Title: Harry Potter and the Summer From Hell

Author: Ladye Black

Rating: T+

Disclaimer: I do not own the characters herein that relate to the Harry Potter books. I do, however, own those that do not…if there are any.

Quickly, I'm also sorry for how long this took. I fell out of writing completely, for a time…a long time. I apologize. I did promise to finish, though. And I shall.

Chapter 29

They stood in a large circle, all seven of them, facing outward. Though they were not part of the particular spell that Severus Snape was to perform, they were still important. They were to protect the two individuals in the center, Severus Snape and his Holder, Harry Potter. The spell they were to cast would allow objects to go out, but not go in. Nothing could interfere with Snape's spell casting. Dumbledore had warned them that Voldemort would try to disrupt the spell, once he caught wind of it. He would send minions of all kinds to try and break them. If they were to defeat Voldemort, they could not break.

Gathered in the Great Hall, the heart of Hogwarts, where all of the school had gathered together to share in each other's presence for hundreds of years, they made ready. Dumbledore, McGonagall, Lupin, Granger, Weasley, Kingsley, and Moody, all focused on maintaining a sound wall against any creature that the other side might send. In the middle, Snape and Potter, went over their parts, one last time.

Minutes later, it was time. Facing outward, they began to chant, in unison, the protection spell that would hopefully keep Potter and Snape safe until they did what they had gathered to do. Once they had gone through the chant several times, the two in the center began their own ritual. First, they bound themselves to each other. It was a light bonding, not meant to be serious. It was the type of bond that any two wizards, or witches, might enter into to perform a dual spell. However, it was enough to give Harry a line into Severus's being and grasp a thread of soul so that Severus could not go astray. They both dearly hoped that Harry would be able to hold on.

Severus, for his part, began another spell. This one was short, and allowed him to disconnect from his earthly body. His second task was not a spell, but to find Voldemort's own earthly body and unravel the threads that connected it to his soul. Only then could the powerful wizard be killed, and balance restored to the world that had been disrupted by the workings of a man that had made a deal with a demon. Finding Voldemort was going to be the easy part; untangling him would be difficult. Not only were the threads in an almost incomprehensible knot, but if Voldemort felt him unraveling his soul, he would fight back. And there was almost no way Voldemort wouldn't feel it.

As he expected, he found the miasma of Voldemort's existence quite easily. It was a horrible swirl of black and red, and Severus knew that if he had a sense of smell at this moment, it would have been horrible. As it is, he couldn't really see either, just had an impression that his human mind turned into colors so that he could filter out other existences. As soon as he marked out Voldemort, he headed straight for him and dove into the miasma. His next objective was to start as quickly as he could to separate the red and black from each other.

He found a place to start and began untangling the parts from each other. He couldn't just rip them apart; if any red remained attached to any black, they would be able to reunite. The best and most thorough was to untangle them from each other and make sure they stayed apart until both were entirely separated.

Far away, Voldemort felt himself breaking apart. He cursed, knowing that it was Snape that was making lose his tenuous grip on his soul. He was almost done the spell though. The pathway was open, the demon was rising. All that was left was to break the barrier between Hell and the mortal realm. However, he would not be able to complete the summoning though the torture of his soul fleeing his body. With a motion of his head, he notified the men in the room that it was time to do their parts.

They left room to gather the Death Eaters that waited. With wands in ready in the air, they Apparated to the Hogwart's gates. Breaking in was easy. There was no one left to guard the gates, and several powerful bursts of magic sent them flying open. They raced inside, towards the great doors of the castle. At the doors, they met resistance. Several teachers that had remained behind rained spells down upon the invaders.

It wasn't enough.

They were overwhelmed with the sheer number of Death Eaters that had appeared to storm the castle. One-by-one, they fell, and slowly, the enemy gained ground.

Harry gritted his teeth as he held on tightly to the line connecting him to Severus's soul. It was hard, he could feel it wanting to float away, especially as Snape too longer and longer to do what he had set out to accomplish. The longer the older man's soul remained disconnected from his body, the harder it would be for him to find his way back. That was why it was so important that Harry held on. As long as Severus had that tether, he would be able to make it back.

