Disclaimer: The characters and settings, including any sentences taken directly or partly from the books or movies, of Harry Potter are the property of J. K. Rowling, Scholastic Books, Bloomsbury Publishing, AOL Time Link and Warner Brothers. I do not make money from publishing my story.
Harry had never thought he would be studying together with Snape. It was not only that they were seated together in the same room, not making mean comments or mean glances towards each other. It was also that they had gotten caught up in an academic debate. Severus was interested in how the horcrux within Harry had reacted to some of his escapades.
Severus wasn't the only one who gathered more information on his subject, he also tried to teach Harry about the different potions and balms he had premade and put in his bags. Severus was now sure that when he was incapable of giving himself or Harry first aid, his student would do an average job of it.
He also taught his student to apparate. Even though Harry couldn't apparate to their next destination, based on the distance, he could also still be tracked because of the trace of the ministry on him, but it would be a valuable skill during battle, when the trace wouldn't matter anymore. But they also considered the fact that they wouldn't be able to apparate through the wards, inside it was fine, but neither they nor the enemy could apparate through them.
Even though the day went relatively quiet, Severus knew that it was only a matter of time before either the ministry, Dumbledore or the Dark Lord would come knocking on their door. In the best case scenario, Severus would be able to teach Harry most survival magic that the Prince library had to offer before they had to flee the mansion. Severus had another family home, that they could live in for a while, by apparating there they couldn't be tracked easily by any party.
But luck wasn't on their side. By the end of the next day, just after Harry had done his first successful apparition on close distance, meaning within the house, a soft ringing tune produced by some kind of bell sounded through the house.
"The perimeter wards", Severus said both to himself and his student, "gather our supplies!" Both Severus and Harry sped up their movements. Harry gathered their belongings from upstairs, while Severus gathered some of the more interesting books and their last provisions in the kitchen.
Soon enough loud banging could be heard throughout the house, its source were the wizards outside casting spells to bring down the wards. After quickly collecting their belongings, shrinking them and putting them away, Severus indicated they should go to the back of the castle, hoping they could get to the border of the wards, where Severus would be able to apparate them away.
Suddenly a loud voice could be heard, it was Dumbledore's, sounding al throughout the house and surrounding area. "Severus, it is in your best interests to give yourselves up. You are only endangering the boy more", the voice sounded kind and caring, but both Severus and Harry knew that the headmaster could manipulate almost anyone. They wouldn't allow themselves to be captured.
"What do we do now, sir?", Harry said, even though the headmaster didn't have his best interest at heart, the rest of the Order wouldn't purposefully harm him. To fight them all out would probably mean he had to harm his friends.
"We will try to run out of the back, using non-lethal spells we try to get as much time as possible, we should try to get to the edge of the wards as soon as possible, I will apparate us to the next safe house", it was a clear plan, but with a lot of risks.
Just as they leaped out of the back door, a loud bang signified that the last ward had fallen. The small amount of time it had taken Dumbledore and the rest of the Order to break the ancient wards made clear how many people were outside, because the wards had been very strong and only with a large group of people could they be taken down.
As soon as they went out of the door, they were fired upon with stupefy and petrificus totalis, these spells were fired by at least three people that were standing guard by this way out. Severus and Harry went on the defense, using nearly only shielding spells and disarming spells. Sometimes using a jinx involving the environment, making a swamp appear behind them, to keep them from following.
This all while running and when more and more Order members appeared. Soon enough they could identify their attackers. Tonks, Lupin and Arthur Weasley were the first three that had opened fire upon them.
Very quickly more people were appearing shooting spells left and right, but only hitting air or shields. The more people arrived, the harder it became for Harry and Severus to cover ground and escape. That and the fact that Severus' recent injury hadn't healed completely yet, making it harder for him to keep up with his younger and fitter student. Soon enough they came to a halt, when headmaster Dumbledore appeared.
He had yet to cast any spells, but Severus stood still now, to be able to deflect any spell this powerful man might fire off. "Severus, please don't take the boy down with you. Let Harry go, you are only confused. Please let us help you."
