Disclaimer: Anything you recognise belongs to J.K. Rowling. I own nothing, make no money from anything, and am writing this purely for personal enjoyment.

AU. The story starts at the beginning of Harry's seventh year, but ignores the events of HBP. No parings, Snape mentors Harry. OC's, but they will not be the focus of the story.

Warning: Character death

XXXXXXXX

Over half their classes that day had been unsupervised. The teachers were doing their best to appear calm and unconcerned, but on the whole they were failing. Even Snape was looking agitated.

"It's soon, isn't it?"

Snape tilted his head to one side, and regarded him for a while before nodding.

"Probably."

"Tomorrow?"

Snape half-shrugged.

"I'm not ready," Harry said in pained dismay.

"We'd better hope you are."

That was hardly the reassurance he had been looking for. Snape's uncharacteristic silence was also worrying. Was he thinking it was too late to bother with him anymore? That Harry wasn't good enough? But it wasn't like Snape was volunteering to go out there and kill him. Hell, it wasn't like any of the Elders had even bothered to give them any advice. Resentment bubbled up in Harry.

"If the vampire world is so powerful, why aren't they doing more to help us?"

"Vampires prefer to stay out of the affairs of the Wizarding world. We operate only to ensure the continued existence of ourselves. We mind our own business, and allow others to mind theirs. Sometimes, though, that continued existence is threatened by external forces and it becomes a good idea to interfere. The council is unconvinced as to whether Voldemort is such a threat – some of them take the prophecies regarding you very seriously. Some of the elder vampires have chosen to make small gestures, like me."

"What do you mean, like you?"

"The vampire I was reborn to decided that both sides needed a channel of communication; a means by which decisions to the benefit of both sides could be made. He crafted me to fulfil that goal."

"But, Voldemort doesn't know you work for Dumbledore!"

Snape looked disgusted.

"Honestly Harry, I would expect some more intelligence from you than that. Name for me, if you would, the people who know I'm a 'spy'."

"Me, Hermione, Dumbledore, Fudge, Pomphrey, Lupin, Kingsley, ... um, do the people who know you spied last time count?" asked Harry, remembering Dumbledore's pensieve. That was… an awful lot of people.

"And yet you imagine the Dark Lord himself doesn't know? No, both sides gain more benefit from leaving me in place than by killing me. That is all."

"That's terrible!"

Harry had thought they had treated him poorly, but sending Snape out and just playing the odds that Voldemort would not decide to kill him this time... What kind of man was Dumbledore that he was prepared to put someone through that? And would Dumbledore kill Snape if he thought Snape was fully on Voldemort's side? On reflection, Harry thought he probably would. Dumbledore had shown himself to be ruthless enough before.

"Why are you willing to run that risk?"

"The risk isn't as great as they would think. I am a vampire, after all. They're unlikely to try something that would result in my final death. I would just be removed from the equation. I'd then have to go somewhere else, take a new name and become a new person. It is the way of vampires."

Encouraged by Snape's willingness to talk about himself, Harry asked the question he'd been wondering about most of the year. "So, how did you become a vampire?"

"Bad luck and stupidity."

Harry was just starting to think that was all he was going to get out of the man when Snape continued.

"I left Hogwarts with high marks but no expectations. My family couldn't afford to support me in any more extensive training, and I couldn't find a job. I didn't have anything to bribe the ministry with, Dumbledore's side wouldn't employ me because of my friends, and my friends wouldn't help me until I committed myself to Voldemort. I played at travelling to delay the inevitable and I ended up, unwisely, confiding this all to some stranger in a Hungerian bar. I woke up, reborn, with my 'solution' - commit to Voldemort to spy on Dumbledore, and then immediately confess to Dumbledore, and offer to spy on Voldemort."

"You mean, this vampire just killed you after knowing you for one night?"

"Hmm? Oh, no, it seemed he'd been following me around for a while, he just hadn't been sure of my neutrality."

"But he didn't even talk to you about it before he killed you?"

"No. Remember that the next time you lament your fate to me. You, unlike me, chose to do this."

Harry was stung.

"You think I had real choices? Just dying was always an option for you, too."

Snape didn't react for a long moment, and Harry was afraid he'd destroyed this fragile truce between them.

"Well, soon enough we'll see whether this was all worthwhile. For both of us."

The fear crashed back down on Harry.

Soon enough. Too soon.

