Chapter Twenty-six

The Last Horcrux

It was a grisly thing to do and Neville thought initially when Harry told him what must be done that it would be the last thing that he could do. And yet, all it took was remembering his parents, the years of suffering he had endured as a result of Voldemort and his grandmother's encouraging touch and Neville swung the sword like an expert. The snake didn't even have time to respond.

The beheaded snake writhed on the ground as if it could live without it's head and a greenish, gaseous substance leaked from its dismembered body and disappeared. It finally heaved it's last dying spasm and lay still; twitching now and again as the nerves died.

Lucius studied it for a moment. "Well, that's it. Now we have to get you all out of here."

He went to the door and then to the window behind the desk. His gaze dropped to the open box and the cup. "If I'm right then this is the missing Hufflepuff cup."

He reached for it and Ginny reacted. "Stop, Don't touch it."

Lucius stood still, his hand paused in midair.

"The diary was a Horcrux, too," Ginny said, hoarsely. "I was possessed by it. Harry destroyed the Horcrux in it by stabbing it with a Basilisk fang." They stared at each other and she moved to the desk. "Dumbledore was mortally wounded when he destroyed the ring. If you touch it..." Her voice dropped off.

Lucius Malfoy let his hand fall to his side. "SO that is why he was angry about the diary."

Ginny watched wide-eyed as he moved the box within easy reach. "If what you tell me is the truth, then they all must be destroyed before Lord Voldemort can become mortal again. Did Snape or Potter tell you how it is to be done?" he asked, looking over at Neville who was still standing with the sword grasped firmly in his hands.

Neville shook his head. "Hermione said that if the Horcrux was in a living creature then that creature could die and what was inside it would be destroyed." He glanced at the snake. "She was right about that, I think."

"Where were they going to try and capture him?" Lucius asked.

"Godric Gryffindor castle," Neville mumbled. There was a intake of surprised breath by all of them.

"Gryffindor castle," Lucius repeated.

"Yeah." Neville nodded.

"I think I am beginning to see the plan," Lucius said leaning over the desk, a hand on either side of the box staring at the cup. "Tell me again what objects were used to make the Horcruxes?"

"The Slytherin ring, the diary, a locket owned by Riddle's mother, the Hufflepuff cup," Ginny said and nodded towards the cup, " a statue of a Phoenix, and the snake."

Lucius nodded. "Yes. Alright then, we need to get you all out of here." He very carefully reached over to slam the lid on the box and Ginny beat him to it. She picked it up and stuck it in her robes.

"I'll take that," she said, firmly.

"Of course," Lucius breathed. "Will you be joining me then, Miss Weasley?"

"She won't be alone, father," Draco said. "We're all going with you."

...

"Your face haunts me, Lily," Snape thought as he moved through the halls. The other two were behind him trying to keep up. He knew approximately where his Doppelganger was because he could see with his eyes. However, they were not joined together so much that Snape had lost himself entirely. As long as he stayed focused on her, he could function. He replayed every moment they were together in his mind.

...

Voldemort felt strange. The moment Nagini had been killed he began to lose a certain mental acuity; or rather, it became strangely more animalistic. Suddenly, the rats that ran down the empty hallways foraging for food smelled delicious. He could even hear their rustling in the exposed walls. He had no idea what had brought on this change, as his thoughts were also changing. He was beginning to forget where he was and why he was there. Odd appendages were dangling from his torso and a strange cloth skin slid away from his beautiful body.

It was cold in the castle and his blood began to cool. He suddenly became conscious that he was tired and needed to rest. And yet, a few human neurons were still firing. I am on the hunt, he reminded himself. I am looking for humans. They want to kill me and I must destroy them first.

And although he was fast losing the sense of what exactly that meant he was also becoming much more lethal. Somewhere deep in the shrinking cortex of his brain he realized there was something very important he needed to do. It had something to do with his soul. IF lost, his existence was threatened. And for that reason, he hung onto the last shreds of his humanity. He could still speak although words were distorted. He could still hold a wand and knew how to use it. His new instincts sharpened his old ones and he stopped to listen and sniff the air with his tongue. Body heat from every source was as bright as a candle flame. One such source was not very far away.

...

Outside the castle in the warm night air four shapes materialized at the foot of the stairs leading to the ruins.

"You first, Mr. Malfoy," Ginny said.

Lucius began climbing the stairs, followed by Draco, Ginny and Neville.

...