As the minutes grew longer and longer, it became harder to hold on. It was exhausting, holding onto something so intangible. It required a great deal of mental focus, something that Harry should have had; had he not been so stubborn in refusing to learn any mental discipline.

Cursing silently, Harry tightened his hold. He would not fail in this. He would not fail the man he loved; someone who trusted him with his most intimate being. He would prevail, and then Severus would come back to him. And from there, infinite possibilities that all led to a life together for the two of them. Harry wouldn't let something so important slip away.

Ever.

Voldemort's soul was screaming in an agony so dense he could no longer ignore it. He had to stop Snape from accomplishing his goal. Even if it meant that he had to pause the spell.

To an outsider, it seemed if Voldemort had just suddenly frozen for no reason. He stopped chanting, he stopped moving, he stopped breathing. He had focused all his being internally to care of the nuisance that wanted to destroy his chance at taking over the entire world.

He broad-sided Snape's essence heavily, knocking the other man away from his task. Quickly, however, Snape got up and returned to what he had been doing, ripping apart Voldemort's tenuous grasp in bigger chunks. Enraged, Voldemort again knocked him aside. It took Snape a moment longer to recover, but that was all the Dark Lord needed to hit him again. Getting up, Snape shook off the hits and ran at Voldemort, knocking him aside before again going back to his work. He was almost done. A few more minutes and Voldemort's soul would be completely separated from his body, and then, with a few words, he would never be able to rejoin them. A sharp, ripping pain made him stop however.

Hunching over, he realized that Voldemort had ripped a chunk of his soul out. The pain was agonizing, but if he didn't finish his task, it wouldn't even matter. There would be no world in which to feel pain, or sorrow, or happiness. Most importantly, there would be no world in which there was love. And it was out of love that Snape was now sacrificing his very being. Love for a diverse world full of so much potential, and love for a single green-eyed boy.

In a moment of clarity, Snape's soul blazed.

Death Eater's poured into the Great Hall. At the same time, Harry gasped as he saw blood dribble out of Snape's mouth. It meant only one thing; Severus's soul was damaged. That was bad because any damage that was done to the soul was not only reflected in the body, but was also likely permanent. It meant that not only would Severus have to make his way back through fatigue, but also through pain and missing a part of himself. It meant…that Severus might not want to come back.

Around him, the Order members held up their barrier resolutely, knowing they were the only thing standing between a literal Hell on earth, and their saving grace. They took the blows that the Death Eaters threw at them. Magic pounded the members from all sides, but they stood firm. All they could do was hold the barrier. They poured all their magic into it, making it stronger and stronger. They continued to do so, until one of them fell.

It was McGonagall first. Age only surpassed by Dumbledore, and though a strong witch in her own right, she was severely depleted from days upon days of staying up to all hours, hardly ever sleeping, and organizing a resistance effort to keep the school safe. She collapsed, too weary to get up again, she could only sit and watch dazedly as the others struggled to fill in the gap she left. Soon, she could no longer do even that. As she tiredly gave into her body's demands, she looked upon her students and with chagrin, she thought of how she could no longer protect them.

And as she closed her eyes, she caught the gaze of Harry Potter, who looked upon her with wide eyes filled with determination. And she knew there was still hope. Then, she knew nothing.

With a wild yell, Severus sped towards Voldemort, knocking into him with full force. With an enraged look in his eyes, Snape tore at the other man's soul, rendering unto him the same pain that he himself felt. He tore and tore and tore, until there was only shreds. But, he knew that was not enough. Voldemort was the only being alive that could recoup from such an injury. He must separate the soul from the body. His final task must be carried out.

Bearing the large wound in him, he dragged himself over to the last tattered remains of the link between Voldemort's soul and his body. With a great, heaving rip, he pulled the last of it apart. And, with a few whispered words to an incantation he had made up less than a day ago, Voldemort would never be able to fuse his body and soul ever again. Satisfied, he closed his eyes to sleep.

So, somehow, this has no dialogue. Very action heavy. There will be one more chapter, so don't worry. Yeah, I know, this took forever. Well, lucky you guys, I finally graduated college and have yet to find a real job. Which means I actually have time to write…

Also, a huge thanks to all of you that have continued to support me. I am forever in your debt. –bows humbly-