Chapter Twenty Four: Return to Potter Manor

Blackness. Cool, peaceful, undemanding blackness. Floating in blackness.

Thicker... heavier... deeper. Pressing blackness. Stifling blackness. Suffocating blackness...

Painful blackness.

Green light, and murmuring voices. Anger, pain, adrenaline... muscles tensing...

"Harry, relax. It's okay," a soft, warm voice.

"Ginny?" Harry whispered through dry lips. "Ginny..."

"Sleep, Harry. I've given you a sleeping draught. Sleep. Rest. It's okay."

Peaceful, undisturbed blackness.

Ginny.


"How is he?"

"Asleep," Ginny replied.

"Any..."

"No. I don't know how he..." she stopped, shaking her head. She wasn't going to think about that.

"The Death Curse can't kill him, Gin." Bill stated.

"Bullshit," Ginny snapped angrily. "This time it didn't."

"Three times it hasn't," Bill said softly. "Once when he was a fifteen month old child."

"That doesn't mean it can't. When will this end?"

"No, it doesn't mean that it can't, but it means it's highly unlikely. I don't know when it will end, Gin, but I know that we have a better chance with Harry leading us."

Ginny was silent, watching her husband sleep.

"I can't identify the spell," Bill said quietly.

Ginny's eyes snapped to his, "What?"

"The last spell he used. He did it without his wand. I can't identify it."

Ginny's eyes widened. She knew that Harry could do wandless magic. He'd been doing it since they were in school, and he was by far the most powerful wizard anyone could remember. He could wave his hand and....

But wandless magic of a level that Bill couldn't trace?

"Gin? I think..." Bill hesitated.

"What?"

"I think it might have been Dark Magic," he said, watching her closely.

Ginny took a sharp breath. "I don't care what it was, so long as that bloody monster is dead."

"Oh, he's dead," Bill confirmed, relieved that his sister wasn't reacting badly to the news that her adored husband might have used Dark Magic in his bid to rid the world of Phillip Mahood. "Fried to a bloody crisp... and I have no idea of how."

Ginny winced. She'd seen the ravages of war. She'd lost family. She knew what was involved. But she also knew how it tore at Harry's soul to be the one to have to kill...

"How are the others?" Bill asked, wanting to distract her from what he knew was going through her mind.

"Ron and Hermione will be fine. I'm keeping them asleep while their skin regrows. That was a very, very nasty curse."

It was Bill's turn to wince. He'd seen the skinning curse in action several times during his years as a curse-breaker. It wasn't pretty. Long, slow, excruciatingly painful death normally followed.

"Luna and Neville will be fine, as well," she continued. "If Neville would stop scratching it would go quicker for him."

"And Tonks?"

"She'll have a nasty scar," Ginny sighed. "But she's lucky to be alive. If it weren't for Charlie getting her to St Mungo's so quickly... well, there was nothing I could have done for her. Kingsley is with her now."

"He's okay?"

"Yes. He'll be fine. Who knew he had a charmed bodysuit?" she smiled sadly. In all honesty, it was all that had saved him.

Bill smiled back. The silence lengthened.

"You're still looking?" Ginny asked suddenly, quietly.

"Every auror the ministry can spare," Bill confirmed.

"Where the hell could he have gone?"

"We're trying to trace the magical signature..." Bill said, then sighed, spreading his hands in a helpless gesture. "But with the originator dead, it's difficult."

"What if he transported him somewhere..." Ginny shook her head. "I keep getting this image of him inside a block of solid rock."

"Ginny, we're looking. We'll find him."

"He's just..."

"I know."

"Severus always seems so... alone. Lonely."

"I know. We'll find him."

"Promise?" Ginny looked up at her older brother, and Bill was reminded of the little girl she had been, when his promises could fix the world for her.

He looked at her, saying nothing. She knew he couldn't promise her that.


Harry slept for six more hours. When he awoke, it was to find Ginny slumped in an uncomfortable looking chair beside his bed. He silently looked around the room. It was one of the larger rooms on the third floor, he recognized the wallpaper.

There were five beds in the room. He could see Ron and Hermione sleeping. Their skin looked red and raw.

The other two beds were occupied by bandaged figures. From their sizes, Harry assumed one was either Tonks or Luna, and the other must be either Neville or Kingsley. Snape was much slimmer.

He took in his situation. He could feel all of his extremities, but he felt heavy, bruised all over. Shifting, he could tell that his chest was bound, but it didn't feel like much else was. Carefully, he pulled himself into a sitting position.

That wasn't too bad, he thought. The slight twinge he'd felt in his side was bearable. Cracked ribs.

Swinging one leg over the side, he took a shallow breath before swinging the other over. And looked up to find Ginny's brown eyes on him.

"Don't you ever," she began quietly, "Ever, scare me like that again."

"Not if I can help it," he said solemnly.

"Never. Understand?" she stood, stepping forward and wrapping her arms tightly around his neck. "Never, Harry Potter."

