Disclaimer: All of the characters are MINE! Mine, I tell you! Lawyers march in waving several documents and glaring at Saerry. Okay, okay! So, they're not ALL mine. But most of them are! Sticks tongue out the 3vil lawyers and hugs all her OC's. NYAAAA!!!!
Haunted by the whispers,
the shadows in the past.
Haunted by the memories
of the battle's aftermath.
Old pains forge anew
as the past is relived,
soul aching as the memories come through.
Haunted by the shadows,
the ghosts in the walls.
Haunted by the spirits,
of those lost in the fall.
When shall this haunting end?
And leave a poor soul to mend?
Haunted – Sequel to Not Myself
By Saerry Snape (& her muses)
Chapter 3 – Haunted by the Shadows
"How come Sev gets to go to Hogwarts and I don't?"
"'Cause I'm older than you, Ry," said Severus as he walked behind his mother carrying an armload of freshly laundered clothes.
"Exactly," said Niamh, looking down at her daughter. "When you turn eleven, you'll get to go to Hogwarts."
"That's no fair!" cried nine-year-old Saerry, stomping her foot. Her long, dark red hair swung wildly about her shoulders and face as her blue eyes flashed angrily.
"Sure it is," said Severus as he walked back by. Saerry lashed out at her older brother with her foot but he easily dodged it, laughing.
Niamh just sighed and shook her head at her two children.
Now seventeen, her son Severus was 6'4 and broad-shouldered like his father. His midnight hair was cut short and spiked out in all directions, much like her own did. Half of Hogwarts was scared of him for his reputation as the son of the famed Lord and Lady Hex who had caused so much damage during their years there (and still did as Niamh had left three severely edited copies of their spells in the Library). The other half of Hogwarts either ignored him or respected him.
And, much like his parents, he was a Slytherin.
"S'not fair!"
"I know, hun," said Niamh, patting her daughter's silky hair. "But you only have to wait two more years."
"Still not fair," grumbled Saerry, pouting.
Severus paused behind their mother as he passed by again and looked down at his little sister with a wry grin.
"Well, just think, Ry. At least you won't have to deal with me when you get to Hogwarts."
"On'y 'cause you graduate this year."
"Yep!" cried Severus, his eyes brightening. "Isn't it grand?"
Niamh rolled her eyes and turned to give him a shove as she said, "Oh, go finish packing so you won't miss the train!"
"Okay, okay… Oh, Mum, is Dad going to take the offer to teach this year?"
"I doubt it," said Niamh. "There are far too memories in that school for your father and I, Sev. You know that."
Severus sobered and nodded. He'd heard the real story about how his grandfather had died on the Hogwarts grounds as well as his other namesake. What angered him was all the crap that they still said about his grandfather as well as his family. Everyone called them Dark Wizards and he knew that they were anything but. His grandfather may have been a Death Eater but he was no Dark Wizard.
Now his great-grandfather on the other hand…
"Niamh!"
"What is it, Sirius?" sighed Niamh, tilting her head back to look up at the older man. He was staring over the second floor balcony at them, his hair in complete disarray.
"You don't have the radio on down there?"
"No. Why?"
"Its all over the news!"
"What?" asked Severus, feeling fear well up inside him.
Sirius took a deep breath then said, "A group of Dark Wizards just attacked the Ministry! Over half the Aurors are dealing with other attacks all across England and they're calling in all the able-bodied wizards they can!"
"Right," said Niamh, a glint coming into her blue eyes. "Sev, take your sister and go to the safe room. You know the wards your father set. Don't move from there until we get back."
"But, Mum, I can help…"
"I know. But I need to you stay here and protect your sister," said Niamh. "Sirius, where's Etienne?"
"Already Apparated over there. Where's Harry?"
Niamh's face paled as she replied, "At the Ministry with Draco."
Sirius swallowed hard and said, "Hell."
"For them."
"He'll murder them, Niamh!"
"I know."
- - -
"Drake! Drake! Damnitall, man!"
"cough…Harry?"
Harry whirled about and grabbed the blonde man who stumbled out of the smoke towards him. Hurriedly, he scanned him for any injuries and sighed gratefully when he only found a few scrapes and bruises.
"Merlin's beard, man, I thought you were dead."
"I thought the same damn thing," gasped Draco, coughing on dust. "Those bastards. Where'd they get this much power? There's not been a Dark army like this since…"
"Voldemort," sneered Harry, his green eyes narrowing.
