Disclaimer: See Chapter 1. A/N at end.

Some Scars Never Fade

WendyNat

Chapter 12

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"This is where I first saw Draco. I think it was him, at least," Harry said. His voice was oddly hollow, and Hermione glanced at him with concern. They had all entered the Pensieve moments before, and were waiting as the coiling mist disappeared, revealing the combined memories of Severus and Harry. It wouldn't be easy for either one to face these memories again, she knew. Harry caught her eye and nodded to the scene before them.

A cold laugh tore through the air. "What will it be, boy? You can save him, or come after me. Your choice," Lord Voldemort hissed, smiling callously at the young man on the ground before him. Colin Creevey had thrown himself in front of a curse meant for Harry and now lay, convulsing, his lips rapidly taking on a blue cast.

A strangling curse.

The counter spell wasn't difficult, but it was time-consuming and, once commenced, it could not be interrupted until complete. Harry fell to his knees beside Colin and looked up at Voldemort, then back at Colin… visibly torn.  

A flutter of black robes caught his attention – two Death Eaters rushed to the side of their master, and without a glance at Harry, all three began to run quickly up the slight incline – heading for the edge of the anti-Apparation barrier that had been erected prior to the battle.  If they reached it…

A hand shot up and grabbed Harry's sleeve. Harry looked into Colin's eyes, and the other man pinned him with his stare. "Go," he mouthed.

Harry shook his head, opening his mouth  uncertainly, and Colin – with great effort – managed a smile. "Go – get him. For me," he mouthed. With sudden resolve, Harry got to his feet and closed his eyes. Looking down once more at the other man, he swallowed hard and stepped over Colin's twitching body.

The rage had been refined, distilled, into a white-hot determination to make Voldemort pay.

He did not look back.

 

Hermione stood with the others, watching the scene unfold. Casting a glance around, she viewed each person's expression in turn. Severus, Kingsley, Tonks, Ron… and Harry. Gods. His eyes were closed, fists clenched. Gently, she reached out to him and he relaxed one hand, grasping hers tightly. And so she stood, one hand in Severus' grip and the other in Harry's, as their surroundings turned gray. The scene in the Pensieve shifted. When the gray fog lifted, Hermione saw that they were now at the edge of the Apparition barrier. She was taken aback by the vibrancy of the image – the previous scene seemed almost flat in comparison. This must be one of the merged memories, she realized. Kingsley had had the Pensieves merged together in some fashion so they could watch both men's memories at once.

Harry was pale, his jaw set in a determined line, his wand held before him – he stood straight and proud. Confident. Facing his enemy with cool resolve.

A harsh wind rose and whipped the robes around both figures, the rough flapping of the cloth sounding loudly in the strange stillness. Only the members of the Inner Circle – those still living - had accompanied Lord Voldemort to this final battlefield. Fierce shouts of battle could be heard from a distance - muffled, unworldly. The lesser Death Eaters and Dread Squads were fighting in dozens of separate skirmishes around the area.  

The periphery battle had practically come to a halt – those few still left standing were caught and held by the tableau before them. Lucius Malfoy was one of those few. As was Severus Snape.

"This ends now, Voldemort. Your Dread Squads are in shambles; your Death Eaters are fleeing. Surrender," Harry demanded in a strong voice.

Voldemort laughed once again, clear and cold.

"There! Do you see him?" Tonks exclaimed, pointing at a black-robed figure skirting around the edge of the memory. The figure still wore its mask, but the hood had been blown back by the wind. The shoulder-length white-blond hair was unmistakable.

Beside Hermione, Severus nodded. "Yes," he said simply. "Draco Malfoy. At the time, I didn't notice him."

"Watch," Kingsley commanded, and they fell silent, turning their attention once more to the scene before them.

"So be it," Harry stated in a strangely calm voice. He raised his wand.

And the duel began.

Lights of all different colors raced from one figure to the other. Slicing, burning… some were deflected, some hit their mark. Regardless, there was no pause in the volley of strangely beautiful lights. The few Death Eaters that remained upright stood on the edge, watching with bated breath. As did Severus Snape. They did not dare interfere, on either combatant's behalf – the spells were flying too quickly. There was no pause in the casting, no break in the torrent of lights. The battlefield had already been witness to what could happen when two curses hit in midair. A large crater, surrounded by dead figures, left a silent testimony to the possible result. 

A particularly well-placed hex hit Harry, almost breaking through the defensive shield he had thrown, and he spun from the force of the curse. As Harry's fell to the ground, Lucius Malfoy stepped forward, raising his wand. Lord Voldemort laughed aloud. "Is that all you have, boy? I thought Dumbledore would have taught you more than that. I am… disappointed. Lucius – I did promise you some sport before the end, did I not? Proceed."

Severus, standing slightly behind Lucius, made a movement towards the other man but was halted by a small shake of Harry's head. They needed him to appear loyal as long as possible. He was the trump card, in Muggle terms. Harry curled in on himself, and moaned, feigning weakness. Lucius smiled, a pale echo of his Master's malicious smile, and steadied his wand, pointing it at the young man who still lay curled on the ground.