Together Harry and Snape managed to slowly back away from the Order. "You no longer have Harry's best interests at heart, Albus", Severus said, while remaining alert and keeping his wand aimed at the different order members. Harry too frantically tried to keep check of everything that happened around him, while not directly looking at Remus or mr. Weasley.
Harry was afraid he would see that they were disappointed in him, or that they gave him disapproving looks for going with Snape. They didn't understand that he just wanted someone to be truthful to him, to keep him in the loop about the threats to his life, the exact thing that Snape had been doing from when he had taken him from the Dursleys. 'Ok, from when he had arrived at Spinner's end.'
He needed someone who did not baby him and helped him to prepare for his inevitable destiny of defeating Voldemort. "Surely we can sort this misunderstanding out, Severus, Harry", and while the Headmaster addressed each of them he looked at them intently. Both Severus and Harry avoided the immediate eye contact, their plans had to stay safe and they were aware that the Headmaster would read them from their minds if he got the chance.
"Harry, please, we care for you", deciding Harry was the weaker factor in the duo, Albus guided his attention to his student, "let us help you, I am sure that we can find a solution to whatever is making you do this." After hearing what Severus had told him about the Headmaster's plans, he sincerely doubted the man. The sweet voice the Headmaster was talking in set his teeth on edge.
"Your plan was never to help me!", Harry shouted, gaining him disapproving looks from the rest of the Order, though the Headmaster didn't bat an eyelash. "You only care for the greater good, as long as Voldemort is dead, you don't care who else dies!" A few of the people flinched at Harry's outburst, either by the Dark Lord's name or that what Harry was implying.
"I am very sorry that you think that, Harry, but I truly wish to help you", the Headmaster's face showed he cared about him, but Harry wasn't fooled by it. The Headmaster had lied to him before, he could easily do it again.
"You knew there was a piece of Voldemort inside me, all this time, you never told me, you never helped me, you never tried to alleviate the consequences!", this revelation shocked several of the already taken aback Order members, but Harry took no notice of them. "I'm done being your puppet Headmaster, I will learn how to rely on myself, taught by someone who will not lie to me, who I know will not coddle me! I will take down Voldemort on my own terms! Maybe I will die, but at least I will know that I did everything I could!"
Severus had to admit he was quite proud of the boy, few had the guts to stand up to the great Albus Dumbledore like this and even fewer managed to get a rise out of him. Yes, Albus Dumbledore was not happy, though invisible to anyone but Snape and maybe a few others, he was indeed very angry.
"It is sad that your mind is clouded to any reason, I find it unfortunate that we will have to stop you by force", suddenly the battle livened up again. While no one fired any lethal spells, Harry and Snape were severely outnumbered and were mainly focused on keeping up their protective barriers.
While Dumbledore's spells were the hardest to keep at bay, their shields nearly crumbled under the power of some of his spells. "I was being merciful, Harry, to allow your death. The horcrux has been part of you for so long that when it is destroyed, you will suffer greatly because of it. I hoped to spare you the pain, but it seems you will not listen to reason, I hope you will forgive me for this. exorcizamus anima"
It took a moment too long for Severus to realize where the Headmaster's speech was headed, he reacted a moment too late. The spell Dumbledore had fired, was one that he did not recognize, but according to the speech it would harm Harry. The fact that Dumbledore hadn't taken down their shields first, probably meant it would go right trough them.
Snape was not surprised then when the spell shattered all their shields before it hit Harry straight in his chest. The moment it hit Harry a huge shockwave appeared with the student at its center. All spells disintegrated as well as the wards. The sky glittered with the remains of the all the spells and it looked absolutely beautiful, soon the beauty of the headmaster's spell ended. Harry Potter began screaming as if he had been cursed with the Cruciatus curse.
All people were concerned about the boy, including the Headmaster who had no idea what kind of damage his recently discovered archaic spell would do to his student. It had only been described as a spell to exorcise tainted souls, which Voldemort's soul clearly qualified as, it hadn't described any damage being done to the vessel of the soulpiece,
In the midst of the confusion Severus took advantage of everyone's distraction, as he leaped towards his student and apparated them both away.