Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince
Chapter 28
The Prince's Sacrifice
Harry scrambled off the floor boards immediately after his fall. He urged his way up the ruble back to the Astronomy Tower. He could hear yelling and screams, the gold light still emanating.
Once up, he saw Dumbledore, alive and well, standing beside Snape, who was protected in a Gold light, the green killing curse floating around with the light.
"Those who ask for help here at Hogwarts" Dumbledore began" will only get it if they deserve it"
He smiled faintly as he raised his wand and performed spells and tricks both Snape and Harry found unbelievable.
Dumbledore's magic was so impressive, it caused Bellatrix and the Carrows to loose their grip on the battle and become succumbed.
The two Death Eaters ran out the blasted door, in fear of loosing a battle they should have one.
Bellatrix veered her wand around the shield that Dumbledore had placed on Snape and fired a spell that sent him flying across the room, hitting a pillar of wood and ended up being toppled by falling debris.
"That's what you get traitor!" She shrieked as she ran off.
Dumbledore began to chase her but turned to face Harry, and expelled Harry's wand out of his hand.
"Harry" he said "get your wand and stay with Severus."
He ran out of the room before Harry could interpret what had just happened. Why had Dumbledore just de-wand him?
Harry found his wand and walked over to Snape, who as half crushed by boulders and wood, blood oozing from his mouth.
"P-potter…." he mumbled.
Harry walked over, unknown what to say.
"Take….This" he mumbled as he pulled a empty vile from his robe, and filled it with three tears "It shall…..explain…everything."
He smiled, glanced at Harry's eyes, and rolled his eyes shut. The Potions master lay there dead before Harry.
Harry stood up. This was the second time Bellatrix had killed someone who had saved Harry's life.
He ran out the door, following the path of destruction that had transpired.
He had ended up entering in the great hall where the Order, Hermione, Ron, Ginny, and Dumbledore were fighting the pack of Death Eaters who were being cornered. Bellatrix and Amycus were already entangled in a web of charms that Flitwick and McGonagall had made. Dumbledore was shooting curse after curse but to no effect, they managed to all jump out the Great Hall Window vanishing in the lake.
"Professor!" Harry yelled as he approached Dumbledore.
"Harry! I told you to stay put." he said angrily. "To stay with Severus."
"He's,….Dead" Harry said softly
The whole room got quiet. Dumbledore stood there frozen, then swept past him and glanced back.
"Harry, go up to my office and wait, remember, I like Cauldron Cakes." He said with a twinkle in his eye. "Minerva, go up to the Astronomy tower and collect Severus Body, a funeral will transpire soon. Filius, Remus, take the children and head to the dormitories, makes sure all are in bed. Molly, Arthur, go to the ministry and tell them what has taken place." Dumbledore then turned around and took the grasp of Bellatrix and Amycus. "Ill be taking these two to the Dungeons."
As everyone was departing, Harry stood in the Great Hall, carrying his wand in one hand, Snape's in his other. The Horcrux tucked tightly in his pocket. The Vile of memories that Snape had given him in his robes.
What seemed like ages, he slowly made his way to the Headmaster's office. HE climbed the steps up and opened the door and sat in the chair by Dumbledore's desk. The Diary and Ring laid upon it. Harry glanced at Fawkes who was sleeping on his perch, unawake by Harry's entrance.
He heard the door close behind him, and glanced to see Dumbledore striding to his chair and sitting down, moving the two destroyed Horcruxes aside and staring at Harry.
"So" he said as he rested back "Unforeseen events after our trip to the cave."
He smiled. Harry placed Snape's Wand and the Locket on the desk. Dumbledore ignored the wand and picked up the Locket.
He was observing it and then handed it back to Harry
"Well, it seems we have landed in another problem" he gestured to Harry to open it.
Harry opened it to see a not logged in side.
Harry read it out loud.
To The Dark Lord
I know I will be dead long before you read this,
but I want you to know that it was I,
Who discovered your secret.
I have stolen the real Horcrux,
And intend to Destroy it.
I face Death in the hope that you face your match
You will be mortal once more.
R.A.B.
Harry couldn't believe it. It was fake. All of the events for nothing.
