TITLE: Harry Potter and the Obligatory Sequel, Chapter Twenty-Six
RATING: PG-13
DISCLAIMER: Belongs to J.K. Rowling.
BETA: The Incredible Irisgirl12000, and all further mistakes are mine.
SUMMARY: Severus slips Voldemort the potion, Harry reveals himself, and Lucius' act of bravery astounds everyone.

Everyone Loves a Good Climax

"I love you." Snape's face was so frightened and pinched that even his lips were white, and Harry felt sorry for him.

"I love you more," he replied, going up on his tiptoes to thoroughly kiss the man. Even Remus didn't object this time. "Be careful, would you?"

"I'm always careful. You're the one that enjoys toying with death, remember?"

"Oh, yeah. I'd nearly forgot," Harry told him. "You'll be okay, though. I promise."

Snape shook his head, muttering something about unrelenting Gryffindor confidence and blinding idiocy. Harry merely smiled at him. The man kissed him again. "I love you." He kissed Harry again, longer, more tenderly, more thoroughly.

"We could do with a little less tongue," Remus suggested plaintively.

Severus ignored him. "I would like some privacy," he said, looking beseechingly at the headmaster.

"Well, draw one of the curtains, then," the man said, gesturing. They'd all gathered round his hospital bed, after all, and he certainly wasn't going anywhere.

Severus did so with a sigh and a last kiss for Harry. He gulped the revolting potion, his stomach heaving as he struggled to keep it down, and then the fiery pain shot through his body. He felt as though he were melting, not just his skin, but his entire body slipping toward the floor as he occupied Pettigrew's much shorter frame. His oily hair receded, and his skin sagged unpleasantly. He sighed. "Well, that was just a picnic in the park. I fervently look forward to the next step."

He stepped out from behind the curtain, and Harry gave him a weak smile. "Looking good…er…or at least authentic, which is the whole point."

"Thank you," he replied flatly. "Please don't kiss me in this form. I already detest the feeling of my own skin, and envisioning you anywhere near this body makes my skin crawl."

Harry tried to laugh. "I understand."

"Are we ready to go?"

Snape turned, scowling. "Ah, Malfoy. The man who turned anaemia into an art form. Aren't we the eager beaver?"

"I've been working on the Dark Lord for a solid month now, insisting that I could help Pettigrew get loose, and convincing him that the rat had discovered some very useful new potion. You could, at the very least, simulate gratitude."

"Oh, yes. Your role is so much more demanding than mine," Severus snapped.

"Please, let's not fight," Harry said, standing between them. "We're all on the same side here."

"Ah, but once we leave grounds we may not be," Severus informed him. "Which is what I fear."

"Enough," Albus interrupted. "You ought to be going. Good luck and God speed, Severus. Our hopes and thoughts go with you."

Snape managed to nod at this, although his throat had closed up.

"Don't worry," Harry said. "Before you know it, we'll be back in your bed having wild monkey sex. You can bank on it."

Severus smiled as Remus sighed. "I just want you to know that, apart from the wild monkey sex, I really do respect you," the werewolf said. "Good luck."

"This is all very touching, but—"

"And thank you for your efforts as well, Lucius," Remus said firmly.

"Well. See you all after," Snape said. He turned and attempted to stride purposefully out, but his legs were shorter than he was used to, and his robes just didn't billow and snap around him in the same comforting way. It was a bit depressing, really.

"If I might have a word with Lucius," the headmaster said.

"He can catch up," Snape replied over his shoulder. It was time to face his destiny.

OoOoOoOoO

"Took you long enough," Severus growled when Lucius finally caught up with him.

"Oh! Oh, yes. I'm sorry," Lucius replied in an off-balance sort of way.

"You needn't bother being sarcastic at me. You've only done it for going on twenty years now. You might want to try a new gimmick."

"Er…I beg your pardon?"

"The whole blond, barbed and bigoted persona you have going on. It gets old."