Harry followed the Double on his wanderings through the castle. It was much more difficult using only human eyes and he could not afford to light his wand. He could no longer count on using the very infrequent light of the moon that would peek through windows and doors open to the outside world. Voldemort was leading them down, down into the center of the castle. Here the walls were chipped from bedrock and there were no windows.

He stopped, listened and then moved ahead, hoping that his foot would not stray from the stair and he would inadvertently plunge down into some open hole or fall off the side of a steep stairway. He could smell the musky odor of algae built up over the years near an open spring or a water supply and the powdery dust of generations already filled the air, stirred up by passing feet.

It helped when Voldemort would call out. Of course he was saying many disgusting things about Harry's mother and his own birth; all directed at Snape. Harry used his voice as a compass. The words fueled the fire that was burning in his gut. He was alone and on his own. He expected no help.

And then surprisingly, he heard footsteps in the distance running in his direction. He stopped and peered into the blackness and wondered who could be coming towards him. Not Hermione or Ron, they were still with Snape.

Snape.

You were there all along, he thought. If we had known about each other would it have made a difference? Can you imagine the nights I dreamed about what it was like to have a real family? A mother and a father? Not the Dursleys. That wasn't family. I would have been raised like a real wizard's child.

I can't fault you mother, not really. I didn't even know you and how could I judge what it was like then. If it was like Ginny and me then I could understand. Still, the man Snape became is just... He stopped the thought and redirected. What was it like for you mother? You had to keep me a secret. Why? Why didn't you tell him?

And then an amazing thought crossed Harry's mind. He had visited Mrs. Higgins only a day or two before when all of this started. And she had placed a letter in his hands his mother left him. He tucked it into his robe pockets in haste. They had seconds to get away before Death eaters charged into the house and found him there. He apparated and was so worried about hurting the poor woman he forgot all about the letter.

Now in the deep darkness of the castle with little hope of escape and almost certain death he felt in his robes. There was a crisp, crackling feel to one of the pockets. He withdrew the letter and lit his wand. He stood in a stairwell that spiraled down into a darkness so deep he could have been at the center of the earth. Believing that it was safe for the moment, he read the envelope. It said simply: Harry

It was also in her hand as the other letter had been. He cracked the wax seal and opened it. It was a hastily written note.

Dear Son, I am leaving this letter with a trusted friend. Hopefully, you will never have to read it. If all goes well I will survive and I will fetch this and burn it. But if it is in your hands then I am dead and there is no one to tell you what you must know. James is not your real father, but he has been the best father to you that one can be. WE both love you beyond measure.

Secondly, you must search out your real father- Severus Snape. He is unaware of his relationship to you, but I believe that he will guide and protect you to the best of his ability. Trust in him as I have. Do not fault him for the choices I made. Love him if you can.

I am sorry that you have to read this. And perhaps you never will. I intend to tell you all of this as soon as you are old enough to understand. Please believe that I did what I thought was necessary. You have my love always, Mum

Harry sat on a step in the stairwell and reread the letter several times. In his heart he knew what it would say. If he had read it when Mrs. Higgins gave it to him he wasn't sure that he wouldn't have torn it up. As things stood he was past the anger and shock. He realized that he had his friends and he had someone he cared deeply about and if he survived, life could be better. He had to let go of the past.

He heaved himself to his feet and left his wand burning. Time to face Voldemort, he thought. Stop hiding in the dark, Harry.

He had two objectives. Find the Doppelganger and transfer the Horcrux to him. Force Voldemort to dual; lose. Snape's charm would do the rest. He would survive and he would lose another father. Not bad for one day Harry, he decided. So easy. Just let Snape die. Isn't he dying anyway? Get rid of an evil wizard and then get up in the morning and go on with life.

Harry knew that it was not so simple. But he could not think beyond these thoughts.

"I hurt your mother," the voice came from around the bend of the stairwell.

Harry's head came up as well as his wand.

Snape climbed the stairs from below to face him. "I hurt her very badly and I couldn't take it back. She loved me and wanted me to stay with her. I wanted to but I..." his head dropped for a minute and then came up again, "I couldn't."

"Why not?" Harry asked. He realized he was talking to the Double but as far as he knew, for all intents and purpose it was the real Snape.

"It was too dangerous. I stayed with Voldemort because I wanted to make sure she was protected. I learned very early on that the families of Death eaters were vulnerable, as you can imagine. HE didn't like attachments."