"Right. Any ideas on who it could be?"
"Slytherin knows, mate."
"Well that helps loads," snarled Draco as two other people came lurching out of the smoke.
"Minister!"
"Stop or the clean-up crews will only find molecules of you," snarled Harry, his eyes completely black as he whirled on the two. The two staggered to a surprised halt and the dark-haired wizard asked, "You know these two, Drake?"
"Marcus Bannon and Samuel McForrin," replied Draco. "Two of my so-called guards. Where are the others?"
"Defected, sir," replied Marcus, standing straight at attention. His companion continued to brush dust off his robes until he earned an elbow in the side.
"Sir!" said Samuel. "The entire fourth floor was taken out and the third floor is being razed as we speak!"
"We should get out of here, sir," said Marcus.
Draco nodded and said, "Agreed. Harry?"
Green eyes bored into gray for a long moment before Harry asked, "Do you trust them?"
"What..."
"Drake, I need to trust them. You have to go with them. I'm staying here."
"Harry!"
"Don't argue with me," snapped Harry. "Do you trust them?"
Draco looked at Marcus and Samuel, who were still standing at attention. The blonde then looked back at his friend and said, "Yes."
"Good." Harry turned towards the two and spat, "If you two betray him, I'll kill you."
With that he turned and disappeared into the smoke.
Samuel looked nervously at Draco and asked, "Would he really, Minister?"
"You know the reputation of Harry, Samuel," replied Draco as he looked into the smoke where Harry had vanished. "As do you, Marcus."
"Aye, sir," said Marcus. "Shall we go?"
"Yes. Wands out, gentlemen."
"Aye, sir."
- - -
"Where is he, Sirius?" shouted Niamh as they ran down a spell-battered corridor.
"I don't know!"
"DAMNIT!" snarled Niamh. "DAMN IT TO HELL!"
"AVADA KEDAVRA!" came a shout from behind them and Niamh instantly threw herself to the ground, spinning around so she landed on her back as she did so.
"FAVILLESCO!" she shouted back.
Her spell flew true and the black-robed figure that had shot the Killing Curse at them was reduced to ashes in moments.
"Damn," breathed Sirius as he saw what remained. "You scare me sometimes."
"That was one of Harry's," said Niamh as she got to her feet. She grabbed his arm and added, "You go try and find Draco. I'm sure by now his guards have found him and are trying to get him out of here. Help them."
"What are you going to do?" asked Sirius, his blue eyes showing concern.
Niamh's expression turned stony as she replied, "I'm going to find my husband. And Hell take the man or woman that tries to stop me."
Sirius looked at her for a long moment before drawing her into a brief hug.
"Be careful," he whispered feverishly before he ran off to find Draco.
"I will," replied Niamh before she ran the opposite way.
- - -
"Crucio!"
"Speculum DECOLLO!"
The Cruciatus Curse one of the robed attackers had shot at Harry was hurled back by the Mirror Spell. But since he had added in the Beheading Curse, it not only hit them, it separated their head from their body in a very painful fashion.
Grinning wickedly, Harry turned and flicked his right hand at another robed figure. A fireball roared forth and engulfed their back, causing them to drop their wand and fall to their knees screaming. The bright flames the crackled amongst the screams were reflected in the pitch black eyes of the only mortal Tethdaìr warrior.
Harry laughed maniacally as he walked forward, wand in his left hand whilst he tossed a fireball up and down in his right. He could see a small band of robed figures gathered in the smoke in front of him, their wands outstretched towards him.
"I smell fear," he said in a voice that didn't belong to any Harry that anyone knew. This was the bloodthirsty Tethdaìr warrior that had been tempered by life on the streets and Elven training.
This was the Harry all had the right to fear.
Unfortunately, evil minions do not have the brain capacity to realize that they facing someone they should fear. At least not until a few of them die. Then they know they should be afraid.
Harry grinned maniacally, his head slightly tilted to the side.
"I smell lots of fear."
One of the robed figures stepped forward with a cocky stride and snapped, "Die, fucker! Ava-"
"Eviscero."
"Aaaaah! Aaaaaaah!"
"Who's next?" asked Harry gleefully as the first fool who had tried to take him down fell to their knees – whilst attempting to keep their guts from spilling out onto the ground. And failing miserably.
The ominous robed figures glanced at each other then decided it was time to run.
Of course, by now it was too late.
"Now, now…running from battle? How…unrefined. How…badly trained. How…wrong."
