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Not Myself by Saerry Snape

Chapter 170 – Avenge the Dragon

Pansy was walking out of the Slytherin common room when she was grabbed from behind by two hands. Crabbe and Goyle, who had been right behind her, turned to find out who had grabbed the girl but halted when they found themselves staring into a pair of entirely black eyes that glowed with hatred.

Harry's face, a crazed smile fixed across it, came out of the dark and he purred, "Hello, boys. Come to join the party?"

Crabbe and Goyle looked at each other nervously, the same thought going through their heads. They were dull but they weren't dull enough to stand still while the infamous Lord Hex stood before them.

So they turned tail and ran.

But they didn't get far.

"Petrificus Totalus!"

"Can't run, boys," hissed Harry as he stepped out of the shadows, an unconscious Pansy hanging limply in his arms. "The show's only just begun…"

Blaise was in the West Tower kissing Daphne Greengrass rather…messily, when someone came up the stairwell. He pulled away from her and shouted, "Bugger off, yah bastard!"

"There's no one there, love," purred Daphne, trying to pull his mouth back down to hers.

"Oh really?" said a voice both of them knew.

"Potter!" snarled Blaise, rising to his feet only to have them kicked out from under him. Harry pushed back the hood and part of his Invisibility Cloak so his head and body were visible. If anyone came up behind him, they'd only see the top of his head.

He grinned at the two of them and said, "Its actually Snape, you know. But that's beside the point…"

"Go away, Snape," snarled Daphne as she drew her wand. "Or I'll do to you what I did to your pet dragon."

Harry's eyes hardened and he whipped out his right hand, snapping, "Expelliarmus!"

Daphne's wand shot out of her hand and into his – whereupon he pointed it at its master.

"I'm here to revenge my 'pet dragon' as you call him. Now lets go. We can't keep the party waiting."

"What party?" snapped Blaise as Daphne helped him to his feet. "What nonsense are you going on about, Potter?"

Harry grinned in a half-crazed manner and replied, "Not nonsense, Zabini. My lovely Lady and I have planned a party. And we want you two to attend."

"Lady…" gasped Daphne. Her eyes widened as she stared at Harry, who smirked.

She knew exactly what was going to happen tonight.

"Snape, no. You can't!"

"I damn bloody well can," snarled Harry. He flicked her wand towards the stairwell and snapped, "Go. Party's waiting."

Blaise glared then jerked Daphne against him. They slowly descended from the top of the Tower, Harry following behind them.

"Are we ready?"

"Let's see…checklist: five fools."

"Check," said Niamh, looking at their five captives.

"Our book."

Niamh waved her notebook at him.

"Good. My books?"

"Aye."

"Wands?"

"At ready, m'Lord," purred Niamh, drawing her wand.

Harry smirked and said, "Then we're ready. Let the fun begin."

"Of course," said Niamh, turning towards their five captives. "This will be our fun and not your fun."

"Oh nooo. Because your fun is BEATING SOMEONE TO NEAR DEATH!"

"I think we struck a nerve," whispered Blaise to Pansy with a smirk.

Harry's eyes narrowed and he strode forward, slapping the other boy.

"Watch it, Zabini, or I'll strike a nerve."

"You don't scare me, Potter," spat Blaise, staring defiantly up into the all-black eyes.

"Really?" said Harry, arching an eyebrow imperiously. He looked over at Niamh and said, "Hear that, Ni? I don't scare him."

"We'll have to work on that then, won't we? What shall we do first?"

"You do this!" shrieked Daphne, struggling against her ropes. "You do this and you're no better than us!"

"No!" hissed Harry, lunging forward and grabbing the ropes that bound her, shaking her. "We are not going to torture you. We are going to duel you."

"Oh hell," gasped Pansy.

Niamh smirked and said, "Yes, Parkinson. This is Hell. Your accordion is in the mail."

"If this is Hell," growled Blaise, "who's the Devil?"

"I'll claim the title tonight," hissed Harry. "And you, Zabini, can be the first duelist."

"Fine."

"Dueling me."

Blaise paled to a pasty white and Harry grinned, showing all his teeth.

"Let's begin."

"Conjunctiva!"

"Aboleo!"

"Diffindo!"

"Obsequium," hissed Harry, not even flinching as Blaise's spell opened up a long gash on his left arm.