Harry nodded with understanding. "I've worried about my friends. Every time something happened to one of them I felt bad. When Cedric Diggory died I thought I couldn't go on and I was ready to give up. And then Sirius was killed and I think I lost... my heart. It didn't matter anymore if Voldemort killed me. I was ready to let him. And then Dumbledore died and I realized it wasn't about me anymore, someone had to stop him."

Snape studied his face and then also nodded. "You should let me do this. I have already transferred the Horcrux into my body. I fight it now but it will have control of me soon. Face him and let him try and kill you. Once I am gone, the Horcruxes are gone and he cannot survive. You should know Voldemort tries to guide me as he did when I killed Dumbledore. It is only with the greatest effort that I am able to keep my identity."

"My mother," Harry said, ignoring Snape's words. "I want to know more before you make that sacrifice."

"I didn't know that you were my son. I guess I never gave it a thought. Although, once I learned of it, I believed. It made sense. She went to James because he had confessed his feelings for her many times. I was still with her but not...emotionally or mentally. I was trying to keep from doing some of the things Voldemort was ordering. I even took the dark mark hoping it would show that I could be trusted, that he would leave me alone and those I was close to. But I thought... I thought if I became what he wanted that I would lose your mother forever. She would not be able to look at me and see that I was not a monster. She told me she felt alone even when I was there. And I was torn. How could I keep pushing her away and save our relationship."

Harry nodded. "You gave her up to keep her safe." He was thinking of Ginny and the torment he felt at leaving her behind.

The Snape double nodded very slowly,"I tried very hard to tell myself that she was with a better man. But I hated James Potter. He was a bully when we were in Hogwarts whether you chose to believe it or not. I didn't want her to go to him," Snape said quietly. He dipped his head once again and sighed. "You and I both heard the letter..."

"She still loved you," Harry said.

Snape nodded.

"Why did you hate me so much?" Harry asked.

Snape looked at him with sad eyes. "You lived and she sacrificed herself to let you live. She made me put the charm on her. It was the only thing, in the end, she wanted of me. It is dark magic." Snape shook his head slowly. "Do you understand. All I could give her was my dark side. I believed...I believed that there was a part of you that was damaged by that spell. And there were signs that I was right; being able to speak parseltongue, your connection to him. I would never have guessed that it was due to his dark magic and not mine until I learned of the Horcruxes."

"Dumbledore thought that Voldemort transferred some of his magic to me when he tried to make the last Horcrux- the Phoenix."

Snape stared at him. "Perhaps the Phoenix is not a whole Horcrux."

Harry nodded. "I think part of it is in me."

"But..." Snape began, his eyes wide with the new information.

"Dumbledore always said that it couldn't take me over because there was a part of me that was good and not evil." Harry shrugged. "It still remains. If all the others are destroyed then I will become the next Lord Voldemort. Can't see that happening can you? Your sacrifice will mean nothing, if I am not killed as well."

"Wait," Snape said, climbing one stair closer.

"Perhaps you should see this." Harry handed the letter in his hand to Snape who took it. "Mother left it behind. Mrs. Higgins, a neighbor, was suppose to give it to me. But she forgot and it stayed on a shelf all these years.

Snape read the letter. A quiet sob broke the silence.

"I'm sorry that it hurts you," Harry said quietly. "I loved her, too. Maybe that's something we share in common. It's a beginning I think." With those words he raised his wand and sent the stunning spell. The Snape Double was not prepared. It worked, which told Harry that the Double was now human enough that a spell could work on him.

"Sorry, father. I don't think your protective spell is going to work this time round. I think he will kill both of us and there will be only one Horcrux left. I've taken care of that one I think. I'm stunning you to give myself a chance to get ahead of you. By the time you find him I'll be dead. You didn't take into account that the protective spell you put on me won't work if I'm a Horcrux. After I am gone it will be your turn to sacrifice yourself. Our lives have been going in this direction for a long time, perhaps it is our destiny. I think that we are a lot alike really." Harry considered his words and nodded to himself. "Yeah, a lot alike."

Harry began the descent into the deepest darkness of his life.

Somewhere above him the real Snape knew what had happened and found the renewed energy and life force to move faster.

Lupin hid within the depths of the castle having found his way by scent through a circuitous maze of passages and corridors. He was watching Voldemort who now looked like a gigantic snake. Wolves, as animals, have a natural aversion to reptiles and an instinct that tells them when a snake is venomous. Regardless they tend to avoid them when possible. It was no different for Lupin. His human prey was within a short distance but on the other side of the large cavernous room and further up inside the castle.

He lay on the cold hard floor and watched, head on paws, waiting.