XXXXXXX

He joined his remaining housemates for breakfast. Everyone was on edge but pretending nothing was wrong. He was poking desultorily at his eggs when light flooded the great hall. Screams started, and groans of pain from those who had been facing the windows. He shielded his eyes as best he could, and moved to see outside. Through the haze, he could just make out a glowing dome surrounding the school. As he watched, the light faded, leaving an afterimage every time he blinked.

He could just hear McGonagall over the noise: "The wards! Albus, the wards!"

So that's what they look like, he thought stupidly. Oh. That means they've failed.

"Everyone! QUIET!"

Quicker than he would have imagined possible, everyone was silent. Silent, and scared.

"Students, please return to your common rooms immediately. Prefects, please assist."

Harry remained looking out of the window.

"Harry?" asked Hermione from behind him. He didn't face her.

"Go, Hermione, Neville. The younger years need you."

"Harry…" she paused awkwardly. "Good luck."

"Thank you."

Harry turned and joined the teachers as they reached him. They didn't protest – nowhere would be safe for him now in any case. He avoided looking at Snape. They all jumped at the sound of someone apparating in.

"An order member," reassured Dumbledore. "The wards will stop death eaters apparating for at least another couple of hours."

Harry strode out to the exact middle of the Quidditch pitch. If it was all going to end, one way or another, this is where he would like it to be. Harry counted the apparation sounds off in his head. Eight, seventeen, twenty one, twenty two. Then a long period of silence. Twenty two people? That was the entire order, not including Hogwarts staff? What were they thinking?

"We can't protect the entire perimeter, there aren't enough of us," warned Shacklebolt.

"Voldemort won't try to get around us. He'll attack head on," said Dumbledore.

"Are you sure?"

"With me here" Harry interrupted, "it's guaranteed."

"We'll set up here, then. Nice piece of flat ground you've chosen for us, Mr Potter."

Everyone set to work, triggering and casting wards. Harry ignored them, watching in growing detachment as the black mass flowed towards them.

They stopped just short of spell range. For a moment, the two groups stood facing each other in absolute stillness. If he ignored the drawn wands, Harry could imagine they had just chosen teams for a quick quidditch game. One where the team in black had significantly more players. Then the moment broke, and they rushed towards each other firing curses.

Above all the noise, Voldemort's enhanced voice could be heard "Now it ends, Dumbledore!"

"Yes it does," replied Albus quietly.

The once pristine grass was soon slick with blood and failed curses. Harry dodged this way and that, trying to get a clear sight of Voldemort and flinging curses were he could.

Harry reached down to free his legs when he realised what he was caught up in - neon pink human hair. He was standing on the remains of Tonks body. Harry retched involuntarily, kicking out to free himself. He slid a few meters and turned to finish throwing up. He wiped his mouth unsteadily.

He felt himself picked up from behind, and turned around.

"Harry!" hissed Snape. "Get a hold of yourself! Do you hear me?"

"Y..yes, Magister."

"There!" Severus placed him down, facing him so that he could see Voldemort, temporarily unobstructed by the battle. "Do it now, I'll follow you."

Harry slipped his knife out of his belt and cast "adtraho penetro".

It wasn't an offensive spell, and as they had predicted it was stealthy enough to slip through the barriers of both sides. He felt himself being pulled rapidly to Voldemort's side. This was it. The one they'd all been waiting for.

He lunged forward with the knife. It didn't matter were he hit, only that he drew blood.

"Do you think these muggle weapons can kill me, boy? You are more of a fool than I thought."

He felt utterly detached from his body as he clung to Voldemort's now stained robes.

For my parents. For Cedric. For Sirius. For Ron. For Tonks .

He concentrated, and began to pull the soul from it. Voldemort stopped laughing and began to pull himself away from Harry's grip, twisting his wand so that he could aim at Harry. But it was too late. Voldemort cast the killing curse as his own life slipped away. Harry was pushed under him as Voldemort collapsed.

He'd done it.

Severus knelt next to Harry as he arrived. He leant over as if he was trying to free Harry from beneath Voldemort.

"I've done it."

"Yes. Well done."

Harry basked in that unaccustomed praise, and watched in confusion as Snape freed his knife.

"Unfortunately, you are also now dead. Too many people saw that curse. I am going to drain your body of all blood so that it reacts appropriately corpse-like for the next few days. As soon as it is safe to do so, I will come and get you. Do not be concerned. You will wake up."

Harry gasped slightly at the cut, then dizziness overwhelmed him and he knew no more.

THE END.