Chapter Twenty-five

Fawkes

Harry had never wandered through the landscape of someone else's mind on his own. Yes, he had been an innocent intruder into Dumbledore's thoughts when he had been curious and had gone into the Pensieve and seen the trials of the Death Eaters. He had viewed Dumbledore's memories of his travels in search of the Horcruxes in the same way. He'd also accidentally wandered into Snape's thoughts during Occlumency lessons but he had never intentionally sought out the thoughts of anyone and had certainly avoided those of Voldemort.

Now, he sat in the chair, eyes closed and moving behind the lids. He was in such an alien and foreign place he was not sure he had succeeded at first. The thoughts came as the others had done, in pieces and short bursts. Then they began to solidify into one scene. He was in Dumbledore's office viewing it through another's eyes and not his own. The owner of those eyes was not aware, at first, of his presence.

The view was startling different then what is seen through human eyes. These were somewhat myopic. Everything that was further then a few meters away was fuzzy and blurred, much like those of a retile with poor vision.

Harry, at first, could not separate his own thoughts from those of Voldemort's because he reached with his hand for his own glasses, knowing from long experience the reason he couldn't see was that he had forgotten to put them on. In the room, Slughorn watched as Harry reached into space for some invisible object, mimicking picking something up and placing it on his face. And then Harry understood at last it was Voldemort's vision that was impaired and not his own.

As his thoughts shadowed the dark lord's, he watched from his unknown position as the wizard moved about the room in a very smooth motion. The action was so strange Harry glanced down and a part of him was horrified at the body he wore. He was a snake and had the vision of a snake. Other senses were honed to an exquisite sharpness; taste, touch and smell.

Voldemort's thoughts were simple, which surprised Harry. He was cold and uncomfortable and he was hungry. There was no emotional fabric present; there were no emotions. He was also surprised for being such a genius, there were no sophisticated thoughts present at all.

Harry listened, if that is what it could be called, for the echo of the human that was left and there was very little. Dissatisfied, he searched the shadows of the vacuous mind and that was when he seemed to stumble on the an area, closed and secluded, like a locked closet.

Now, this is what he would have said if pushed to describe it; although there are no closets in the mind. It might be more appropriate he might say to call it a deep abyss, for this territory certainly seemed sinister, dark and deep; bottomless actually. And because he was not adept at Occlumency he stumbled towards it, mental hand outreached and stared down into it as if looking into the depths of a well. He was therefore not surprised when only emptiness stared back.

But that was an illusion and offered only momentary relief.

What suddenly roared up out of that subconscious chasm was the Dark Lord. Voldemort charged to the surface with such a frightening cataclysmic wrench that Harry, sitting in the library, was thrown into a spasm that made his body rigid and stiff. His mind was momentarily so stunned that he remained in the darkness of that horrific mind and was so shocked by the horror of it that his own mind did not work. He felt helpless to understand what was assaulting him. He was pressed up against a wall of the mind he occupied and was staring at a monstrous vision rearing up before him ready to engulf him with its' huge gaping mouth. He was trying to back away and not succeeding. He felt himself drowning in his own fear and was powerless to do anything.

A voice penetrated his stunned thoughts. This was not the furious, raging voice of Voldemort. This was a familiar voice; it was Snape. "Potter. Listen to me. Leave this mind now and return. Follow my voice and I will guide you."

To Harry the voice was distant, almost a whisper. The thoughts of the dark lord were amplified to the point he placed his hands over his ears, although they were mental hands and mental ears, and felt like his brain was going to burn up from the heat of the anger he heard and felt. His scar, having been dormant for so long, was now a gaping rip on his forehead and he was mentally bleeding to death from it. In the library, he wept and moaned in agony, he writhed within the confines of the chair and Slughorn whimpered in fear nearby.

"Follow my voice, Potter." The cooler, soothing, deep voice reached him and he turned his head and sought out the relief it brought. "Come to me, Harry." This time he was able to force himself away and move towards the voice. He stumbled, slowly moving into the dark and then almost sobbing in relief; he ran towards it.

As he withdrew from Voldemort's mind, he began to see sparks of colored lights blinking behind his own shuttered eyelids. It was very much like seeing the lights of a Christmas tree through blurry eyes. He reached out with his hands towards the light and the calm, cool voice. His scar, had, moments ago, felt like he had been branded with a hot iron. It throbbed but the pain eased and he no longer felt like he was going to die in agony. His body relaxed and he opened his eyes.