Harry grinned evilly and said, "Now you all have to die. I was going to let a few of you live but now…I changed my mind."
"Gelidus Grano."
A rain of hail the size of grapefruits came down a moment later, sending many of the robed hooligans to the ground in seconds with one strike to the head. Those that managed to get through that unscathed were the targets of Harry's next volley.
"Excorio."
Half of the one's that remained after the hailstorm fell writhing on the ground in pain as their flesh was ripped from their bodies.
Harry grinned maniacally and sheathed his wand as he got set to destroy the rest.
He clasped his hands together and hissed something in what sounded like a mix of Elvish and Parseltongue – to those that knew what both sounded like. To those who did not, it would seem like a language to be feared – a Dark language.
A moment later the air was filled with fire – and all of it focused on the fleeing figures.
The flames caught their robes and sent them to the ground in convulsions to get it out. As they wrestled with this, Harry calmly walked amongst his fallen victims and casually snapped their necks one by one. All the while he was singing in a slightly off key.
"Goooory, goooory, what a hell of a way to die! Gooory, goooory, la dee da dee da dee da!"
"You're crazy!" shouted one of the robed figures as they tried to crawl away. Their hood fell back to reveal a blonde young man that couldn't have been a year older than Harry's son. "Bloody crazy!"
"I know," said Harry coldly, grasping the young man by the hair. "What's your excuse?"
"I…"
"Too slow!" spat Harry before snapping his neck. He let the body fall onto the ground before he continued down what remained of the corridor, singing once again.
"Goooooory, goooooory, what a hell of a way to die!"
- - -
"DECOLLO!" snapped Niamh as she sank against a wall gripping her stomach. The robed figure who had been attacked her sank to the ground without his head, which continued rolling down the hallway.
She looked down at her stomach and hissed as she saw blood seeping from the wound. He'd gotten her good…
Her mind swirled suddenly and her heart plummeted to somewhere near her knees.
Oh God.
She was poisoned.
Her mind hurriedly went through all the poisons she knew of, as well as the one's she and Harry had discovered when they'd gone through some of his father's things. The man had created over half the poisons used by the Death Eater's and had figured out the antidotes and formulas for those he hadn't.
If one of the poisons now surging through her system was one of her late father-in-law's she was screwed. Each and every one of his poisons but one had been designed to give a quick death.
She had maybe half an hour.
Grunting in pain, she forced herself to her feet, gripping her wand in a bloodstained hand. Blue eyes glinted fiercely as she began to limp down the hallway.
She refused to fall before she saw her husband.
Then…then she would allow it to bring her down.
But not before.
- - -
"Harry!"
Harry turned after snapping the neck of a young woman who had attempted to slit his throat and snarled as he saw Draco and the guard Marcus at his side.
"I told you to get out!" he snapped angrily, dropping the woman.
Draco blinked at his old friend and frowned at the blood he saw staining Harry's hands. There was a set of slashes across his face as well – perhaps from the now dead young woman's fingernails.
"Harry…"
"I told you to leave," growled Harry, stepping close to the blonde. "Why didn't you?"
"We were ambushed," said Marcus, his left hand reaching up to lightly touch a hastily bandaged wound on his upper right arm. "Samuel didn't make it. We could go no further forward and couldn't get around them, so we turned around."
"Damnit!" spat Harry. "The Ministry is falling about our ears and you haven't got the Minister out! What kind of guard are you?"
"A good one," interrupted Draco, "if a bit of a fool. Harry, what is wrong with you?"
The dark-haired man snapped his head towards the blonde, who took a step back at the madness he saw in those all-black eyes. A moment later Harry shuddered and a small circle of emerald blossomed around his irises.
He took a deep breath and said, "Sorry, Drake. I…I let myself go. Maybe too much." He looked down at his bloodstained hands and shuddered. "Yes…far too much…"
Draco looked at him for a long moment then said, "We have to get out of here."
"You aren't going anywhere, Minister. And neither are you, Snape."
Harry whirled, summoning a fireball in his right hand as he shoved Draco behind him.
"Who are you?" he snarled as robed figures surrounded them in a loose circle. He felt Draco's elbow in his back and knew that Marcus was standing ready on his friend's opposite side, quite willing to go down defending his commander.
"My name is not important," replied the figure that seemed to be the leader. "You, after all, are about to die."