"What's…going…on?" demanded Blaise as his wand dropped from suddenly numb fingers. He collapsed onto his knees, gasping for air. "Potter…you…"

"Bastard? Call me another. I've heard it before and I daresay I'll hear it again."

He waved his wand and released Blaise from his spell.

"Now get up and fight like you mean it, you piece of filth."

Blaise snarled and snatched up his wand. He only rose to one knee as he shouted, "Crucio!"

Niamh gasped but she heard Harry snarled, "Speculum."

The Cruciatus Curse struck Harry's Mirror Spell and ricocheted back at Blaise, who couldn't dodge it. He collapsed in a screaming heap, a victim of his own curse.

Harry strode forward during this time and knelt beside him. He grabbed the other wizard's left arm and jerked the sleeve up.

"Death Eater already. I should have known…"

"Make it stop!" shouted Blaise.

"Why should I?" asked Harry in a blank voice. "Did you stop when Draco asked you to? Did you stop hurting him?"

"N-no! Ahhh!"

"Then I won't let it stop either."

"You're no better than us!" shouted Pansy. "No better, Snape, do you hear?"

"I hear," hissed Harry, looking at her. "I hear very well, Parkinson. And maybe I am no better than you. But at least I don't torture people for fun."

"Then what is this?" gasped Daphne.

Harry looked at her and said, "I thought you knew, Daphne."

"Revenge…"

"Exactly," spat Niamh. "You five hurt one of our friends. And we're not going to let you get away unscathed. We didn't let that bastard Cade get away with hurting Mischa and we won't let you five get away with hurting Draco."

"Right," said Harry. He flicked his wand at Blaise and shouted, "Finite Incantatem!"

The dark-haired boy slumped back onto the floor, sobbing miserably. Harry gave him what might have been a look of pity then his eyes hardened as Niamh touched his arm and whispered, "He deserved it."

"That doesn't mean its right," hissed Harry back.

"I know."

They looked at each other for a moment then he said, "You take the next one. I'll do what I can to help, Zabini. No one deserves the Cruciatus Curse. Not even him…"

Niamh just nodded and turned towards their now four captives. She jerked Pansy to her feet and shoved the girl's wand into her hand.

"My turn," she said with a cold smile.

The sun had risen before Harry and Niamh slumped onto the old but sturdy table in the dungeon room where they had taken their captives. Across the room, the five lay still. They were beaten and battered – not only by hexes and curses, but by two distinctive pairs of boots and several fists.

Harry and Niamh hadn't considered healing them.

They'd gotten their revenge, plain and simple. Why should they heal the bastards?

"He who fights monsters should look into it that he himself does not become a monster. When you gaze long into the Abyss, the Abyss also gazes into you," whispered Harry as he leaned his head against Niamh's.

She smiled slightly and mumbled, "Wise words. Who…?"

"Friedrich Neitzsche."

"Oh."

There was a small pause then she asked softly, "Have we fallen into the Abyss, Harry?"

He turned his head so he could look into her eyes. His own were now emerald once more, not the all-black they had been all night and through the morning.

And they were sad but proud.

"Ni," he said softly, "I've been fighting monsters for a long time. I think I fell into the Abyss when I killed Argil."

"Don't say that."

"I think its true."

"No, its not."

He looked at her.

"And why is that?"

"Your not a monster."

Harry just smiled wearily at her and whispered, "Tell me that after all this is over and I might believe you."

"I'll tell you both that right now and order you to get off that table before I deduct points."

"Oh shit…" breathed Harry.

"Oh shit indeed," sneered Severus as he stepped into the room. "I want you two in my office, now. And if you move before I get back from taking this five to see Madam Pomfrey. I will torture you both into unconsciousness."

Harry and Niamh looked at each other then wearily rose off the table, latching onto each other so they could make it down the corridor. Severus looked after them for a long moment then at the five students who lay on the floor beyond.

"Revenge," he said softly to the deaf ears and empty room. "Sweet yet…revolting. I hope the two of you never have to seek revenge again."

Shaking his head sadly, he went about getting his five students to the hospital wing before he went to confront his son and the girl he considered a daughter.

Author's Note

Torture and angst. And Severus! AH! I'd hate to be Harry and Ni right about now, wouldn't you?

Ikigami03: I agree with you! Originally I wasn't going to heal them but then when I was typing, I did. You saying what you did made me change it to what it should have been originally. Thanks for the kick in the head – and the thing about track 7. I figured it was woodwind instruments but I couldn't tell what that first one was.