"Its….Fake?" Harry looked up to Dumbledore to find a smiling face.
"Another adventure I think" he smiled "Any clues in this paper?"
Harry read it over and over again.
"Its…..written by a Death Eater sir?" Harry asked.
"Precisely what I had thought." Dumbledore said. "Why?"
"Only Death Eaters call Voldemort the Dark Lord" Harry said.
"Yes" Dumbledore said, while putting a string of memory into his pensive. "So it would appear that one of his own followers had found out and tried to stop him. Any guesses?"
"No sir" Harry said thinking of any Death Eaters with the initials R.A.B.
"A homework assignment for you , Mr. Weasly, and Ms. Granger." he said.
There was a knock on the door. Professor Slughorn had entered.
"Albus" he said "Sorry to interrupt but there's a problem in the Dungeons."
Dumbledore walked off with Slughorn and asked Harry to wait a moment.
Harry walked to the pensive and poured the memories of Snape into it.
"Well, here we go" he said as he lowered his head into the bowl.
The memories flourished through him. They all contained memories of young Snape, trying to impress his mother, Lily.
The final memory was in Dumbledore's office
"You were a fool to put that ring on" Snape gestured
"An Old Mans mistake" Dumbledore said as Snape observed his black hand.
"I would say no more than a year, if that" Snape said.
"Very well, thank you Severus" Dumbledore said.
Snape began to leave
"Severus" Dumbledore said softly "In the End, if I am not there to tell the boy, you must tell him."
"Tell him what?" He said
"That in order to vanquish Voldemort, Harry must die." Dumbledore said.
"what?" Snape gestured.
"Harry is the Final Horcrux" Dumbledore said "It explains everything the boy can do."
"So he is just a piece in your big game" Snape said "Waiting for him to die until the proper moment!"
Harry couldn't believe what he was hearing, him a Horcrux?
The memory vanished and Harry fell back, scooting away from the pensive.
How could he be one? Was that possible?
The door swung open and Dumbledore strode in, glancing at Harry on the ground.
"Harry?" He said "Something wrong?"
"Your knew?" he said with anger, standing up
"Knew what?" he said as he glanced at the pensive that was now showing Snape and Lilly fight with a young Petunia. "Ah, about your mother and him?"
"No, About me!" he screamed, "Me being a Horcrux!"
The smile from Dumbledore's face wiped away. A look of concern was on it now.
"So, he told you" he sat in his large golden chair, looking away from Harry.
"I'm just some pawn in your game then?" Harry screamed
"Your just taking it the wrong way, please sit." he said
"No!" Harry screamed
"Fine, then I shall explain it." he said "The night your parents were killed, the night he failed to kill you, a bit of him, a bit of his shattered soul, entered you. The connection to his mind, parseltounge. It all fits."
"How long have you known?" Harry said.
"Since last year, when you said you were Nagini" Dumbledore said. "When you could see through its eyes, I knew the Horcrux in you, was channeling the one in Nagini."
Harry couldn't believe it.
"Harry I know how you must feel, but I have a plan, as they always seem to work out in the end" he smiles
"It appears that once Voldemort kills you" he said "yes he himself must do it." cutting Harry off. "Once Voldemort is mortal, I would assume after all the Horcruxes are destroyed, then yourself, it will be up to the Order, and others to finish him."
"But….."Harry didn't know what to say. Who could say anything about planning their own death.
"Moving on, You have your homework for the summer, and good luck on your exams" He said as he moved Harry out of his office.
The next two weeks seemed to slump by, Exams had been finished and Harry had returned to an almost normal life. He ended his relationship with Ginny, without giving reasons. Ron and Hermione were told everything except for his death sentence. Hermione had begun looking up dead Death Eaters to find more about R.A.B but nothing had turned up.
As They boarded the Train to head back to London, Harry sat by himself, as Ron and Hermione veered off to the Prefect Lounge. Ginny had avoided him with Luna and Neville.
The only person who had asked to sit with him was Dean Tomas but he found another spot.
The lonely ride back gave Harry thinking time about his sentence to the death, that even if he was to die, he still had a job. A job of vanquishing Voldemort and ended the War.