"I love you," he said, kissing the side of her face.

"I love you, too. But I'll save the Dark wizards the trouble and kill you myself if you ever do that to me again."

Harry smiled, holding her close. "How are the others?"

Ginny took a deep breath, "Ron and Hermione are regrowing their skin. He cast a skinning curse on them."

"Dear God," was all Harry could say, looking over at his two best friends. The pain they must have...

"They were both in a lot of pain when the got back here. We... well... it wasn't very pretty."

"But they're okay?"

"Yes. They will be."

"Nev?"

"Neville and Luna were hexed with... well, I'm not sure what it was, exactly. Like an itching hex, but more powerful. They were literally tearing themselves apart when they got here. They'll both be fine, besides some minor scarring."

"And?" Harry said, prompting her.

"Tonks was... well, she was pretty much dead when she got here, there was nothing I could do, but Charlie apparated her to St Mungo's in seconds. They saved her. Some sort of blasting curse to her stomach. But she'll be fine."

"Shack?"

"He's with Tonks. He was only stunned, but..."

"But?"

"Well, three stunners packs a pretty mean punch," she shrugged. "He'll be recovering for a while."

"And Snape?"

Ginny swallowed, unable to say anything.

"Gin?"

"We can't find him, Harry. We've... we've looked everywhere..."

"What do you mean? Your charmed wristband worked... he was hit with a spell and he disappeared."

"Well, maybe he did, but he didn't come back here. His wristband wasn't activated."

Harry thought for a moment.

"Which means he's still alive," he said.

Ginny nodded, " It could mean that, or..."

"Or?"

"Or it could mean that the wristband was destroyed before it could activate, or while activating..."

"Where is Bill?" Harry slid off the bed, coming to stand on two none-too-solid feet.

"Harry, lie down!"

"I've got work to do..."

"You were hit with the Death Curse less than twelve hours ago!"

"Where is Bill, Ginny?"

Huffing angrily, she strode to the door, "Bill Weasley, get your butt up here!"

With a pop, the eldest Weasley sibling apparated at Harry's bedside.

"You bellowed, sister?"

"Bill, Ginny says Severus is missing?"

"He never came back, Harry. We assumed..." Bill glanced at Ginny.

"What?"

"Until Ron came to, we thought Snape might have chosen to not return."

"What?" Harry spat.

"Harry, we didn't know who hit you with that curse. Mahood was dead, a pile of ash... by the way, what bloody spell did you use on him?"

Harry took a breath and gave his brother in law a level, steely look. "You don't need to know that, Bill."

Bill looked hard into Harry's eyes, then, nodding once, continued. "Well, we didn't know... until Ron came to for a few minutes and told us that he'd seen Snape get hit and disappear..."

"I can't believe that you thought..." Harry steamed.

"Harry, I'm sorry. We were working on limited information. We did the best we could. As soon as Ron told us, we began the search."

"And?"

"Nothing yet. We can't identify the spell..."

"It was animagus reformus," Harry stated coolly. "It shouldn't have killed him, and it certainly shouldn't have made him disappear. I assumed when he did disappear that Ginny's wristband had kicked in when it sensed the change."

"What in the hell...?" Bill began, confused.

"You mean...?" Ginny's brow was furrowed. "I didn't..."

"Bill, get McGonagall here."

"On it," Bill quickly left the room.

"Ginny, I need some clothes."

"You're getting back into that bed," Ginny stated.

"Ginny, I need to take care of this, then I promise you, I'll stay in bed for as long as you want me to."

Ginny snorted disbelievingly. "Right. Like you've ever stayed in bed willingly for a day in your life."

"Well," Harry smiled, his arms going around her. "I suppose that all depends on the company."


Showered, shaved, and dressed, Harry felt a little better as he made his way down the stairs and into his den twenty minutes later to find Bill pacing and McGonagall sitting in the leather wingback, looking annoyed.

"Harry... what...?"

"Phillip Mahood is dead, Min."

"Dear Merlin..."

"And we can't find Sev."

Minerva gasped, her hands going to her mouth in shock.

"Why didn't you tell me he was an animagus?" Harry asked quietly.

There was a glint in her eyes, but only for a moment. Resignation replaced it.

"How did you find out?"

"Mahood used animagus reformus on him. I assumed he was transported back here. However, it would appear that I was wrong."

"Yes."

"What is his animagus form, Minerva?"

Minerva sighed, "A serpent."

Harry shook his head. "Typical. Bloody fucking typical. Damned Slytherins."

"Harry," Ginny said from the doorway. "I don't understand. If he transformed into an animagus form, why doesn't he just transform back?"

Harry sighed, "It's not that easy, Ginny."

"Animagus reformus doesn't transform you, it reforms you," Bill explained. "Essentially, it's a Dark Magic spell, because you can't transform yourself back. You've been reformed. Permanently."

"You mean, Severus has been turned into a snake... forever?"

"Not if I can find him," Harry said. "I don't know if he's cognizant. Bill, you're going to have to help me."

