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The Room of Requirement was packed with over fifty students, all thrilled to be involved in a secret mission to help out Harry Potter. Most had brooms in their hands but a few, like Luna and Hermione, would be flying on the backs of thestrals.
Hermione was speaking with Ron in the Room of Requirement when she felt the coin in her pocket heat up. She stopped mid-sentence and pulled the coin out. She looked at Ron, their expressions grim.
Ron could see the worry in his girlfriend's eyes, "Harry will be okay, Hermione."
Hermione wrapped her arms around Ron, "He's going to die, Ron."
Ron gently pushed her back, with certainty he replied, "Snape will save him."
Draco and Ginny saw the shining coin and came to join them.
Ginny put her shaking hands over her mouth to hold back a cry.
With confidence, Draco declared, "Severus will bring him back to life… Even you guys have to admit that the man can brew brilliantly."
The rest of the students in the room didn't know where Harry was going. They had only been informed that Harry needed to get away from the castle without being followed by the ministry aurors that had been surrounding the building all day. Dumbledore had told them they would be taking polyjuice potion to look like Harry, then flying out to lead the aurors away from the castle.
The excitement in the room was palpable when Dumbledore stepped up onto a raised platform. He used a sonerous charm to amplify his voice, "Quiet down everyone."
A hush fell over the room.
"We are ready to proceed. I must caution you to stay out of the Forbidden Forest. The aurors should not harm you since they are under strict orders to protect Harry Potter at all costs. If anyone is captured, I ask that you remain silent until I send someone from the school to come fetch you," Dumbledore raised his wand, pointing it at the ceiling. The spell he spoke brought about a thunderous sound as the ceiling shook.
The students looked up with a mixture of nervousness and anticipation. All at once the ceiling to the room opened up, revealing an evening sky filled with stars.
Hermione stood by the headmaster with the bottle of polyjuice potion in her hand. Neville was the first person to step forward as the rest of the students cheered him on.
Hermione handed him the bottle, "Just a small sip, Neville."
Neville took hold of the bottle, raising it up, he announced, "Good luck, Harry!" The students cheered.
Several gasps could be heard as everyone watched Neville Longbottom transform into Harry Potter before their very eyes.
Dumbledore conjured a full length mirror. Neville stepped up to it, pressing his hands against his altered face. "Brilliant," he whispered out.
Ron handed him a broom.
Neville looked at the broom with trepidation, "I hope this polyjuice potion helps me to fly as well as Harry does."
Dumbledore gave him an encouraging wink, "Off you go, Mr. Longbottom."
Neville mounted the broom, gathering courage from the cheering students. He circled the room before heading up out into the evening sky.
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Severus was beyond furious at himself for being such an abysmal excuse for a father. He struggled to find the reason he could not support Harry in the manner in which the teen clearly needed. From the moment he had gained back his memory he had been in denial over Harry's destiny.
He spelled forth a cauldron, preparing to brew a fresh batch of nutritional potion. Brewing had always helped him to deliberate a situation with more ease. He ignored the burning dark mark on his arm. With meticulous precision he began to chop up ingredients. He was right in the middle of chopping when his answer finally came to him.
Fifteen years ago he had come to Albus Dumbledore to turn spy against Voldemort. At that time Albus had asked one thing from him; that Severus take a blood oath to protect Harry Potter at all cost, even if it meant giving up his own life.
Now, he was fighting against his very core to send Harry to Voldemort to be killed. With absolute assurance he grasped the reason he was having such a difficult time supporting his son. The blood oath wouldn't allow him to help Harry die.
He knew there was no way to undo a blood oath, but he would have to fight against it to help Harry, at least until his body would no longer allow him to help. He was not about to let Harry down anymore then he already had. With that thought in mind he strode upstairs and went directly to his son's bedroom. He threw the door open expecting to find his son in bed. He looked about the vacant bedroom, immediately aware of the empty nightstand. The portkey and coin were missing.
With a deep dread he realized his son had left without telling him. In a near panic he raced out the door, intent on supporting his son.
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The astronomy tower had never felt so far away. It took every ounce of energy Harry had to make it up the many flights of stairs to get there. He was at the bottom of the last set of stairs when his body finally gave out from pure exhaustion. He held onto the rail and looked up the winding staircase. Merlin, there must be hundreds of steps left to go.
He sat down on the bottom step, dropping his head into his hands. Feeling frustrated with his own helplessness, he closed his eyes.
He regretted not being able to see Sirius before he had to leave. He wasn't sure what Dumbledore had Sirius doing but he hoped his godfather wasn't in danger. He had written a note to Sirius and given it to Hedwig to deliver tomorrow.
He tried not to let thoughts of Voldemort scare him but he knew how cruel the bastard could be. He couldn't stop his thoughts from imagining what it would be like to be standing in front of Voldemort, just waiting for the malicious bastard to strike him down with the killing curse.
He began to breathe with difficulty as fear set in. Merlin, he couldn't stop the panic from rising up.
"Shit, I'm so stupid," he whispered, berating himself for panicking.
"I consider you rather intelligent."