"Really?" said Harry casually. His heart was racing again and he knew that in a moment he was going to lose it once more. The Tethdaìr would take back over and there would be a bloodbath like none that had occurred earlier. "What makes you say that?"
"The fact that my men have you surrounded," replied the leader smugly.
Harry just smirked at that.
"Just because you have cornered the wolves, doesn't mean they're defenseless."
He felt Draco stiffen and heard, "Harry…don't…"
"KILL THEM!"
Two things happened at once: all the members of the circle but the leader plunged inwards towards their captives and something else happened.
One moment Harry was standing there, a crazed grin on his face. The second a gigantic, gaunt black wolf was ripping apart the members of the circle.
"Im-impossible!" shouted the leader as he watched his men get slaughtered. "He's not an Animagus!"
"No," snarled a voice from behind him. "But I am."
The leader turned and stared in shock at Sirius, who had signs of cursing on his person as well as a jagged knife scar across his face. He growled in rage and slammed a piece of a chair he had in his hands down on the leader's head. The leader crumpled to the ground and the Animagus promptly tied him up before sitting on him.
Reaching down, he pushed back the leader's hood…and promptly spat in their face. Sitting back and watching the chaos Harry was wreaking in his wolf form, he spat, "Damn you, Orion."
- - -
Niamh staggered into a slightly open area and gasped when she saw a huge, gaunt wolf standing on a pile of bodies shaking one of the robed figures in its jaws.
Her eyes met the wolf's and the body fell from its jaws with a dull thump. They stared at each other for a long moment before the beast bounded forward, its eyes changing from black to green.
She felt her legs go out from underneath her a moment later and then she was cradled against Harry's chest.
"Ni! Ni! Niamh, answer me!"
"I'm here…" whispered Niamh, blinking blearily up at her husband. She reached up and touched the slashes on his cheek, her fingers coming away bloody. "You're hurt."
"You're worse than me," said Harry. "Hold on. We'll get you to a doctor."
"No…too late."
"Wh-what? Ni, what are you?"
"Poison, Harry…"
Harry's face fell and he gasped, "No."
"Harry…"
"NO!" shouted Harry, hugging her close to him. "NO!"
"I'm sorry," whispered Niamh. "Tell…tell the children…"
"You'll tell them," said Harry fiercely. "You will."
Niamh smiled sadly and looked over Harry's shoulder at Draco. The blonde was staring at her in horror as his remaining guard bandaged a burn on his shoulder. He mouthed her name and shook his head even as she smiled at him.
Take care of him, she sent to him. Please…
I will, swore Draco in a choked mental voice. I swear I will.
Thank you…Blue eyes slid closed then and Harry let out a scream of pain as he felt his wife go cold in his arms.
- - -
"Son?"
Severus looked up from where he'd had his face in his hands to see a man about his father's age looking curiously at him. He stood up shakily and said, "Sir?"
The man smiled sadly and said, "I'm sorry about your mother. She was…she was an amazing woman."
"You knew her?" said Severus.
"Aye, I knew the Lady Hex. Not as well as some but better than most." The man held out his hand as he added, "Thomas Ymber, at your service. Your Severus, correct?"
Severus nodded and Thomas smiled.
"Mmm. He was a good teacher, your grandfather. I'm proud to have been a member of his House."
"I wish I could have known him," said Severus.
Thomas sighed and said, "So do I. Is…is your father here?"
Severus nodded and pointed towards one of Ashdeir Fermion's towers.
"He's up there. Has been since…since he brought Mum home."
The young man sniffed and wiped his eyes, trying to keep the tears back. Thomas reached up and laid a gentle hand on his shoulder, saying, "Don't hold it back. Your father would not want you to hide your emotions."
Severus smiled sadly as a lone tear trailed down his cheek.
"Snape's don't cry," he said in a solemn voice.
Thomas gave him a long look then nodded and walked towards the manor. Behind him, Severus fell to his knees in the grass and looked forlornly towards the place beside his grandfather where his mother's body was being lowered into the ground.
- - -
"Draco?"
"Thomas?" said Draco as he looked up. The brown-haired ex-Slytherin smiled in response and the two men shook hands. "Good to see you again. Even if it is…"
"I know. How's…"
"Harry?"
Thomas nodded.
Draco sighed and shook his head, blonde hair falling over his eyes.
"I don't know. He and Niamh were…gods, you know how they were!"
"Yeah," said Thomas, "I do."
"He's…he's broken, Tom."
"I doubt that."
