CHAPTER 44

Severus knew that his face was paler than the mask which covered his features. His black eyes gazed fathomlessly from behind the eyeholes at Voldemort and Harry. Harry's wand was warm and solid in his hand. He heard Peter Pettigrew's teeth chatter and Lucius Malfoy shift uneasily as Harry held Voldemort's scarlet stare steadily with his green eyes. He thought of the visions which had visited him before Harry had learnt to master Legilimency. There had never been enough time to test whether they could "project" visions deliberately to each other, whether there was a way to control them. The Dark Mark began to burn on his arm again; Voldemort's lips – or what passed for lips – were peeling back, revealing his teeth. Harry's hands clenched and his body tensed; he was starting breathe more quickly, to judge from the rising and falling of his chest; but he did not move, his eyes remaining fixed on Voldemort's. The Death Eaters were thoroughly unsettled; Severus heard a whisper travel from Lucius Malfoy to Bellatrix Lestrange.

"His scar as starting to bleed!"

With a spike of icy fear, Severus saw a thin trickle of blood run down Harry's forehead; and still the young wizard struggled with all his might, green eyes narrowing slightly. The air was becoming hot– the magic Voldemort and Harry were generating was affecting the temperature. Strawberry, Severus thought, his body breaking out into a cold sweat, too distressed with concern for Harry to berate himself for the irrelevance of the pet name in such a situation. His whole being was crying out to Harry now, screaming at him to continue resisting Voldemort, to not give way…

Severus suddenly found himself standing next to Harry, facing his own robed and masked self in the circle of Death Eaters. With a feeling of disbelief, he realised what he had done – he had projected himself forwards and out of his body with the exceptional skill of a wizard accomplished in mental magic – and with the strength of the weapon which Voldemort did not possess. None of the Death Eaters reacted – they could not see him. He knew that he was visible to Harry alone. Soul sympathy, he thought.

"Don't turn your head, Strawberry," he whispered to Harry. A soft gasp of surprise escaped Harry's lips. Severus stepped behind Harry and put his arms around his waist.

"Resist!" he whispered into Harry's ear; and he heard Harry answer him without moving his lips, his voice spreading in Severus's mind:

"I will, Sev."

Voldemort hissed, his eyes so red that they resembled blood-filled pits in his snake-like face. Harry raised his chin higher, defiantly maintaining his Occlumentic shields.

A wave of dizziness assaulted Severus, and he saw his physical self sway. His body was calling him back. Severus ignored the summons and stayed. A whimper broke out of Peter Pettigrew's throat. Voldemort began to walk slowly towards Harry until his nose nearly touched Harry's. Harry remained where he was, his face stained with blood from his still-leaking scar. Severus gathered all his power, sending it to Harry; he felt him absorb it and heard his breathing slow down a little; together, Harry and Severus hurled a sphere of invisible power at Voldemort; and even as another jolt of dizziness flooded Severus and his real body swayed again, Voldemort staggered back as if he had received a blow on the chest. Whispers broke out among the Death Eaters.

"My Lord," Bellatrix's hoarse voice gasped. Red droplets were trickling down Voldemort's face, as if he was sweating blood. Severus's head was spinning, and knew that he was weakening the longer he stayed out of his body.

"Harry, I am going to Summon your wand. Prepare to catch it."

"I love you, Sev."

The words infused Severus with a burst of overpowering strength; drawing on every ounce of his power, he Summoned Harry's wand and watched it leave the statuesque hand of his robed and masked body and fly towards Harry. The youth caught it, his hand flashing out. Confusion broke out among the Death Eaters.

"What-?" Lucius began to shout. Pettigrew was whimpering. Severus closed his eyes and yielded to the tug of his body. With a slam and a shudder, he was back, and only one wand, his own, was remaining in his hand. Voldemort's red eyes were wide; he had inadvertently broken eye contact with Harry when the wand had flown past him. Severus fought down a wave of nausea. It was time to give himself away.

"Silence!" Voldemort commanded, raising a skeletal hand. The Death Eaters obeyed immediately.

"Severus." Voldemort's voice was deadly quiet. "I was under the impression that you had taken that wand," he pointed a spidery finger at Harry's hand.