He sat in the library and before him stood Severus Snape, his face ravaged and raw from recent wounds. His black eyes were studying him, not unkindly. He was holding onto the back of Slughorn's robes and holding a wand in his other hand. Harry looked at him and enjoyed a moment of just taking in one lungful of air after another in the piece and tranquility of the dimly lit room and realizing he was still sane.

He took a moment to look out the windows of the room and gather himself together. To his surprise he saw the multicolored lights outside. He was reminded of the day the Weasley twins had set out their famous fireworks in the halls to drive Delores Umbridge to despair. They were there again and then Harry realized they were also in the hallways and the lights he had seen behind closed lids were coming from this light show. It was almost obvious from the beginning that the twins had improved on their original models. The display was magnificent in its brilliance. Harry could only imagine what Weasleys Wizard Wheeses and Wildfire Whiz-bangs were doing.

Snape remained silent and Harry finally looked back at him. He had regained his composure and the dreadful feelings the trip into Voldemort's mind had produced were ebbing away. He knew Snape had shared the Occlumency and had been present in his mind and Voldemort's. He had rescued him from the psychic nightmare.

"Where's Hermione and Ron? Lupin?" Harry asked.

"They are fighting their way here," Snape answered. "We have become separated. Miss Granger and Mr Weasley are dealing with Nagini. Lupin is leading a group against the Death Eaters hidden in the Room of Requirement. There are others outside the walls...those you call Dumbledore's Army and some of the Order. They have shown up to fight a battle on the grounds. There is a giant among them and Hagrid."

Harry listened as if they were having a casual conversation when both of them knew they waited for one thing, and one thing only; and he was coming very quickly.

"Leave and take him with you," Harry said and nodded towards Slughorn. "Save yourself."

Snape shook his head and there was trace of fear there that sent shivers through Harry's body. Snape spoke calmly, "You cannot kill him. You have awakened a demonic force that is beyond you; beyond us all. I was in that mind. It is no longer Lord Voldemort."

Harry was taken back when he heard Snape use the name but his words brought home what he already knew. He nodded. He had been in that mind for only a few minutes and knew he did not have a chance.

"I have sworn an oath to protect you," Snape murmured studying the dark mark etched on the floor and the cringing weeping Kreacher nearby. He didn't ask why the house elf was present. "I cannot break this spell," he said looking at the mark. He then shook Slughorn like a rag and pointed at the mark with his wand. "Remove this!"

Slughorn's eyes had rolled back in his head and only the whites were showing and he was buckling at the knees. Harry took a moment to admire Snape's strength at holding the porky man upright and at arms length.

Snape pointed his wand at the man and opened his mouth to speak. Harry knew what he was going to do, he was going to use the Cruciatus Curse to force him. "No! Stop! Let him go." He rose from the chair and stepped to the edge of the chalked dark mark. "Can't you see he is beyond understanding now?"

Snape let go of the man who fell unconscious to the floor. He had fainted dead away.

Harry and Snape stared at one another for a heartbeat and then Snape spoke, "I did not spend the last seventeen years keeping you alive to let you die now."

Harry knew he could not persuade the man to change his mind. He had taken an Unbreakable Vow . "My mother would have told you that you have done enough. The fight is between Voldemort and myself."

"This is suicide," Snape growled, ignoring the reference to Lily Potter. "Leave this and save yourself. Sometimes it's wiser to save the fighting for another day."

"Go then," Harry commented dryly. He turned away listening to the noises in and outside the building. "Besides he's not supposed to be able to kill me." His scar was once again burning brightly and he didn't want Snape to see his eyes tear up. The headache it caused felt like his head would cleave in two at any minute. Harry shook his head.

"I was also in his mind," Snape continued. "He has changed. What is there is the essence of a man and all of the cunning and skill of an animal; a predator hunting its prey. He will be formidable and here very shortly." Snape glared at him. "Make the elf break the binding spell so you are at least not trapped."

Harry glanced at Kreacher who was frowning at Snape.

"Never underestimate the power of a house-elf, Potter," Snape said.

