Disclaimer: J. K. Rowling owns Harry Potter along with Scholastic and whoever else. I only own my characters so DON'T SUE!!!
Six Feet and Fallingby Saerry Snape
Chapter 24 :: October 5, 1995 :: Hogwarts – Lunchtime
Harry, head pounding fiercely, opened his eyes, expecting to see the slimy gray stone's of Voldemort's fortress. Instead he saw the white plaster ceiling of the infirmary for the – oh, hundredth time in his four full years at Hogwarts. A pair of amber eyes situated in a snake's face suddenly appeared and he blinked at the creature.
"Hello," he said in Parseltongue. Hmm. Something seemed familiar about those eyes…
"About time you woke up," spat the snake, causing the teen to stare at it.
"SHEYNE?"
The snake – Sheyne – nodded curtly and slithered off of his chest onto the edge of the mattress, where she became herself, short hair disheveled and faint circles under her eyes. She reached out and brushed a lock of hair away from his face as he sat up hurriedly, ignoring the pain in his head.
"You've been out for five days. Apparently that spell did more of a number on you than it did on me."
"What was that?" asked Harry, remembering the green light that had surrounded Voldemort before he'd been knocked unconscious by reaching for every ounce of magic he could reach to free Sheyne.
Sheyne sighed and shook her head, smiling wryly at the same time.
"That's a long story, brother."
Harry looked around the empty hospital wing then at his half-sister. He pushed the pillow up behind his back and leaned against it, crossing his arms across his chest and saying blandly, "We have time. Tell."
"Okay. But it's a hell of a doozy…"
* * *
"Merlin? Merlin himself?"
"Yep."
Harry threw up his wand and cried, "And as if I didn't have enough on my plate!"
Sheyne patted his hand and said, "Well…look at it this way. You'll have a hell of a resume."
Harry looked at her as though she were insane for a moment then began to laugh.
"I have a resume that would make the light-hearted have a heart attack! I mean, Snape's son, Boy-Who-Lived, Slytherin's Heir, Merlin's Heir, and now probably Defeater of Voldemort. Oh, for cripes sake…"
"Hey, I share that burden too. Let's just be glad old Voldie-Moldie tried to use a spell that could only be used by one of us."
Harry began to laugh again and Sheyne frowned at him.
"What'd I say?"
"Voldie-Moldie!"
Sheyne snorted and said, "You are obviously very easily amused." Her only response was more laughter
Harry was still laughing when Madame Pomfrey entered the infirmary. The mediwitch narrowed her eyes at Sheyne and the girl held up her hands in defense.
"I didn't do anything! Honest!"
"Of course you didn't. Now go tell that father of yours that his son is awake. He should be in his rooms."
"Yes, Madame Pomfrey," said Sheyne, hopping down from the bed and racing out of the infirmary. She made sure no one was watching before she Shifted into a dog and ran in that form all the way down to the dungeons. Rushing through the half-open door into the Potions classroom, she pranced up to her father tongue lolling and eyes dancing.
Severus looked down at the amber-eyed, black furred dog at his feet and smiled.
"I presume Harry is awake from the way you're acting."
Sheyne popped into existence and nodded, pushing herself up on tiptoe to peer into the cauldron. "What are you doing?" she asked.
"Healing Potions for Poppy. Which should be done…ah, now. So, you help me bottle this up, you scamp, and then we'll carry it upstairs."
"Yes, sir!" cried Sheyne and dashed into the cupboard where the phials were stored. Severus shook his head in amusement after her and gave the potion one last swirl with the wooden ladle. As he began to sat it down, the Mark on his arm suddenly burned fiercer than it had ever had before. Teeth clenched to keep a scream of pain from erupting from his lips, his body locked and the spoon slipped from his fingertips, clattering to the stone floor.
Sheyne heard that and turned from where she was stacking phials in a box.
"Father?"
Severus made a small whimper in response to that query. Then a shiver ran through his body as he heard a most familiar voice echoing through his head.