"Harry?" Ginny looked startled, her voice was frightened as she watched her husband sit down on the couch. "What are you doing?"

"Sev taught me mind control, Ginny. We... shared parts of our minds."

"So?"

"So, I'm hoping he retained a bit of mine. If he did, I might be able to tap into it, and see what he sees."

"Harry..."

"Relax, Ginny. It's fine. Bill, contact the people out there. Tell them to be on the lookout for a snake acting strangely. Tell them not to touch it, or harm it in any way."

Harry closed his eyes and intentionally drifted. He ribs hurt, but he blocked that out. His body felt heavy, tired, but he blocked that out as well.

He concentrated on the memories he had gotten from Snape during their training sessions. It had always disturbed him that he shared this link with someone he didn't like very much, but over the years, as he had gotten to know the prickly Potions master, he had come to realize that the link was actually nothing to be bothered about.

He started getting short visual flashes. Although his eyes were closed, he could 'see'... something. As the flashes became more frequent and clear, he realized he was looking at grass... a snakes eye view of it, of course.

Suddenly, the flashes coagulated into a streaming connection.

"Sev?" he said.

"Harry!"

"Are you okay?"

"I believe so. I'm... concerned, though."

"You'll be fine, now."

"Animagus reformus is permanent, Harry."

"Not if I can get to you soon, it's not."

"I don't know where I am. I can't see a damned thing."

"Stop," Harry ordered. Immediately the vision from the serpent's eyes stilled. "Lift your head and look around."

Snape did, and Harry could see nothing but grass and rocks.

"Turn around," he said.

He turned, giving Harry a three hundred and sixty five degree view.

"Okay, I think I know where you are, Sev."

"Oh?"

"I'll be with you in a minute. Stay there."

"Where else would I go?" Snape asked bitingly.

Harry opened his eyes to find Bill, McGonagall, and Ginny staring at him.

"What?" he asked at their strange looks.

"Just... parseltongue," Ginny said.

"Oh. Sorry," Harry flushed. "I know where he is. I'm going to apparate to him and bring him back here."

"Harry..."

"Gin, it needs to be done, and I'm the only one who can."

Ginny sighed, "Why does it always have to be you?"

Harry kissed her and smiled. "Just stay here, okay?"

"Where would I go?" she asked dryly.

In moments, Harry found himself standing in a field, then looking searchingly at the ground. It as a full five minutes before he found what he was looking for.

Severus Snape, coiled and hissing at him.


Okay, so the responses to my little cliffie were... overwhelming, to say the least. Hey, the last chapter got the most reviews yet! But, now that I've put you all out of your misery, I suppose I'd better answer a few questions.

There are two chapters left, I think. That is what I have written, anyhow, but they need editing, and I might cut and paste... so until you see the word "FINIS", it's not over.

I really appreciate all your reviews. You really are the most amazing readers. Thank you.

CQ

Katherine Rose: Here you go, as requested!

Lizlitaraius: Trust me, being referred to as "something decent to read" on here is no small compliment. I thank you.

James Milamber: Sorry, Shotgunn beat you to it and submitted the 100th review. More frequent updates? My dear, he who lives in a glass house...

UnRealitycheck: I would imagine the transformation was... spreading. However, use your imagination. Normally, use of an unforgivable would mean a one-way ticket to Azkaban, but Malfoy confessed and was therefore granted leniency. In the heat of battle, many things were forgiven, or overlooked. Our heroes did their own share of "unforgivable" casting... but the ends were assumed to justify the means. Also, the whole point of that kitchen/den scene was to show that the brothers were so distracted that they missed the perfect opportunity that normally they would have had either a very bad reaction to, or used to tease Harry mercilessly.

Lalaluu: Thank you!

Larna Mandrea: I can always rely on you for a major feel-good review! Thanks!

Merlindamage: Sorry! So very sorry! cringing in my seat here!. Wow, I didn't expect THAT strong a reaction!

GiGifanfic: Thanks! Yes, it would appear that Milamber is writing again. One can only hope he keeps it up IN A MORE REGULAR FASHION! (Are you listening JAMES?) I have a feeling all his readers should take up a collection for coffee and doughnuts to keep him going! ;-

Shotgunn: HEY! Okay, YOU... OUT OF MY HEAD! You're not supposed to guess the outcomes of cliffies... I'm sure it's written down around here somewhere! And as for the British football, I'm married to a British ex-pat, and I had to LEARN to enjoy it or lose him for hours on Sundays to it. Did you know that they have special satellite television packages in Canada for us to get our fix? As for Milamber and his muses, the last time I talked to him, one of them was up a tree and he was threatening them both with a cricket bat. The guy needs to get out more, and work some of that caffeine out of his system, I think. So long as he keeps updating, though...

BTW – congratulations on being my 100th reviewer!!!

Saerry Snape: From HELL? Oh, my. And here I thought it was so well constructed... ;-

CQ