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 33 :: June 20, 1996 :: Voldemort's Stronghold
"Good evening, Mister Potter. Or should I say…Snape?"
"Snape," growled Harry, glaring defiantly at Voldemort.
"Ah, yes. How…pleasant…of you to come visit us."
One of the Death Eater's standing behind Harry chuckled softly.
"Yeah, real pleasant. You need a good decorator though."
Voldemort's smug expression wavered and he leaned forward onto the arms of his chair, fingers steepled. "Now," he hissed, "tell me how it is that you and your little army are resisting my pull."
"And why should I do that?" spat Harry, crossing his arms over his chest. "You wouldn't kill any of us. You need us. After all, we're your little army, aren't we?"
"Correct, Harry. But…"
"Don't…call…me…Harry."
Voldemort smiled and said, "But you miss the point. I don't have to kill one of my Children. I have someone else that might interest you…Harry."
Harry scowled and growled, "Really."
"Yes." Voldemort snapped his fingers and two Death Eater's dragged a third one into the room. The third was hanging limply between them and Harry had a sudden sick feeling in the pit of his stomach.
No. Please…not him…
Voldemort smiled his evil smile and said, "You and the other members of your little army – my little army – may be important to me but one Death Eater is not. Especially one that has betrayed me not once, but twice." He smiled coldly and added, "How do you feel about losing your dear father, my boy?"
Ice picks of fear drove into Harry's heart as one of the two Death Eater's pulled back the hood of the third. The white mask fell to the stone floor with a clatter and Severus' face was revealed, one cheek bruised from a fist. His eyes were closed and from the distance he was away, Harry would tell if he was still alive or already dead.
Voldemort seemed to sense his last thought and pointed his wand at the spy. "Ennervate."
Severus jerked slightly and opened one eye blearily. He glanced about the room and was about to close his eye when he spotted Harry. Then both of his eyes opened and Harry saw fear in them.
Could be a trick…don't trust him…
"Harry? Harry, you have to get out of here! Get…"
"Shut up!" snarled one of the Death Eater's, slamming his knee into the Potion Master's stomach. Severus groaned and Harry's fists clenched as he fought against his urge to seriously injure and/or kill the man. He fixed Voldemort with a menacing glare and growled deep in the back of his throat.
"Let…him…go."
"But what shall I get in return?" asked Voldemort. "We cannot bargain unevenly. Give me something in equal value to your father's life and I shall consider."
"No," spat Harry. "You won't consider. You'll damn well honor any bargain made or there won't be any."
"As you wish, Harry. Now, for my end of our bargain…you want your father's life, I want you to dispel whatever charm you have that blocks you from my pull."
"No…" whispered Severus but Harry ignored him.
"So…you'll let him go if I let you take me?"
"Exactly."
"Everyone else goes free too."
"Now that was not part of our bargain…"
"I'm the strongest one, aren't I?" demanded Harry, eyes flashing. "What do you need the others for if you have me?"
Voldemort smirked and said, "You strike a hard bargain, Harry. Alright. Your father and the members of your little army go free."
"All of them."
"All of them," agreed Voldemort.
"Including Shey. And neither you nor any who follow your orders can attack them."
"Yes."
Harry frowned. Surely Voldemort wouldn't let them go that easy…
Well, just incase he double-crosses me, I suppose I can…
"On Slytherin's honor?"
"Pardon?" said Voldemort.
"Slytherin's honor," repeated Harry. "Do you swear upon Salazar Slytherin's honor to not go back on our bargain? I know you don't want to soil mighty Slytherin's name."
Voldemort frowned for a moment then said, "On Slytherin's honor then. Do we have an accord?" He held out a white hand towards Harry, a satisfied smirk on his face.
Harry looked at his father, who was shaking his head at him and mouthing 'no.' He then thought of Sheyne and Mika and Draco and all the rest of them. They could all be free if he but agreed to this.
He had no choice.
