The Eye of the Snake

"REMUS!" Ginny squealed, "You're back! It was amazing! Harry gave me a promise ring, and it's the most beautiful thing I've ever seen." Said Ginny, looking at Harry with love in her eyes.

"Oh really?" Lupin asked trying to act surprised. "Well congratulations!"

At that moment Harry's scar seared in pain for the first time in over a year. He collapsed, blinded by the pain on his forehead.

"Harry? Harry what's wrong?" Ginny asked frantically, but Harry could barely hear her, the pain was so immense.

Lupin calmly lifted Harry and placed him on the couch. Soon Harry started twitching, unable to bear the pain. In a flash, Lupin muttered a pain reliving spell and Harry fell limp.

"Harry!" Ginny cried, hearing his shallow, raspy breathing. She knelt beside him, grabbed his hand, and he gave it a reassuring squeeze to let her know that he would be fine. But deep down they both knew something was terribly wrong, and the longer they waited to do something, the weaker Harry became.

"Ginny," he whispered, "The snake is within the walls. She whipped around to see Lupin, frozen with fear, staring at none other then Nagini. Harry's eyes snapped open then he leapt to his feet to protect Remus and Ginny.

He began to speak in parseltoung "Leave them alone they did nothing to you. Besides it is I who will kill you!"

Ginny and Lupin didn't understand a word he said but they saw from the menacing look in his eyes, that he meant everything he said. Nagini hissed and Harry instantly whipped out his wand, focusing with all his might on his desire to kill, and enjoy the death of Nagini. After a moment of preparing Harry screamed "AVADA KADAVRA!" his wand pointing directly at Nagini who instantly dropped dead, barely even thinking about the fact that he had just used an Unforgivable Curse. 'Six down one to go!' Harry thought.

Then he spun around to see all the Weasleys and Hermione goggling at him, most of them still in their pajamas. Harry's parents, along with Sirius, had gotten a room in the Leaky Cauldron. Harry desperately wished they didn't. He could have used the support of them being there at this time. They all looked from Harry's wand, to the dead snake on the floor, to Harry's defensive position in front of Remus and Ginny and they instantly knew that Harry had just risked his life to save two people they all deeply cared about.

Mr. Weasley, still wide eyed, walked forward to vanish the snake as the rest thanked, hugged or, in Ginny's case, kissed Harry for being so brave and risk his life for the ones he loved. At first Harry was proud until the fact washed over him that he had just taken the life of a creature that didn't deserve it, who was just a pawn for Voldemort's disposal. Harry was a murderer. Sure, it was a creature and not a human, but it killed him inside to know that it wasn't Nagini's fault that she was like that. It all came back to Voldemort, as always, he was the one that truly killed Nagini in the end.

Harry fell limp, all the strength it took him to kill Nagini has taken a toll on him.

Ginny led him back to the couch where he fell asleep and when he awoke hours later it was mid-day. He suddenly remembered the lessons Dumbledore had promised to give him earlier that summer and he wondered why he had gone so long without contacting him.

He opened his eyes only to find that he was now upstairs, in his room and Ginny lying beside him waiting for him to wake up.

"Ginny," he said, "I need to go send an owl to Dumbledore"

"Wait!" she said, "An owl came for you just a few moments ago."

And indeed there was an owl, still waiting there for him.

Harry stood up to retrieve the owl and it stuck out its leg so he could untie the letter from its leg before it flew off.

When Harry unfastened the letter the owl soared out the window and Harry unrolled the scroll and read,

Dear Harry,

I heard about your fight against Nagini and I would like to congratulate you. It takes a lot of courage to do what seems so wrong but will lead to what's right, the downfall of Lord Voldemort. On a more important note, I would like for you to start your private lessons with me at Godric's Hollow exactly one week from today at seven-thirty p.m. Once again, Congratulations.

Albus Dumbledore

Harry re-read the letter three times to make sure he wasn't imagining things. Once he was sure he read correctly, questions started chasing each other in Harry's mind; Why did it take so long for Dumbledore to contact him? What was he doing as he was away? And what would Dumbledore be teaching him?

Suddenly he had a strange feeling not to trust this letter. He couldn't explain why, he just had a bad feeling about it.

"Harry? What's wrong?" Ginny asked for the tenth time that day.

"Nothing," he replied growing tired of the same question every few minuets. Then, very unexpectedly, Harry Potter collapsed onto the floor.

Dumbledore was hanging with a noose around his neck.

Voldemort was laughing a cold, cruel laugh having just successfully forced Dumbledore to tell him his plans for lessons with Harry, to write a letter to Harry about the time and place of the first "lesson," and then to hang himself. Harry screamed at the sight of Dumbledore hanging there.

Harry woke, drenched in cold sweat and breathing heavily as though he had just run a mile.

"Harry are you alright, you're acting very odd lately." Ginny said kneeling next to him.

"I'm fine, but Dumbledore's not. He's dead Gin, only he's really dead this time." Harry muttered as tears started stinging in his eyes, threatening to fall. "Voldemort forced him to write the letter then hang himself. He's gone Ginny…"

A/N Sry it took so long! Laziness lol…but anyways does anyone know what should happen next cuz I have no clue! I need suggestions people! Anyways I hope it was at least half worth the wait so bye bye! P.s. R&R