everyone will think, only you and Lily will know that I did it because he asked me to." Severus said seriously.
Harry shook his head, "No… no you didn't kill Dumbledore, Gemini did- I saw her."
Fear and worry flashed across Severus's face, "What are you talking about?"
"I saw Mum go up and talk to Dumbledore, call him out and then I was going to go and yell at him as well but Gemini got there first. Mum has disarmed him so Gemini just… just pushed him out of the window." Harry said.
"How did you see that?" Severus asked.
"I was hiding under the floor, I cut my way through from the floor below, into the crawl space bit." Harry shrugged.
Severus nodded, "I didn't realise you'd seen it… you can't tell anyone Harry; the world must believe, must know that it was me."
"Why?" Harry asked, "It wasn't... why would you want to take the blame?"
"Harry, listen to me carefully; I have already adjusted Gemini's memory, as far as she is concerned she saw me curse Dumbledore, making him fall from the window." Severus explained, "I can either trust you to tell no one and keep your mind closed, or I will have to change your memory as well and I don't want to have to do that, but I will if it'll be easier for you."
"I wont tell anyone." Harry nodded.
"No one Harry, not your mother, not your friends, no one."
"I said I wont tell." Harry insisted, "But you haven't told me why!"
Severus placed a hand on his shoulder, looking pained, "Voldemort has been… hesitant at excepting me back, even more so with Narcissa. This death and the battle, it will give us a chance to prove ourselves without anyone dying who didn't need to. Voldemort had sent them in this evening with two missions, the first I don't know, but I do know they failed."
"The second was to kill Dumbledore." Harry guessed correctly.
Severus nodded, "Exactly. Bellatrix is his right hand solider. With everyone believing that I succeeded where she failed will get me back into the inner circle."
"I get it, I don't like it… but I get it." Harry sighed, "Stay safe."
"I will." Severus assured him.
Harry felt a rain drop fall, just a few millimetres, but enough to tell them that the spell was fading. Severus looked urgently at Harry.
"Listen, you're going to hear a lot of nasty things about me in the coming year. I love you, I love your mother, I love Danica and I always will." Severus said, wiping fresh tears from his face, "And you are going to have to pretend to believe just about everything you hear."
"Dad… I don't want this." Harry said, an uncontrollable sob bursting from within him.
"I know Harry, neither do I. I can promise you that this will end, and I will take you to Chester Zoo again and get you the overly expensive ice creams, hell, I'll get you two!" Severus said, letting out a wet laugh.
Harry smiled and nodded, hugging his father tightly, "Pinky promise?"
Severus wrapped his pinky finger around Harry's and nodded, "Pinky promise. The other thing I have to tell you is that you can't go back to school next year. Voldemort will place people in power here and you will be in danger here, more here than on the run."
"Why would I be on the run?" Harry asked, shaking his head, "I can just stay home, Grimmauld Place is safe."
Severus sighed, "Schooling is going to become compulsory next year, everyone who gets a letter will be legally forced to attend. They will expect you at Grimmauld Place, or Malfoy Manor. If you stay at the latter, you will be trapped. My advice is just don't get too settled anywhere. Remember that moving and fresh wards every few days is the best way not to get caught."
"Ok… we'll get ready." Harry promised.
Severus nodded, the rain starting to move just a little more.
"Dad…" Harry felt like he was going to be sick. It was the question he'd been dreading, fearing and praying he would some how not have to ask, but time was running out far more quickly than he wished it was and it was a question that had to be asked, "Is Danica…?"
"She's alive, and stable." Severus said softly, "She's… he hurt her badly."
"She's going to make it though?" Harry asked, relief flooding through him, causing another sob to break free.
"I believe so." Severus said, hugging Harry again, "It was touch and go, but I managed to get the required potions to her quickly. We don't know about long time damage though. She's always been very small for her age."
"Thank you." Harry said, feeling stupid for doing so but needing to say it, "Thank you for saving her."
"I will do my best to protect you both." Severus promised him, "One more thing you must know; I over heard Voldemort talking, he is trying to change the name Voldemort into a trace."
Harry shook his head, "I don't understand, what does that mean?"
"It means anyone who says his name will have their exact location revealed to him, it wont matter how protected they are, they will be able to be found." Severus explained.
Harry thought back to how angry Gemini had been when Dumbledore had said Voldemort's name, "Is it even possible?"
Severus sighed, "Difficult to tell. If it is, he will need the Ministry to do so, so you will be safe until the Ministry falls but after then…"
"Better safe than sorry." Harry sighed, "His name is Tom anyway, it's about time that the world remembered that."
Severus smiled, he raised he wand and dragged the tip over Harry's cheek, leaving a large, dark bruise in it's wake. Harry could feel his nose start to bleed as Severus pulled his wand away.
"It won't hurt much as it should, and will heal quickly." Severus told him, wrapping him in another hug.
Harry could feel his father's heart beating wildly in his chest.
"We had a big fight, totally hate each other." Harry said, forcing a smile.
"Exactly." Severus said, forcing a smile of his own, "You best lie on the floor looking helpless."
Harry nodded, using every ounce of energy and will power he had to let go of his father, his arms feeling empty and hollow as they stopped touching. He curled up on the floor, protecting his head and stomach as the rain started lashing down over him once again.
Severus stood over him, glaring down. He said nothing more to Harry, just turned and left.
Harry watched Severus race down the path, catching up with Gemini and giving her a shove, telling her to hurry up and stop acting like an idiot.
Harry knew he should get up; the castle would be secure now, Severus would have made sure he was the last Death Eater out.
Harry felt another wave of pain, calling his father a Death Eater. Everything seemed too big right now, so Harry gave himself five minutes, laying on the grass, in the pouring rain and gave into the body racking sobs and screams he'd been fighting all night.