I know of your lineage, Severus. Did you think I would not have? Foolish boy. How very foolish of you. And how very foolish of you to think that I could be dispelled so easily.
Severus' teeth creaked as the Mark burned even more. Sheyne slowly stood in the cupboard, amber eyes widening.
"Papa?"
Ah, your dear daughter. Such a lovely, lithe little thing she is. Like her mother. So very beautiful. And a Shifter. An exquisite creature indeed.
Rage burned through Severus at those words but quickly died under another onslaught of pain from the Mark.
Your anger is nothing, boy. And speaking of boy's, I know of your son as well. How lovely that the child you spawned during a mission for me defeated me. I believe that is called irony. What do you say, dear boy?
Severus growled softly, half in anger, half in pain.
Oh, I forgot. You can't speak. Forgive me for being so callous.
"What…do you…want?" said Severus, managing to get it out in a moment when the pain lessened.
Sheyne heard that and began to move forward back out into the Potions classroom, eyes narrowed slightly. Who was her father talking to? Was someone else there?
What do I want? I want your children, my boy. Your children. They're bound to me, you know. All of the children of my Death Eaters are. They are MINE.
"No!" yelled Severus, collapsing to one knee as the pain grew worse. His muscles shook and his right hand clamped down on his left arm where the Mark was.
Yes! Hissed Voldemort's voice in his head. They are mine. The Shifter and the Boy-Who-Lived are MINE. And I shall have them, one way or another. Give them to me, Severus, and I will let you live.
"I'd…rather…die."
Sheyne took another step forward and reached out a hand towards the half closed door.
I'm sure I can arrange that. Are you certain? I WILL have them, Severus. Your little godson is already mine. And now your children will be. Surely you will live to see them stand at my side.
"They'll…never!"
They'll have no choice! I can control them as easily as I am controlling you now. Only easier.
Sheyne's hand touched the doorknob just as Severus growled, "Bastard."
Goodbye, Severus.
With that white-hot lances of pain shot through every nerve in Severus' body. His body curled inward involuntarily from the pain as tears pricked his eyes. He slipped to his other knee, body bowing forward until his fiery forehead touched the cold stone floor. The last words he spoke before he collapsed to the floor were squeezed out through clenched teeth.
"They'll…never…be…yours."
Sheyne opened the door wide just in time to see him slide to the floor in unconsciousness and let out a scream of panic that ran through the entire castle and shook it to its ancient foundations.
* * *
Harry was still waiting for Sheyne to return, becoming even more nervous by the minute. Surely it didn't take that long to get their father out of his dungeon…
Just as that thought passed through his brain, a soul-wrenching scream rang through the castle. The sound reverberated through his bones and Harry swore he heard the stones begin to scream as well. And something in that sound told him something was definitely wrong. Something was very wrong.
Harry pulled himself painfully from his bed and would have nearly collapsed upon standing had he not been holding onto the bed. He grabbed onto the next bed and staggered over to it, doing this over and over again until he made it to the doors. Then, taking a deep breath and steeling himself, he stepped into the hall and began to make his painful way towards the dungeons.
* * *
Finally there, chest aching and a stitch in his right side, Harry saw Dumbledore and Madam Pomfrey, along with Professor McGonagall.
"What's going on?" he croaked, leaning heavily against the wall.
Madam Pomfrey whirled upon him and cried, "Harry! What in Merlin's name do you think you're doing out of bed?"
"Trying to find out what the hell is going on," growled Harry in response, not realizing how much he sounded like his father.
McGonagall looked at him with pity in her eyes and Harry scowled. He looked at Dumbledore, wrapping around arm about his aching chest, and spat, "What's going on?"
Dumbledore looked at him with a sad look in his blue eyes and reached out to place a hand on his shoulder.
"Harry…"
Harry slapped the hand away and painfully pulled himself up to his full height, glaring coldly at the older wizard. His temper was high now or else he'd have never done this.
"What is going on?"
Dumbledore shook his head and waved him on into the Potions classroom. Harry gave him an odd look then staggered forward. Madam Pomfrey reached out to help him but he sent a truly venomous glare at her and she stepped back.