"Oh, his body and mind aren't broken," said Draco. "But his soul? His heart? Those are broken clean through."
"He'll recover."
"…"
"You don't think so?"
Draco sighed and looked towards the closed door of the tower room where Harry had secluded himself.
"I know how much he loved her," said the Minister of Magic softly. "Without her…he's nothing."
"A shell, you mean," said Thomas before he turned to look at the stairs, hearing someone coming up them. Soft, running footsteps sounded and them a teary-eyed Saerry stumbled over the last step. Her blue eyes scrunched shut in pain then opened again to take in the two men.
She looked nervously at Thomas then glanced at Draco, who nodded. Sobbing softly, the nine-year-old rushed across the room and jerked the tower room door open.
Thomas glanced inside and saw her swath of red hair bounce as she slumped onto the floor beside a shadowy figure.
"Daddy! Daddy, Mummy's…"
"I know, sweetheart… I know."
The dark head lifted and a pair of almost gray-green eyes stared at Thomas.
"Tom…"
"I'm sorry," whispered Thomas, feeling tears roll down his cheek for the first time since he had arrived at the funeral. Face to face with Harry, he couldn't stop them.
Harry nodded and ducked his head as he hugged his daughter close.
- - -
"Who did it?"
"We don't…"
"Who. Did. It?" snarled Harry, glaring venomously at the clerk who was reading the report. Draco turned a fierce look on his friend and made a downward motion with his hand. The dark-haired wizard snarled animalistically and sat back in his chair, his eyes hard and nearly inhuman with rage.
The clerk looked at the head of the Snape Line in fear then stammered, "Th-the attack w-was led by O-Orion Alexa-ander Black, the older br-brother of S-Sirius Black…"
"Older, disowned brother of Sirius Black," interrupted Draco before any of the other members of the council he'd called could speak. "Continue, Gerald."
"Y-yes, sir," stammered Gerald. "Th-there were several m-more members from pr-prominent families as well: the McKinnon's, the Chang's, a-and the Finnegan's."
"What?" exclaimed Harry. "One of Seamus' sons?"
"Daughters," corrected Draco. "Ariana. The girl who…" He made a claw-like motion over his face and Harry sat back in his chair, the four fingernail slashes on his face clearly prominent.
He'd refused to allow any medical personnel to heal the wounds he'd gained during the Ministry battle. They were simply added to the ranks of his scars.
"Continue, Gerald," said Draco as he stared at his friend.
"There w-were many casualties in th-the battle: Mistress B-Bones, Samuel McForrin of the M-Minster's guard, several minor clerks and o-officials…" Gerald looked nervously at Harry as he continued, "And the Lady Snape."
Draco glanced at the dark-haired wizard, who was staring stonily at Gerald. He then looked at the hand the man had on the table and saw with shock that every fingernail had turned into that of his wolf form and were digging into the table surface.
"Are there more of them?" asked Kingsley Shacklebolt, who was the Head of the Auror Division.
Draco looked at Gerald, who stammered, "W-we don't know."
"There are always more," growled Harry. "I don't doubt that some of them are – and were – those few of Voldemort's supporters that escaped. I do not doubt it at all…"
Kingsley looked at Harry curiously then said, "Lord Snape, I know that this is a trying time for you. Perhaps you…"
"Suggest I go home, Shacklebolt, and I'll personally show you the reason I am feared," spat Harry venomously, glaring daggers at the Auror.
The two stared at each other for a long moment before Shacklebolt looked away. Draco glanced between them then nodded to himself.
"Any other questions?" he then asked the table.
"What are we going to do now?" asked Minerva McGonagall.
Draco frowned and looked at Harry, who was staring straight at him now. Gray eyes locked with green and they stared at each other as the blonde replied to the question.
"Rebuild our world. As much as we can, at least."
"And if they stop us?" asked Kingsley.
"Then we'll kill them all," hissed Harry with a mad look in his eyes.
"Yes," said Draco.
"We will kill them. Or die trying."
Author's NotesSpeculum Decollo – Beheading Mirror
Gelidus Grano – Icy Hailstorm
Excorio – To Skin
I believe the 'Gory, Gory' song is a military song. At least so says Justin.
Also…please don't kill me. hides THIS WASN'T PLANNED, I SWEAR! IT'S ATRA'S FAULT!
Atra: OI! DON'T BLAME YOUR CHARACTER KILLING WAYS ON ME, WOMAN!
Bryv: She just did.
Atra: glare Shut up.