Disclaimer: Harry Potter, let's roll - J.K. Rowling owns you all.

CHAPTER 2
Just Make a Wish

The quiet dinner at #4 Privet Drive was interrupted by a loud bang at the door.
"Harry, go open the door. If it's some of your freak friends, tell them to go away," very annoyed Mr. Dursley ordered.
When Harry opened the door, he could not contain his surprise, "Professor Snape?"

Harry had never seen Snape like this.
His usual mask of contempt and superiority was gone.
He looked scared.
Scared, but determined, like readying himself for some dangerous task.
Without making a sound he walked past Harry into the dining room.

Mrs. Dursley demonstrated her gift of recognition.
"You?!" she gasped, gaping at Snape.

Harry didn't have time to be properly surprised how aunt Petunia might have known Snape.

Snape demonstrated his gift of being intimidating without raising his voice.
"You," he said calmly, pointing his wand at Mr. Dursley.
"You," he continued in the same tone, wand now aimed at Mrs. Dursley.
"And you," he concluded, pointing at Dursley junior,

- Get out.
- Now.
- Don't return until tomorrow.
- You have 5 minutes to leave quietly - and, with a brief return of his usual sneer, he added, "A real bully would give you only 4 minutes."

Uncle Vernon demonstrated his gift of fine oratory.
First, he stood up and took a deep breath.
Second, his beefy neck went through all the colors of Hogwarts houses.
Third, he opened his mouth.

However, before he uttered a single word, aunt Petunia grabbed his hand and said with emphasis, "Vernon, I think we'd better go to some motel."

After Dursleys were gone, Snape turned to Harry, "No time to waste. Where is a fireplace? Show me the way."
"What? Snape is talking to me civilly? Not even addressing me 'Potter'?", now Harry was not just surprised, but unnerved as well.

They went into living room and Snape immediately started casting spells at fireplace.
"Sir, what's going on?" Harry dared to ask.
- Headmaster Dumbledore is very ill. He cannot apparate or use portkey.
- While I am making Floo connection, please bring your Cloak.

Hearing 'please' from Snape was the last straw.
Harry abandoned all attempts to penetrate the mystery of whatever was going on and decided to just go with the flow.
Like, you know, yielding to 'Imperio'.

When Harry came back with the Cloak, Snape was already bending over the flames, saying "Hogwarts, Headmaster's Office."
After a short pause he said, "Albus, the way is clear."

With a grunt Dumbledore appeared on the fireplace mat.
Snape helped him to the chair and pushed a bottle into his hand.
Dumbledore quickly drank it.
He really looked ill, very ill, on the verge of death.

His face was sagged, his breath was shallow.
His left arm was scorched and partially enveloped in black goo.
The goo was quivering and, Harry thought, slowly consuming Dumbledore's arm millimeter by millimeter.

"So, Headmaster," said Snape, "What is all this about? Why did you want to come here?"
Dumbledore took a deep breath, "My time is short. Severus, how long do I have?"
"My best estimate - from two to two and a half hours," answered Snape.

With a start Harry realized that they were talking about Dumbledore's dying.
He felt hopeless; without Dumbledore they stood no chance against Voldemort.

Meanwhile Dumbledore sighed and spoke,
- Thank you, Severus. I am sure it will be enough.
- First - you have to hear a tale. A Tale of Three Brothers.
- And not the famous version by Beedle the Bard.
(hearing that, Snape raised his eyebrows but did not say anything)

Dumbledore took a piece of parchment from his pocket and gave it to Harry, "Harry, would you do the honors?"

Harry put his Cloak on the floor and started to read,
- There were once three brothers who were much gifted in magical arts and crafts.
- And they forged for themselves three unique objects of immense power...


Harry stared at Dumbledore; unspoken questions buzzing in his head.

"Invisibility Cloak," Dumbledore said softly, pointing at Harry's Cloak.

From his pocket he retrieved two wooden pieces.
"Unbeatable Wand," he said with a fond smile and put the fragments on the Cloak, "Or rather, as you can see, former Unbeatable Wand."
"What happened to it?" asked Snape.
- Long story short, I used its last unique magic to kill Grindelwald.

"Does it mean that you are an heir of the first brother from the tale?" asked Harry.
"Yes, I am," Dumbledore said matter-of-factly.

From the same pocket (apparently pocket was under an extension charm) he retrieved a black gemstone with something engraved on it.
"Resurrection Stone," he said and handed it to Harry.
"It's cracked," noticed Harry, "Does it still have the power ..."
- Yes, Harry, I can feel its magic; I am sure it still can do one more resurrection.

"But, sir," Harry recalled something, "You told me that nothing can bring back the dead."
"And I told you the truth," Dumbledore agreed, "but did you hear about what muggles call resuscitation?"
Harry said, "I think I've heard the word, but not sure what it means."