Harry looked up to see his dad standing before him. He noticed how hard his dad was breathing, as if the man had run the entire way up from the dungeons.
"Dad!" Harry pulled himself up using the banister for assistance. He was hesitant to step any closer.
Severus could see the apprehension in his son's eyes. The boy no doubt thought he had come after him to take him back down to the dungeon. He stretched a hand out to steady the teen.
"Dad, please, I've got to get up there," Harry said as he stepped back and up another step. He was afraid of being dragged back down to the dungeons, only to have to fight his way back up here again. He really didn't think he'd have the energy to come all the way back another time.
"I am here to assist you," Severus said, fighting against his compulsion to protect his son instead of helping him. He felt rather stung when the teen continued to cling to the banister.
Harry looked behind him up at the long winding staircase that seemed to stretch for miles. He looked back at his dad.
Severus stepped forward, grasping Harry's arm firmly, "We'll go slowly."
Harry nodded, grinning with relief, "It is a long way up, I guess I could use the help."
Every step up the staircase to Harry's destiny was costing Severus a great deal. He fought against his very core to continue to help his son. The dark mark on his arm was steadily getting more painful. It was clear to him that the weaker Harry was getting, the stronger Voldemort was growing.
Halfway up the staircase, Harry stumbled over a step but was caught by his father before he hit the ground. He flushed with disgrace when his dad scooped him up and held him as if he were a small child.
Feeling the boy's tension, Severus replied, "Relax, Harry. I've carried you like this before."
"Yeah, when I was six," Harry groaned. He stuffed his face into his dad's robe and felt Severus embrace him tighter.
"You rather enjoyed being carried by me when you were six," Severus grinned at the memory.
Harry relaxed; grateful he didn't have to climb up all these steps. When they were almost to the landing, Harry said, "I wonder how Ron's plan is going? It must be odd to see so many Harry Potter's flying about."
"I passed a pair of polyjuiced Harry Potter's on my way up here. Can you believe the scoundrels had the audacity to say 'Hi, dad' when they saw me approach?"
Harry laughed out loud upon hearing that, "I wonder who it was? I bet it was Seamus and Dean."
"You may be right, I am quite certain I saw Gryffindor ties around their necks," Severus said.
They had finally reached the top and the door to the astronomy room. Severus realized the blood oath would not allow him to go any further. His mind was already fighting to stay conscious as the blood oath worked to bring a halt to his actions.
He lowered Harry to the ground, helping him to stand.
"I have arranged an escort to take you to Voldemort's hide out," Severus said in a fatigued voice.
"Who is it?" Harry asked, noticing how pale his father looked.
Severus pointed to the door, "Walk through those doors and you will find out."
They stood looking at each other, neither wanting to part ways.
Harry lunged forward and caught his dad up in a fierce hug. They didn't speak.
Severus kissed the top of Harry's head before stepping back.
With one last look at his father, Harry turned around and opened the door leading into the astronomy tower.
The moment the door closed behind Harry, Severus collapsed onto his knees. He covered his face with his hands as a deep dread for his son overtook him.
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Harry smiled when he saw who was waiting for him on the other side of the door.
Sirius smiled back, "You don't think I'd let you leave before saying goodbye do you? I brought Bucky to help us get to our destination." The Hippogriff bowed down low.
Harry grabbed Sirius up in a hug, "I was so worried I wouldn't get the chance to see you before I left!"
"Snape sent an owl demanding I escort you, no matter what Dumbledore's orders for me were," Sirius grinned, trying not to let the horror he felt show at the boy's ashen appearance. "He even sent me this port key to make sure I got back here safely." He lifted the portkey dangling from a chain around his neck.
"Yeah, my dad does seem to come up with some good ideas," Harry said.
"Yup, old Snape's actually turned out to be a good dad for you, Harry," Sirius tucked the port key back into his shirt.
"Have you seen the skies over Hogwarts?" Sirius asked as he helped Harry onto the back of Buckbeak.
Harry shook his head as he grabbed onto Buckbeak's neck. A small thrill of excitement went through him at the thought of flying once again.
"Imagine how shocked I was when I saw all these Harry Potter's flying about! I swear I almost fell off Buckbeak!"
They both laughed out loud. Sirius hopped up behind Harry and prompted Buckbeak to move out onto the balcony.
As soon as they were out in open air Harry could see what Sirius was talking about. Four Harry Potter's were flying out over the pitch, while another two were being chased by a few aurors. There were several Harrys flying over the school. The sky was complete chaos.
Sirius gripped Harry around the waist, "Hang on tight, pup! We're about to join the crowd!"
Harry seized a handful of Buckbeak's feathers just as the hippogriff took flight. His stomach did a flip when the hippogriff took a sudden dive to avoid a few polyjuiced Harrys being chased by an auror. The auror swiftly turned his broom around and began to chase Harry and Sirius.
Sirius gripped Harry tighter around the waist, "Hang on, Harry! We've got to lose this guy."
Buckbeak could easily out fly anyone on a broom but he slowed down enough to let the auror catch up. Sirius pulled his wand out and shot a Confundus charm at the auror. The auror was so caught up in catching the hippogriff that he didn't see the Confundus charm coming his way.
