Chapter 114: The Coward's Way
A/N: Here's Another Update...
My Thanks To All My Readers And Reviewers-S.S.
{"You let your feet run wild...Time has come as we all, oh, go down...Yeah but for the fall, ooh, my...Do you dare to look him right in the eyes? Yeah...Oh, 'cause they will run you down, down 'til the dark...Yes and they will run you down, down 'til you fall...And they will run you down, down 'til you go...Yeah, so you can't crawl no more...", Way Down We Go, KALEO}
The Astronomy Tower, Hogwarts Castle, Scotland, Wizarding World...
Dusk had been upon them as Severus Snape found himself answering the summons from The Headmaster who had requested his presence. He stood slowly moving toward a rather stunned Harry Potter who had been instructed by Dumbledore himself to stay below and clear of the events that were rapidly unfolding atop the tower. Snape pointed his wand startling Harry Potter who had from the looks of it, been actually glad to see him as he huddled beneath the top floor unsure of what to do with Dumbledore being surrounded by Bellatrix LeStrange and her death eater ilk as they hissed and snarled at the severely weakened older wizard who seemed to be as pleasant in conversation as always.
The former Potions Professor put a finger to his lips and Harry nodded in agreement as Snape slowly made his way up the rest of the stairs. Tears streamed down the cheeks of a trembling and grief stricken Draco Malfoy as he shakily aimed his wand at The Headmaster who didn't seem in the least able to put up a fight. Bellatrix had been more or less out for blood despite her nephew being the one tasked with doing away with the meddlesome old man.
"Do it Draco!" hissed Bellatrix her madness clearly getting the better of her as anticipation set in. "NOW!"
"No." said Snape stepping out from the shadows behind the still trembling Draco.
He stood before Albus Dumbledore their eyes meeting for the first time in that instant.
"Severus..." he said in a soft father-like tone as he gazed rather pleadingly into the dark obsidian eyes of his most surprising student turned loyal spy. "Please..."
Snape seemed to take a breath for a moment, mustering all the hate he felt in his agonized young heart for the old bastard that stood before him, helpless and weak from the curse and something else...poison maybe? He had done more than enough to make his life a living hell even as much as The Dark Lord had this position of being the one to end his miserable old life not withstanding. He knew in that moment that he had hated Dumbledore a great deal as he looked back into his unsettling blue eyes that still had the revere to hold that oddly uncanny twinkle behind them.
This bastard had robbed him of his release, imprisoned him in the very school where he suffered under his obnoxious rule while Gryffindors just like him strutted about the halls consequence free until Umbridge put a stop to them.
A swift wand movement with precise aim and a barely bellowed out incantation later and the words hit Harry's ears whom had been in disbelief from the moment the older man's wand had been aimed at the weak Elder man.
"Avada Kedavra!" said Snape as the breath he'd been holding seemed to exhale along with all the life in Dumbledore's body as he fell backwards and fell off the tower his arms and robes failing in the wake of the seed of his great fall.
Snape stood in silence as Bellatrix let out a shriek and aimed her wand high in the sky signaling that the dark deed had been done. Draco had been at a loss for words as tears streamed down his pale cheeks and Snape silently escorted him down the tower knowing full well that Harry Potter was watching them and knew of the younger Malfoy's attempts to kill The Headmaster before Snape arrived.
The snatchers and Bellatrix had followed him making the trek down to The Great Hall where Bellatrix cackled in their ears as they headed out of the castle before anyone had been alerted to their collective presence. Their steps had been brisk as Snape lead them all out the main doors and down toward the forbidden forest but Bellatrix had been keen on antagonizing the half giant Hagrid as she set ablaze to his home and belongings in the wake of her blood lust causing a tremendous explosion of fire magic frightening a tearful Draco who had still been reeling from the shock of his godfather killing Headmaster Dumbledore right before his eyes.
Her little diversion to the half giant's house had allowed for Harry Potter to catch up to them, driven by rage and heartbroken over the death of the most prominent father figure he'd ever known. Snape could hear the boy calling after him and felt his rage a mile away as he opted not to look in his direction turning his attention toward getting Draco as far away from Potter as possible.
SSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS
The Grounds Hogwarts Castle, Wizarding World...
"HE TRUSTED YOU!" shouted Harry enraged as he continued to follow Snape and the others.