"Well. Glad to see you're happy to have my company," the man muttered. "But I forgive you, as you're obviously only acting this way because of nerves."

"You really are the most hubristic man I've ever met," Severus informed his comrade.

"…Thank you?" Lucius responded distractedly.

"Actually, I was complaining, not praising your insufferable snobbery, but take it as you like."

"Could we walk a bit slower? You know those legs weren't meant to go that quickly. You're going to damage them if you keep on like that."

"Just keep up, would you?"

Lucius, even with his rather longer strides, struggled. Finally they reached the edge of Hogwarts' grounds, where they could Apparate in relative ease. Lucius offered the man a tentative smile. "Here's hoping, eh?"

"Oh, be quiet. Where are we going?"

"Malfoy Manor. I arranged to have him stay there. He likes the comfort, and no one would dare raid the place."

"As I recall, Arthur Weasley raided your house several times, although he didn't manage to find anything incriminating."

Lucius blinked. "That's right! He did. Hmm. Maybe not such a great place to hide him, after all. Well, makes no difference now. Let's go, shall we?"

Severus gave him a strange look. "Very well, Malfoy. I'll see you on the other side."

Lucius waited until after the man had gone to give his voluminous robes a quick poke. "Stop doing that, you jackass!" he hissed.

The robes rustled, and Harry's head popped out from beneath them and gave him a look of exaggerated innocence. "Who, me?"

"What the hell are you playing at, tickling me like that? Do you have any idea how distracting that is? Do you want to get us killed?"

Harry gave him a wicked grin. "Serves you right," he replied. "And anyway, I was only having a bit of fun. I'll stop once we're there. There's no risk now, is there?"

"Well, Severus could have figured something out! That would have ruined everything! Is that what you want?"

"No," Harry replied sullenly. "I was only trying to lighten the mood."

Lucius sighed heavily. "Try to focus, would you? You're about to get your moment in the sun, and you ought to take it with a bit more…a bit more…gravitas?"

Harry rolled his eyes. "All right, all right. Didn't realize you had such a one-track mind."

"I didn't realize you were such an irresponsible twit!"

Harry gave the man another poke in the ribs. "You'll be sorry when I'm gone."

Lucius sneered. "Don't try the teenaged angst on me, boy. I'm not falling for it."

They Apparated with a loud crack.

OoOoOoOoO

Malfoy Manor was dim and cold. It suited Voldemort, Severus felt. He noticed that several windows were wide open, and an icy mixture of sleet and rain was pounding down outside. The curtains were dark from being drenched, alternating between slapping wetly against the walls and flapping wildly about, thrashing in the wind.

The hair on the back of Severus' neck stood up.

It was too empty. Too open. Too silent. Something was off.

He shivered, unconsciously pulling his cloak more tightly about his shoulders. "Mm…Master?" he croaked. His voice faltered; it simply couldn't carry through the winding corridors and oppressive atmosphere. He swallowed and cast Sonorous. "Master?" he said with a bit more aplomb.

"This way," a voice responded. It was unquestionably the Dark Lord's. It was too cold and hollow—like the slow opening of a sepulchre—to have belonged to anyone else. Severus followed it cautiously, emerging in the Manor's grand ballroom.

It was shadowy and still, although Snape could just make out a darker shadow shifting in a chair at one end of the room. He bowed, keeping his face to the floor, just in case. Snape opened his mouth expecting something to come out like, "Can't you turn on some blasted lights? Even Muggles can manage that!" but instead forced himself to say, "Lucius helped me escape, Master, and although I know you're angry with me—and you have every right to be—I've obtained something very valuable for you!"

"Have you?" Voldemort's chilly voice inquired. "Come forward."

Severus did so, crawling. He only had to make it through the next few hours, he reminded himself. He only had to do this for a little while. If he could only get the Dark Lord to drink the potion, it would be worth everything. "I know I've displeased you," he began, but before he could continue, unbearable pain engulfed him.