His grin faded quickly when, in a blur, Harry's wand arm whipped up and a simple, yet damaging, hex hit Lucius full in the chest. The blond man fell to the ground, trembling from the force of the spell, and then lay still. Instantly Harry whirled back to face Voldemort…

… but he was too late. A beam of light was already streaming towards him. He didn't have time to raise his wand before it would hit…desperately, he flung himself to the side. His eyes filled with horror, he watched as the beam of light bent somehow, following him. Then a voice shouted.

"Alius Protego!"

With those two words, Severus Snape revealed where his true loyalties lay.

The card was played.

The beam of light fractured when it hit the barrier Severus had hastily erected in front of Harry. With a snarl, Voldemort turned his malevolent gaze upon his traitorous servant, a murderous rage twisting his already hideous features. Harry caught Severus' eye, and nodded imperceptibly. It was time. Two wand arms rose. Two voices joined in a surprising incantation.

"Expecto Patronum!"

"I heard how he had been brought down, but… seeing it. Merlin. Brilliant idea, Harry," Tonks breathed.

Harry shook his head, not moving his eyes from the vision of Voldemort screaming in pain and fury… and fear… at the dual Patronus attack. "It was Hermione's idea."

Kingsley looked at Hermione in shock and awe. "Indeed? What-"

"When I heard that he had bound the Dementors to his life force, it came to me. It just made sense on so many levels. That spell was always one of Harry's strengths. And…"

"Go on," Kingsley urged in his deep voice.

"Well, Harry told me about what happened the first time he dueled with Voldemort after the Triwizard Tournament… and how scared Voldemort was when Harry's parents appeared. Since the stag… kind of is Harry's father, in a way…"

"Mentally and physically, it was a terrible blow to the Dark Lord," Severus said in a low voice. His eyes, like Harry's, had not left the scene before them. She gave his hand a squeeze, running her thumb along his knuckles, trying to comfort as well as she could in the current situation. He closed his eyes for a moment and sighed, gripping her hand tighter. She turned her full attention back to the Pensieve's images.

Harry and Severus pointed their wands at Voldemort. He had fallen to his knees, his weakness following the Patronus attack the perfect opportunity – they both cast Avada Kedavra, voices ringing out with conviction, and two green lights rushed at Voldemort. A second later, the Dark Lord was enveloped in an emerald glow as the two curses hit simultaneously. Empty eyes stared straight forward for an endless moment before his body collapsed to the ground.

The Dark Lord was dead.

Harry pressed one hand to his side and wavered slightly on his feet, eyes fixed on the body in front of him.  The Dark Lord's curse had taken more out of him than he had shown during the duel. Now, his stance told the tale – he was weak, injured, and immeasurably relieved.

Severus hadn't relaxed. He was already scanning the periphery, watching for enemies. It wasn't unusual for a Death Eater to fake death in order to attack after the enemy relaxed its guard. Everything was still, silent. Only the wind and Harry's ragged breathing could be heard. Severus sighed and began to walk towards Harry.

A figure in black rose to its knees behind Harry. Long white-blond hair, normally so carefully arranged, hung haphazardly around its head. A vicious sneer twisted the normally handsome features. Slowly, Lucius Malfoy raised his wand straight at the back of the Boy Who Lived and cast a spell.

Severus caught the movement from the corner of his eye, and instantly threw himself at Harry, knocking the younger man aside. As Harry fell to the ground, Lucius' curse missed its mark and hit Severus in the shoulder, knocking him off his feet. Immediately after the spell's impact, even as he began to fall, the black-haired wizard pointed his wand at Lucius and hissed the two most dangerous words in the magical world: Avada Kedavra.

Everything seemed to occur in slow motion. The green bolt of light shot from his wand and hit Lucius Malfoy. As the green bolt of light arced through the air, a smaller black-robed figure from the other side of the circle suddenly ripped off its mask, revealing the face of Draco Malfoy, twisted in grief and fury.

"LUCIUS!" Draco screamed as he raised his wand, pointing it straight at the still-falling form of Severus. Without taking a breath, Draco screamed, "CONGELO VISCUS!" A white flash filled the air as Severus hit the ground.

A wordless howl rent the air… then silence. Severus lay on the ground beside Harry, unmoving.

Hermione clutched Severus' hand – this time, for her own comfort. To see him lying there, so still… damn it, she should have been there. Another pair of eyes… I might have been able to see Draco before he cast the curse. What if… she felt Severus' arm move around her, pulling her closer without dislodging her hand from Harry's. Accepting his comfort, she leaned into him and watched as the scene continued. Once again, it appeared… flat. Severus' memories had ended.

Harry raised himself to his feet, his gaze fixed on Draco Malfoy. Draco's face was completely white, staring at the body of his father lying on the ground. His head snapped up when he heard the popping sounds of the Aurors who were Apparating to the location. The Apparition barrier had been lifted.