"Kreacher break this spell," Harry pointed at the dark mark etched on the floor of the library in chalk. The elf crossed his arms before him and appeared to be ready to defy him. "Do it now!" The elf growled and reluctantly waved his hand. Harry was at the edge of the chalk marks and put a toe over them. There was no invisible barrier present.

"Do not waste your life," Snape said and Harry looked into his eyes. "Harry your mother would not want you to stand here and die without a way to defend yourself." His voice was gentle and his face was so grim with determination that Harry thought about it and then slowly nodded.

Snape grabbed him by the robes and literally dragged him into the hallway. "Run!" he shouted.

They started off down the corridor. From one end they saw figures drawing near and Harry glimpsed Lupin, followed by Ron, Tonks, Arthur Weasley and Kingsley Shacklebolt. They both glanced back at the same time and saw the snake, or the reminants of Voldemort, coming from the other direction. It was advancing much too quickly for them to escape. They both stopped and faced it.

Harry knew the snake was not a basilisk; it was smaller and most notably had the head of a human; actually it wasn't all human but recognizably human.

Voldemort spoke to him in parseltongue, "I have you now. You cannot escape, you and your traitor friend." Harry knew he was speaking of Snape. "If you like intruding in my mind so much Potter then let us do the deed permanently. You have but to look me in the eye Harry and we will share our minds and more. You will become immortal like me." The snake slithered forward slowly.

Harry held his wand up and was about to speak the killing curse when immediately between them burst Hermione and Ginny, followed closely by Neville and Luna. There were others coming from behind a hidden tapestry and they were in the immediate line of fire.

"Ginny!" Harry shouted. The group had not seen the snake. They had entered the hall facing Harry and Snape. Meanwhile the party coming from the other direction had stopped to fight a group of wizards who had come upon them from an adjoining hallway. The noises and the sparks from flying spells were shooting past Harry and hitting statuary and taking chips out of stone masonry.

Both Ginny and Hermione turned around slowly and were within stretching distance of Voldemort. Both shrank back in horror while Neville pushed the people he was with behind the tapestry.

Voldemort raised himself up to the height of the ceiling. "Come to me girl," he hissed. And although he was barely intelligible, Ginny almost immediately went blank-faced and rigid and started walking towards him.

"No!" Harry and Snape shouted simultaneously, starting forward with their wands drawn.

Hermione looked over and grabbed for her. At the same time Voldemort struck with lightening speed, so that it was a blur to Harry's eyes. He did not see the fangs sink into Hermione's shoulder and see her thrown back to the floor. He was already moving forward with his wand up.

"AVADA KADVAERA!" he shouted and saw the green spark erupt from the wand. It struck Voldemort directly in the chest and the half-human grinned a fanged grin and drew back. Ginny was still advancing towards him and it was clear Voldemort was using her to separate Harry from the now advancing crowd at his back.

"That will not work on me, Harry," Voldemort said and there was the sound of delight in his voice. "Do you not think I would make myself impervious to the Unforgivable Curses. I who have gone beyond any wizard and have found the true path to immortality? Did that goat Dumbledore teach you nothing?"

Harry didn't stop when he reached Hermione's body but continued while Snape dropped to her side.

"You will not harm another person I care about!" Harry shouted. He was again experiencing a fiery searing pain across his brow but he was so angry he was ignoring the pain and still walking forward. "You must die!"

Ginny was standing with her back to him and facing Voldemort who had raised himself above her and wavered within striking distance. His comically snake-shaped body flapped useless hands and feet, but the business end of his fangs glimmered faintly in the light. His mouth was open and he was leaning in over Ginny's neck. Harry knew the bite was venomous. He could already hear a wail come up from Ron who had come down the hall with the others and would now be at Hermione's side. He didn't dare turn to look

"I will not let you have her!" Harry cried and raised his wand and with all of the anger and despair bubbling up from years of torment and sorrow he shouted with all of the energy of his body and mind, "SECTUMSEMPRA!" The wand he held tingled with raw energy and the song of the Phoenix burst cool and clear through the searing pain in his forehead.

Voldemort's head was neatly severed from the torso and just before it fell a rather beautiful vision appeared before Harry's eyes. The scarlet plumage of a large bird appeared. Fawkes swooped down the hall over his head and grasped the severed head in his claws as it fell and flew down the corridor into the dim light and out of sight. The headless body collapsed and wiggled spasmodically on the floor while Ginny Weasley fainted dead away at Harry's feet.