"Yes, you have. You let yourself be captured. You failed me," Voldemort told him almost conversationally, as if they were having a nice chat about the weather, and not Snape's impending death. "Really, Pettigrew, you're too incompetent to bother with. Crucio!"

Severus' mind screamed out in fear, trying to put together an argument, an excuse, anything that might convince the man to let him live, but the searing pain washed over him like a wave, ripping through his body and scattering his thoughts before he could gather them. He howled in anguish.

"Master! Stop!" another voice called out, and there was a blessed moment of respite from the agony. "You—you'll break the vial," Lucius Malfoy said, sounding shaken.

The Dark Lord turned glistening red eyes on Malfoy. "Indeed. You've spoken very highly of this potion," he said sceptically. "Is it really enough to buy Pettigrew another opportunity to prove his worth?"

Sweat beaded on Severus' forehead, running down his face, as he gazed up at Lucius, who swallowed. He appeared to be struggling to think things through. "I—could hardly care less about Pettigrew," he eventually said with calculated nonchalance. "But I should hate to see the precious potion wasted."

"Indeed."

"Yes, Master," Severus jumped in, his throat dry and scratchy from screaming. "I filched it from Snape's stores. He developed it for Dumbledore."

Voldemort's eyes narrowed. "Why hasn't Dumbledore used it?"

Severus licked his lips. "Because it takes a month to ready," he replied, meeting the man's eyes. Let him glean the truth from that statement. "That was why I was forced to wait so long before attempting my escape."

Now the Dark Lord was beginning to look intrigued—half-convinced, even. "What was it meant to do? Why did he have it made?"

Severus managed to get to his knees, holding out the potion. "It was to make all his desires come true," he answered slowly. "It was fashioned to make him the most powerful wizard in the world."

Voldemort took no further convincing. Severus didn't know if his avarice simply outweighed his paranoia, or if the man had seen the sincerity in Snape's eyes, but he sent Nagini forward to snap the bottle from Severus' hands, then slither back to drop it in his lap.

Lucius and Severus held their breath.

The Dark Lord uncorked the vial, held the crystalline, green liquid to his lips, and drank it down in one swift gulp.

Severus resisted a wild urge to laugh. It was done. It was done. So long as someone made a move within the next day, they had a chance. He'd bought them a chance. It was more than he'd ever really believed he could do.

"All right, Voldemort. Are you ready to fight?" a cocky voice inquired. Severus looked up in horror to see Harry emerge from a corner of the room, taking a duelling stance, his chin held high.

"How—what are you—?" he broke off, sick to his stomach.

"The Invisibility Cloak," Harry replied shortly. "And I should think it's obvious. I've come to do my bit. I've come to save the world."

"You little idiot!" Snape burst out, but as he lurched to his feet, a blast of light shot past him at the boy. Harry dropped and rolled.

"I'll handle him, Peter," the Dark Lord said coolly, striding forward.

"Avada—" Snape began, but Nagini shot out of the shadow, sinking her fangs into his arm, and he moaned in pain, dropping his wand. He fell to his knees, cradling his arm.

Potter shot a curse at Voldemort as Lucius drove the snake back, helping Severus back to his feet. "Are you all right?"

"Have you gone mad? Help Potter, damn you!"

"Right, right," Lucius said hastily, but as he turned, there was a sizzle and flare of light, and sudden laughter. "Oh, no," Lucius breathed in horror. "That wasn't supposed to happen."

There was a long moment of stillness, and then the Dark Lord raised his hands in the air triumphantly. Severus fell to his knees again.

Voldemort stood laughing wildly, looking down on a prone and very bloody Harry Potter. "What have you done?" Severus murmured. Without thought of the consequences, he crawled to the dying boy, pulling his head up to cradle it in his lap. "Oh, Harry, what have you done? It was supposed to be me. Never you. You were supposed to live forever."