"Indeed, I took the wand at your bidding, my Lord," Severus answered smoothly. Harry could hear the faintest note of steel in those velveteen tones.

"And how come that wand came to leave your possession?" Voldemort asked coldly.

"Because I returned it to its rightful owner, my Lord," Severus answered, staring calmly into the scarlet eyes. The ensuing stunned silence was interrupted by a sharp crack, followed by several others. Aurors and Order members were Apparating. Harry was sure he could see Moody. The graveyard glowed white as they hurried towards the Death Eaters, wands in their hands; there was a sizzling sound, and the allies stopped abruptly. Voldemort had set up wards which only Death Eaters could pass.

"I TOLD YOU SO! I TOLD YOU, MY LORD!" Bellatrix screamed, "BUT YOU WOULDN'T LISTEN TO ME!"

Severus left the circle and walked towards Harry and took his hand. All eyes moved towards the couple's clasped hands. Both Harry and Severus gazed at Voldemort's rigid face. Voldemort looked from Severus to Harry, his gaze lingering upon their clasped hands with shock and disgust. They could hear the Aurors chanting spells as they tried to dismantle the wards.

"Why?" Voldemort spat out at last; the words seemed wrenched from him against his will, and the snake-like face contorted with a grimace of self-disgust at having uttered the question and displayed his vulnerability.

"Love, Riddle," Severus said.

"You lost, Tom," Harry observed gently, wiping the blood off his face with his arm.

"DON'T CALL ME THOSE MUDBLOOD NAMES!" Voldemort bellowed.

Bellatrix whipped out her wand and aimed a hex at Severus. He ducked, and the curse crashed into a tombstone, ripping out a chunk of stone.

"Catch and torture the traitor, but do not kill him! I will deal with him after I have dealt with the boy!" Voldemort hissed, drawing out his own wand. Severus conjured a powerful Shield Charm as the first hexes began to fly. Voldemort, however, seized Lucius by his long yellow hair and pulled his wand out of his robes.

"You will have to make do without a wand, my dear Lucius – mine does not function properly against the Potter boy's," Voldemort said, thrusting Lucius aside roughly, his elbow colliding with Lucius's nose as he did so. The blond wizard staggered away, coughing while his nose bled profusely. Out of the corner of his eye, Harry saw Bellatrix approach Severus, who was duelling Crabbe; a hex from Crabbe's wand made the shield around Severus shiver and collapse. Bellatrix was holding her wand out, and her mouth was opening to utter the same curse which had sent Sirius through the Veil and to his death. With a wild cry, Harry ran towards Severus, knowing that there was not enough time to aim a spell at Bellatrix.

"NO!" he screamed, not noticing Voldemort's eyes gleam, or his hand raise Lucius's wand, or his lips curve to utter the Killing Curse. With the agility of a carefully trained duellist, Harry seized Severus's arm and threw himself on the ground, forcing Severus to lie next to him in the grass. Two green streaks flew just above their heads – both Bellatrix and Voldemort had uttered the Killing Curse at the same time. With a deafening crash, the spells collided into the same tombstone, splitting it asunder. The other Death Eaters were crowding in. This was no wizard's duel, where it was one against one. It was many against two. Too many. The wards surrounding the graveyard flickered; the Aurors' efforts were being rewarded; but another threat was at hand: familiar hooded figures were drifting towards them. Dementors. An ominous chill pervaded the whole place. Voldemort smiled.

"Sev," Harry whispered, "Stay here. Don't move."

"Harry, what are you-"

"He has my blood. It will rebound."

"What-"

Harry kissed him quickly but passionately on the mouth and rose. Behind him, he could hear the wards give way and his allies invade the scene.

"Hold on, Harry!" Lupin's hoarse voice called out to him. And was that Ron's hair, and Hermione's bushy mane? He had no time to take another look;

Voldemort was gliding towards him, eyeing him like a cat eyeing a particularly tasty mouse. Severus staggered to his feet, his wand out, desperate to protect Harry as fiercely as he could, drained and sick as he felt.

"AVADA KEDAVRA!"

The green jet of magic hissed out of Lucius Malfoy's wand – but not in Harry's direction. It flew towards Severus.

"SEVERUS!" Harry threw himself in front of Severus, shielding him with his body, his wand stretched out.

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