As soon as Harry stepped into the room he knew in the back of his mind what had happened. He smelt it.
Death.
Sheyne sat in one of the desks, head bowed, hands in her lap. Harry staggered over to her and grabbed onto the chair to keep from falling.
"Sheyne," he croaked.
She looked up and Harry saw tears streaming down her cheeks.
"Harry…"
Harry placed a hand on her shoulder then looked up. He didn't want to. He already sensed what he would see.
Severus Snape lay still and pale on his desk. His left sleeve was pulled up to reveal the blood red Mark and there was also something else there now, one word.
Mine.
Harry felt the cold of disbelief slip into his mind, numbing the Gryffindor half that had begun to scream in grief. The Slytherin half remained indifferent, accessing the Mark and the word, knowing whom they were from.
He placed a hand on Sheyne's shoulder and quite suddenly she was in his arms, sobbing uncontrollably. Harry stood painfully but stalwartly, rubbing his hands over his half-sister's back, doing his best to comfort her.
A hand touched his shoulder gently and he whipped his head around to see Dumbledore standing there.
"Voldemort," growled Harry.
Dumbledore nodded slightly and said, "Voldemort. I don't know how."
"I don't care how," spat Harry, turning blazing green eyes upon the corpse of his father. "I don't care how he did it. I don't care how he's alive. I'm going to kill the bastard for this."
"Harry…"
"Don't you 'Harry' me," snapped the dark-haired boy, eyes flashing. He pulled Sheyne close and began to walk out of the classroom, pulling her gently along with him. As Dumbledore, Madam Pomfrey, and McGonagall watched him go, they noticed that he no longer seemed to be in pain.
* * *
"Harry!" cried Hermione as she saw her friend enter Gryffindor Tower, a still sobbing Sheyne in his arms. She leapt from her seat and ran to him, noting that he was in a pair of hospital pajamas. "What happened?"
Harry gave her a stony look and shook his head, walking over to the couch nearest the fire. He sat Sheyne down on it and forcefully laid her down, stroking her head as she cried. After a moment he pulled something from the waist of his pants and held it up to the girl's mouth. Sheyne turned her face away but Harry pulled her back.
"Drink!"
Sheyne opened her eyes to look at him for a moment then she followed his command, opening her mouth. Harry tilted it so a little dribbled into her mouth and almost immediately her eyes drooped and she was asleep. He capped the tiny phial and heaved a sigh, letting his chin drop down to rest on his chest.
"Harry?"
Harry looked up at Hermione, who was watching him with worried brown eyes. He stared at her for a long moment then said coldly, "What?"
Hermione looked surprised at his tone. It sounded so much like – like Snape.
"What happened?" she breathed, eyes flicking to Sheyne.
Harry sighed and closed his eyes, lifting a hand to rub at his temples.
"I thought you'd ask that."
He rose to his feet and walked over to her, standing there for a long time, just standing there. Hermione stared up at him, wondering what on earth had happened.
"Snape's dead."
Those words hit Hermione like a whiplash. Snape? Dead?
"How?"
"Voldemort," replied Harry, his voice hard, stony, and rippling with rage.
Hermione reached out to touch his arm and he jerked away from her.
"Don't touch me!"
Hermione pulled back, clutching her hand to her chest as he whirled, turning his back to her. She reached out to him again, this time touching his arm. A whimper came with that touch and Harry's shoulders shook. He turned back to her, green eyes glistening with tears.
"He's dead, Mione. He's dead! Dead, dead, DEAD!"
With that he collapsed slowly onto the floor, hugging himself and sobbing. Hermione sank to her knees and pulled him to her, not caring when the other Gryffindors appeared to see what was going on and began to point and whisper.
Ginny suddenly appeared and sank to the floor beside her and Harry, confused and wary but there. Hermione smiled at her then turned her head around to look at the crowd. She spotted Ron and glared at him then turned her attention back to Harry, slowly running her fingers through his hair as he sobbed into her shoulder.