"We have an accord," he said, reaching forward to take the pale hand. He felt as though he could crush it with a simple squeeze.
"NO!" yelled Severus as the two Death Eater's began to drag him away. "Harry, don't do this! Harry!"
"I'm sorry," whispered Harry. He looked at Voldemort and said, "You had better hold to your word, Voldemort. If you don't, I swear that not even you will be able to control me."
Voldemort smiled coldly and said, "I will take that into consideration."
Harry nodded and closed his eyes. He could still hear his father raging as he was dragged away. He didn't want him to do it.
Harry didn't want to either. But he had no other choice. He, even as an Heir of Slytherin and Merlin, couldn't take on Voldemort, all his Death Eater's, and the Death Eater's children. He didn't know how.
"I'm sorry," he said again as he grabbed the silver ring on his right hand and pulled it off. His mind immediately began to fog and he felt Voldemort's presence slipping in, like slime. As Voldemort's laugh rang through his head, he dropped the silver ring into his pocket.
Then he was gone.
* * *
"NOOOOOOOOOO! HARRRRRYYYYYY!!!!!!"
"We can't do anything, Sheyne!" yelled Draco, pulling the girl tight against him. "Come on!"
"NOO!" yelled Sheyne, struggling to get away. She still had no ability to shift as Voldemort had ordered her to leave with a set of manacles on like the one's that had bound her to the table.
Draco yelped as his grip on her slipped and he yelled, "Davids, help me!"
Mika looked up from where he was attempting to comfort a distraught Amanda then leapt forward, grabbing Sheyne about the waist and hauling her back. The two of them managed to wrestle her to the ground, whereupon Mika sat on her.
"NO!" shrieked Sheyne, trying to shove them away with her manacled hands. "Let me go! He's still in there! Harry's still in there!"
"HE'S GONE!" bellowed Draco. "HE WENT ACROSS!" He sobered and added softly, "And he's not coming back."
"Nooooo," moaned Sheyne, shaking her head. "He has to! He has to! HE'S MY BROTHER, DAMN YOU!"
"I'm sorry," whispered Draco, reaching out to brush her hair off her face. "I really am."
"He's my brother," whispered Sheyne, looking pitifully up at him, her eyes red-rimmed. "Mine. Not their's."
"I've got her," said Draco to Mika. The white-haired boy nodded and got up, moving back over to Amanda. Draco gently sat Sheyne up, brushing her tears away. "I'm sorry," he repeated softly.
"Why?" whispered Sheyne. "Why'd he do it?"
"I don't know," replied Draco. "But we have to go."
"He did it for us," said a new voice softly.
Sheyne and Draco both jumped and turned to stare at Severus as he walked up to them, his expression the saddest it had ever been.
"Papa…" whispered Sheyne, looking at him with wide and newly tearful eyes.
Severus just nodded and Sheyne threw herself against him, unable to hug him because of the manacles. He hugged her close, eyes closed.
"What did you mean, sir?" asked Draco. "Harry did what for us?"
Severus looked at him with surprise in his eyes as he called Harry by his first name rather than his surname then replied, "He made a bargain with Voldemort. Harry would join him if he let all of us go."
"Voldemort would never agree," breathed Sheyne.
"He made him swear on Slytherin's honor. That is something Voldemort would not wish to taint." Severus sighed and cast one last look back at the doorway they had come out of and said, "Let's go."
"Where's Ste?" demanded Sheyne, looking around for her foster brother.
"Right here," whispered Stephen as he walked up. He ducked his head so his maroon eyes were hidden by his hair. Sheyne noticed that he had his birth certificate clenched in his hand.
Severus noticed the fourteen-year-old's new look but didn't say anything about it. He just put an arm around the two of them and walked away after the other children, Draco beside them.
Behind them in the doorway, Voldemort stood, a blank-eyed Harry beside him.
A/N: Please don't kill me. I'm going to fix it. Honestly. *ducks flying fruit and/or bladed objects*