- It's a procedure that can revive seemingly dead man as long as his brain is not dead.
- The Resurrection Stone works in similar way.
- As long as wizard's brain is not dead - the Stone can bring him back to life and all injuries to his body would be magically healed."
- In both cases the key is to act quickly, while the brain is still alive.

Suddenly Harry was flooded with relief; he realized what it means, "Oh, sir, now I see. When you die we will resurrect you, right?"
"You would be able to, that's right," Dumbledore said slowly with a strange smile.

Unknown to Harry, his eyes met the eyes of Snape.
There is a little known trick, called Legili-Merge.
When two strong legilimentes completely trust each other, they can open their minds and hold a conversation, running many times faster than normal speech.
Harry began the motion of putting the Stone down, unaware of a dialog, taking place...

- Albus, I could not help but notice your choice of words. You want to die, don't you?
- I most certainly don't want to die, Severus.
- Then what? ... Let me see deeper ... Harry?!
- Harry.
- Dark Lord's Horcrux?
- One of.
- (expletive deleted) how many?
- Four remaining plus Harry.

- (after a pause) You, old shrewd bastard, you calculated everything three moves ahead, didn't you?!
- (with mental equivalent of a smile) Thanks for the compliment, Severus.

... The Stone was now lying on the Cloak and Harry was speaking again, "Sir, about my Cloak; am I the heir of the third brother? Do I have that Gift of ... of Demise?"
- Yes to both, Harry. And you should not flinch from the proper word, which is 'assassination'.

Harry was stuck in indecision.
Since he learned of the prophecy, he sometimes imagined how he would confront Voldemort for the Final Fight.
How they would circle each other, Voldemort taunting him and then throwing 'Avada Kedavra'.
And he, Harry, somehow overpowering killing curse once more.

And now the moment was coming, not in battle glory, but in an ordinary anticlimactic way.
All he had to do was just make a wish and some ancient magic would perform the deed.
The magic, earned not by him but by his distant ancestor.
He felt shamed and unclean, but what choice did he have?

Snape smirked and said in his usual drawling way,
- Potter, I will make it easy for you.
- Detention. Here and now.
- Assigned chore - kill Dark Lord.
- Instructions - Make a wish.
- Begin.

This sarcastic joke somehow made all Harry's tension go away.
He laughed heartily.

Two adults mentally exchanged a few quick words,
- Who is a shrewd bastard now, Severus?
- I learned from the best, headmaster.

Harry picked up the Cloak, "Professor, I am ready. How should I do it? Is there some spell to cast?"

Dumbledore said,
- First, Harry, there is a little problem.
- As you are not an adult, the Magic does not recognize you as an heir yet.
- I think you should hold all three objects in your hands;
- I hope that their residual magic will combine and overcome this obstacle.

Harry wrapped two pieces of wood in the Cloak, took it by one hand and picked the Stone by other hand.
He sensed some pleasant warmness flowing through his veins and then he felt different, older and stronger.
"Professor, it worked," he said excitedly.

"Yes, I can feel your magic is now more mature," said Dumbledore,
- Which brings us to the next question - how to invoke the Gift.
- For such deep magic, Harry, the exact words are not so much important.
- When you summon such terrible power you must really mean it.
- Open you mind, concentrate on what you wish and the words will come to you.

Harry closed his eyes and tried to concentrate.
His mind was blank.
He began speaking, hoping that once he started - the proper words would come to him.

- I, Harold James Potter, by the e-e-e-rm ... by the rights, passed to me through my ancestors...
It sounded all pompous and wrong. "Let's try again," he thought.

- I, the Boy-Who-Lived, the Chosen One, hereby invoke the power of the Gift of Demise...
Nope, this sounded even worse - silly and pathetic.

"Third time is the charm, try again" said Dumbledore.

And Harry stopped thinking; he just let hatred fill his mind and... it was like somebody else was shouting the words, coming from his mouth,
- Hey, Death, do you hear me? Kill Voldemort! Just kill him! And then take from me whatever price you want (multiple expletives deleted).

The silence fell.


What happened and where.

Gringotts bank, one underground vault:
One golden cup broke into 2 (two) pieces.

Black ancestral house at #12 Grimmauld Place:
One golden locket broke into 4 (four) pieces.

Hogwarts castle, magically hidden room:
Precious diadem broke … arithmetic progression you imagined.
It flashed bright and vibrated for a few seconds, like struggling against some destructive force.
Then it cooled down; the magic, imbued by Rowena Ravenclaw proved stronger than horcrux.

Malfoy Manor:
Two dull thuds sounded one after another; dead bodies of Voldemort and his snake fell to the floor.

#4 Privet Drive:
The piercing scream of Harry Potter broke the silence.

Severus Snape gripped his forearm, where Dark Mark turned white and cold as ice.
He watched as if in slow motion how Harry clutched his forehead and fell down,
how Dumbledore snatched the Resurrection Stone from his hand and bent over his lifeless body.

And how Dumbledore turned the Stone three times.

TO BE CONTINUED


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