Tears had been streaming down the lad's pale cheeks as he grappled with the pain of loss and his rage all at once. Snape had known how it felt all too well following the deaths of his mother and Lily Evans-Potter.
The angry boy unleashed a torrid of spells in The Defense Against The Dark Arts Professor's direction. Snape easily blocked and countered them.
"FIGHT BACK!" growled Harry as he sent spell after spell in Snape's direction. "FIGHT BACK YOU COWARD!"
Bellatrix growled and dropped Harry onto his back by way of her swift spell work.
"NO!" shouted Snape knowing full well that Bellatrix had every intention of killing the boy. "He belongs to The Dark Lord."
Bellatrix rolled her eyes and turned her attention to rounding up Draco as the Snatcher took off for greener pastures, leaving Snape alone amid the burning flames left behind by Bellatrix setting Hagrid's place on fire and with a downed and enraged Harry James Potter to glare at him as he made his way toward the forbidden forest.
Harry snarled as he scrambled to his feet grasping his wand in hand as he glared at Severus Snape, his most hated enemy for as long as he could remember.
Snape had glared back at him no more wishing to explain his treacherous position as he had been to end the boy's misery.
"No." said Snape already giving a final warning to Harry James Potter as the enraged teen gripped his wand tighter.
Harry could only see red as the spell came across his mind that he'd used on Draco written in the now gone potions book as he aimed his wand at Snape. The Potions Master had seen the words and the book clear in the angry boy's mind and had already known what to do to counter it.
"SECTUMSEMPRA!" shouted Harry aloud just as Snape blocked his spell with a swift wipe of his hand.
Shocked the lack of damage to Snape and that he blocked it, Harry tried again and again only to have him met with the same result. Snape had been enraged as his obsidian eyes flickered with malice as he stood amid the high winds and the billowing smoke and dancing red orange flames his robes and long raven locks blowing in the heated air.
Harry had been on his feet once and then on his back the next.
He could feel Snape's magic weighing him down even as he struggled amid the grass his hatred for the man before him seemingly knowing no bounds.
"You dare use my own spells against me, Potter?" asked Snape in a rather biting tone as his obsidian eyes once more flickered with rage and malice.
Harry had been confused as he tried to recall who the name of the one that owned his potions book before him.
"Yes." said Snape in a rather cold and venomous tone. "I am The Half-Blood Prince."
Harry's eyes widened as he came to terms with Professor Severus Snape being the one that had written in the potions book that he'd come to lean on over the course of his most recent school term and even considered something of a distant friend given how less lonely he felt when he had it. His rage returned once he reconciled his seemingly timeless friend with the greasy git that had ended the life of the beloved Albus Dumbledore.
Snape kicked Harry's wand from away from his hand and proceeded toward the forbidden forest still somehow weighing Harry down by way of his magic.
Harry Potter had not been alone long as Hermione Granger came rushing to his aid after sensing that he'd been in danger. She had just missed the departure of her husband as tears streamed down her cheeks and she lifted the spell off Harry who scrambled to his feet wishing in vain to chase after Snape and face him again.
"Harry, what's going on why is everyone saying that Dumbledore has been killed?" asked Hermione upset and confused all at once.
"Because he has." replied Harry with tears streaming down his face. "SNAPE KILLED HIM!"
The words seemed to hit Hermione like a ton of bricks as she gasped in the wake of them as if someone had thrown an icy bucket of water onto her chest and she could hardly breathe.
"No." she said unable to process what she'd just been told. "That's not true Harry, I know you don't like Professor Snape but this isn't right."
"It's true Hermione!" shouted Harry upset as the tears continued to stream down his cheeks. "SNAPE IS EVIL, DUMBLEDRORE TRUSTED HIM AND HE BETRAYED HIM, HE KILLED HIM WITH THE KILLING CURSE ON THE ASTRONMY TOWER, HERMIONE SNAPE KILLED DUMBLEDORE!"
"NO!" said Hermione as tears began to stream down her own cheeks in rapid succession. "He wouldn't...Harry you are mistaken, Severus would never...do that...Severus wouldn't..."
As much as harry had been prepared to argue his point, he had never gotten the chance as Hermione fainted as the weight of his words struck her and her young body collapsed onto the ground leaving Harry to scramble and get her back to Hogwarts and to the Infirmary.