Before Harry or the other Aurors could react, Draco suddenly whirled and began casting random hexes, vicious hexes. Under the cover of these spells and his own defensive spells, the young man ran to the body of his father, his white-blond hair whipping in the breeze from his movements. He knelt briefly, continuing to cast hexes at random targets, and touched his father's hair lightly. A hoarse whisper could be heard, "I love you, Lucius." Then the young man disappeared with a pop. Just as Poppy Pomfrey reached Severus' side, the scene dissolved.

They left the Pensieve and found themselves standing in Kingsley's office, staring at each other. Ron broke the silence. "Wow."

"Yeah," Harry said.

"Eloquent as always, Mr. Weasley," Severus said, his lip curling.

Hermione, ignoring Severus' sneering comment to Ron, asked, "What happened then? How was Draco captured?"

Kingsley answered, "Once he Disapparated, a group of Aurors immediately followed him to Malfoy Manor. He was taken into custody there, claiming he had no memory of the events." Kingsley sat heavily in his desk chair. "He was still wearing the Death Eater robes," he said, shaking his head.

Tonks spoke then. "Well, at least now we know the curse. I have a feeling he didn't mean to yell it out so loudly that others could hear the incantation." Her brow creased slightly. "I think the people in the Charms or Counter Curse Departments could make something of it. I remember the wand movements clearly."

Kingsley nodded. "I'll leave it to you to get with them, Tonks. Let me know what you find out. Ron – I expect a full report on this Renovo Moreau on my desk by lunch tomorrow." Ron nodded. Looking at the others, Kingsley continued solemnly, "Thank you, everyone. I appreciate your help – especially you, Harry, and you, Severus. I will be in touch. And…" Kingsley looked at each in turn, his eyes steady. "Please think over the situation, and what you've seen and heard today. If you can think of anything, anything at all – contact me immediately."

"I will, Kingsley," Hermione said. Severus just nodded before turning on his heel and sweeping out of the office. With a farewell wave to the others, she followed him, meeting up with him in the corridor outside where he was waiting for her. He didn't speak, simply led the way to the Apparition point where they Disapparated to the Hogwarts gates.

            *                      *                      *                      *                      *                      *

They made their way through the darkness to the dungeons, Hermione keeping hold of Severus' hand as they walked silently. He did not resist. He knew his expression was dark and forbidding, the day's events weighed heavily on his mind. Memories and events he had tried to banish were now swirling about at the front of his awareness. He was grateful for Hermione's presence. She could distract him, help him forget…

First the visit to Draco in Azkaban, listening to his accusations. Then reliving the events in the Pensieve… granted, he had done worse things in his past, much worse things… but watching Draco, seeing the boy's face as his father fell in a flash of green light from Severus' own wand… watching Draco run to his father's side and kneel down beside him. "I love you, Lucius."  He frowned slightly. There was something strange there… he stopped suddenly in the doorway to their chambers. Hermione looked back at him, perplexed.

"What-"

"Lucius. He called him Lucius," Severus said. Hermione tilted her head questioningly, and he clarified, "I… had known Draco for many years. Since he was born, in fact. I don't believe I have ever heard him refer to his father by his given name."

Hermione's face softened. "In unusual situations, people will do or say things that they wouldn't normally…" her voice trailed off as she gazed up at him.

That is certainly true, Severus thought, staring into her eyes. She was utterly still, seeming to sense his mood. With clarity, he realized what he needed. Her. His mind was full of dark memories; he needed something to wash them away, to distract him from the mood he was falling into. Analyzing what he - what they - had seen and heard that day could wait. At that moment, he didn't want to dwell on death.

He wanted to celebrate life.

Drawing her into the room, he shut and warded the door behind them before pressing her against the wall, claiming her lips with his. She responded immediately and fiercely, deepening the kiss and twining her arms behind his neck. As their passion increased to a feverish pitch, he lifted her into his arms and carried her into their bedchamber, throwing her down on the dark green comforter.

And they celebrated life.  ________________________________________________________________

A/N: I hope everyone enjoyed the chapter – this was the longest I've ever gone without an update (five days), and I do apologize. For some reason, the Pensieve scenes gave me some problems – I hope they turned out okay after all of my re-writes. Please review and let me know!! 

Alius (as in Alius Protego): Latin for "Another." Since the basic Protego charm in the books only seems to protect the caster, I decided to throw in the "Alius" for good measure.

Congelo Viscus: Latin for "Freeze Organ." According to the online translator. I'm quite sure I'm butchering the grammar in a horrible manner, but I've never studied Latin. My sincerest apologies!

PinkChubbyMonkey – Thanks for reviewing!

Louise Luvgood – Thanks for the review, I'm glad you liked both chapters. Good researching, by the way – you're the only reviewer who mentioned Renovo as being the greenhouse owner. :)

The great and masterful Yoda – Heehee – yep, you have to wait and find out ;). I hope you enjoy this chapter! Thanks for reviewing.

Dru – Here's the Pensieve scene… hope you liked it!

KLyn – Thanks!

Lizzie – I'm glad you enjoyed it! Thanks!