Harry tried to smile at him. "I will, in a way. You're sure as hell never going to forget me now," he said weakly. "And I always knew you loved me. Everyone loves me."

"I really do," Severus said sadly.

"Pettigrew! Get away from him!" the Dark Lord snarled, reaching for his wand.

There was a loud, unexpected noise, a bang like Severus had never heard before. He looked up to see Voldemort staring at him, his eyes wide. The man opened his mouth and a trickle of blood ran out. "I…you…traitor," he gurgled. He looked down at his chest, where blood was quickly spreading across his robes.

Lucius stood behind him, holding the same odd Muggle metal tube thing that Harry'd said was his and Dumbledore's project. Voldemort crumpled. "I…I think he's dead," Lucius remarked, sounding frightened. "I think I killed him, Severus."

"Good fucking riddance," Snape replied bitterly.

Harry smiled. "Draco is avenged."

Severus' brow wrinkled in confusion. "Yes, and everyone else. Like your parents," he said. "And the Diggory boy. And your godfather."

"Say," Harry said, struggling to speak. "You know, you and Lucius Malfoy would make a smouldering hot couple. He's—really—handsome. I know you still have feelings for him. You used to get into all sorts of trouble together—he told me."

"I don't have any feelings for him outside of revulsion!" Severus squawked, aghast. "And don't you go trying to set me up on your death bed! That's disgusting!"

Harry lifted one corner of his lip in a sneer-like smile. "Well, it was worth a try. But mind you what an incredible hero he was to have killed the Dark Lord. We'll not…see his likes again. You should…think about forgiving him."

Severus shook his head helplessly. "You're so selfless," he murmured. "After all this time, you still go on showing me how to be a better man."

Harry smiled again, closing his eyes. "Why Severus, that's the…nicest…thing you've…ever…said…to…me…"

"Harry? Harry?" Severus was shivering violently now. He'd wanted so much to be the one to go first. He was older, damn it, it was his right. It was the natural order of things. Leave it to Potter to mess up the natural order of things. "Why? It shouldn't have been…you weren't supposed to leave me…not like this. I'd have given you up to another man. I'd have given you up to another woman, or a career. But this…oh, God. I love you so much." He stroked Harry's chin with his thumb, leaning down to softly kiss the cooling lips.

"Hey! Wait! Hey!" Lucius yanked him back. "Don't!" Malfoy protested.

"I don't care that he's dead," Severus spat. "I'm perfectly willing to join him, if it makes you happier."

Now Malfoy looked panicked. "I didn't say that! I didn't say anything like that! Don't do that! I'm just—it's just—it wasn't supposed to happen like this!" he ranted, clearly distraught. "He was just supposed to distract Voldemort so I could kill him! He wasn't supposed to die."

Severus glared, his eyes darkening, though he wasn't aware of it. His body, too, began to change, although he was too distracted to care. "You never managed to call him Voldemort when he was alive. Now he's not even cold, and you act like it's nothing. You're pathetic. You're a coward," he snarled, holding his wand aloft. "And it's your fault Harry's dead. You'll pay for it, you mark my words."

Lucius looked appalled, shaking his head wildly. "Calm down! Please! It's not what you think!" As he spoke, Severus noticed his hair was receding, shrinking back toward his scalp and darkening. It was the strangest thing.

"What…?"

Green eyes peered near-sightedly at him, a bit lost-looking without their glasses. "We switched. We couldn't tell you. I'm sorry I scared you. I didn't mean to—it wasn't supposed to happen like this," Harry told him. "I just needed to take him by surprise—that's why we did it. That's why we decided on a gun. Because he'd never expect it. He'd never believe a Muggle device could kill him. But I…I didn't mean for this to happen. I'm sorry. I love you, Severus."

"You—you do?" Severus blinked, taken aback. He stared at his young lover, lithe and lovely and wonderfully alive, and then looked down to find a dead Lucius Malfoy, still wrapped tenderly in his arms.