As soon as the spell hit, the auror seemed to hover in the air before making a slow spiral back down to the ground.
A moment later two Harry Potters came to fly next to the hippogriff.
"Harry, is that you?" asked a polyjuiced Harry.
"Yeah. Who're you?" Harry shouted back.
"It's me, Ron!"
""And me, Draco," the other Harry yelled out. "You guys better get out of here, there's a group of aurors coming this way!"
Buckbeak gathered speed and began to fly faster as two more aurors started to follow them.
"We'll divert them," Draco yelled.
"Good luck, Harry!" Ron shouted after them.
Harry raised a fist in the air, "Thanks, guys! I'll see you soon!"
Ron and Draco cut off the two aurors, almost colliding into them. The aurors had to change course or collide into the two teens. By the time they righted their brooms the hippogriff was too far to follow.
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Once they were far enough away from the school, Buckbeak slowed down his pace. The adrenaline pumping through Harry had slowed down too, leaving him more exhausted then before. He was grateful that Sirius hadn't lightened his grip on him or he would have fallen off the hippogriff.
He took a moment to savor the feeling of flying once again. Merlin, he had missed it so much. It was even better because his godfather was with him. He gripped the hand clutching him around his waist, appreciating having Sirius with him.
"You feeling okay, Harry?" Sirius asked.
"Yeah. I'm just so happy to be flying again."
"You remind me of your mum. She always seemed to find the silver lining in the dreariest of situations." Sirius' felt his heart skip at the thought of seeing his old classmates in the afterlife. "You're parents would have been so proud of you, Harry. James used to love to watch you fly about on your little practice broom when you were a baby. You learned to fly before you were even walking."
"I wish I had known them. Do you think I'll see my parents while I'm dead, I mean before my dad brings me back to life? It would almost be worth dying if I got to talk with them for a bit."
"I don't know," Sirius said, a sadness washing over him. "I can't remember much of anything that happened when I was dead."
Buckbeak suddenly veered off to the left and started to make a slow descent.
Sirius felt Harry shudder against him He wrapped both arms around the boy, "We could fly around for a bit longer if you wish?"
"No, I should probably just get down there. I guess I'm just a bit nervous."
"Understandable," Sirius said, trying to hide the terror he felt for his godson.
"Does it hurt?" Harry suddenly asked, in an anxious voice.
Sirius didn't need to clarify what Harry was talking about. He knew Harry was asking about the killing curse. "No, it's over before you have a chance to feel anything." He couldn't help thinking about what Harry would endure before the killing curse. He'd love nothing more then to get his hands on that snake faced bastard.
"That's what I was hoping for," Harry said, his spirits lifted a tad.
Sirius' heart swelled with pride for the teen. What other teenager could endure a situation like this with such poise. His thoughts raced back to what he had to tell Harry.
Harry leaned back into his godfather, needing to feel the strength the man generated. The hippogriff was flying so low now that they could almost reach down and touch the top of the tree branches. An atmosphere of death surrounded the forest. There were no signs of life for miles around, not even dark creatures would dare to venture into this obscurity.
They landed in a darkened grove of peculiar looking black trees. Buckbeak made odd hissing sounds and pawed at the ground.
Sirius wrapped both arms around Harry, realizing this would be the last chance he had to tell him goodbye.
Harry didn't question his godfather's tight embrace; as a matter of fact he rather needed it to calm the utter terror coursing through him now that they were here.
"Harry, I often wondered why I came back from the veil. It was very baffling to me, especially after I found out that you were being well looked after by Snape," Sirius put a hand up when Harry started to speak, "Wait, let me finish. Astonishingly, Snape's turned out to be a good man, Harry. He's been a better father to you then I could have ever managed myself."
"Sirius, I need you too," Harry started to say but was cut off by his godfather.
Sirius was finding it harder to explain then he thought it would be, "Harry, I would do anything for you. I would willingly give my own life to make sure you were safe…"
"Sirius, you're not coming with me, if that's what you're trying to get at," Harry said, misunderstanding what his godfather was trying to tell him. He pulled away from Sirius to turn around and look him in the eye. "Don't even think about following me into that evil place!" Harry suddenly stopped talking when he felt a dark presence approaching. He grabbed Sirius by the robe and urged, "Hurry, go! They're coming! I can feel them coming!"
Without warning Buckbeak reared up on his hind legs and batted at the empty air with his front claws, forcibly sending Harry to the ground.
Harry scrambled to his feet, "Get out of here! Hurry!"
"Harry, I need you to know something …" Sirius leaned down to grab Harry's hand. Harry pulled his wand out and activated the portkey dangling from around Sirius' neck. With a loud pop both Sirius and the hippogriff disappeared, leaving him alone in the forest.
Well, not exactly alone anymore with the arrival of four men wearing death eater masks.
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THANK YOU FOR THE SUPER NICE REVIEWS!!!! Sometimes I just need to hear that stuff 8 )
Question:
Did anyone guess that Severus was struggling with helping Harry because of the blood oath he had taken fifteen years previously? Or, had you just thought Severus was just being a good dad?