It was morning when I woke up, the rays of the sun gently massaging my sun-kissed face. We were in a desolate place, with few things to use as a barrier between us and Voldemort. The ground was copper-colored, and muddy. Raindrops were falling rapidly, obscuring my view and fogging my glasses.
I somehow ended up in my professor's arms, and I squirmed in embarrassment. I wanted to get out, to not look weak in front of Voldemort. But Snape didn't care as he shushed me, and checked me for injuries.
Thunder rumbled and time stilled. Then I heard it, a devious laughter echoing from right behind us.
"It seems you have more tricks up your sleeves than I imagined, child. But my, how fitting is your position right now, feeble, doted on by adults, nothing but a squalling babe."
I looked at my professor imploringly.
"Let me fight, professor. I can help."
Voldemort cackled and Snape just glared, but it wasn't the kind of look aunt Petunia usually gave me when she was angry at me and thought me a pest. The way my professor looked at me reminded me of how Mrs. Weasley gazed at Fred or George whenever they pulled a prank, stern, worried yet fond.
"I believe you have helped enough, Mr. Potter," Snape whispered.
Then he dragged me behind another hallowed tree. A sense of déjà vu filled me and I gulped. My mouth was dry, and I was parched.
The duel began again, more fiery than before. They were casting to kill, no more deals, no more mercy. It felt almost like an arrow pierced my very soul, when I saw my professor stumble momentarily, the Killing Curse rushing towards him. I acted on instinct as I jumped into the battle, wanting to save him.
But strangely he was unharmed. The killing curse hit him and he was just fine.
Snape clutched his heart, surprised that he could still draw breath.
Voldemort was stunned too, I could tell by the widening of his eyes and the way he held his wand, so loosely, almost like dropping it. Whereas he usually twirled it around his fingers, mockingly, always somehow mastering a good grip on it.
"My Severus, have you learned how to survive me from dear Harry, here? No matter, I'll bring you to your knees once more, my traitorous serpent. Crucio!"
The spell sizzled and danced like fireworks of pain. I jumped in front of my professor as he shouted in horror, "Potter, no!"
But, nothing happened. No pain was felt, not even a flicker of it.
"Impossible," Voldemort said, staring almost absentminded. I've never seen him like that before, so worried. My professor took advantage of that, and shouted, "Avada Kedavra!"
Whatever luck had graced us was also favoring Voldemort, for he remained stoic, and so very much alive.
He laughed and I fumed. I tried to Crucio him, but it was for nothing because he remained cursedly sane and still among the living.
"What have you done now, little Harry?" Voldemort asked and sneered at me.
"I…don't know," I admitted sheepishly.
Both Snape and Voldemort sighed and it felt too much like how Ron and Hermione sighed when I forgot to eat, well, too much for comfort anyway.
"Which curse did you throw at us?" Severus asked calmly.
"It was a curse from the forbidden section, sir," I admitted.
Snape's face scrunched up and I almost expected him to spit, "Fifty points from Gryffindor!"
Then I really wouldn't live it down.
"What was the book called?" my professor continued.
"I forgot," I said and looked at my shoes.
"What was the author?" Voldemort asked oh-so helpfully.
"I don't know!" I screamed in his face.
"I assume you know the name of the curse, Mr. Potter?" Snape asked me, and quirked an eyebrow.
"Yes," I said.
"Illuminate us."
I frowned then I told him about the curse that was supposed to take away a caster's spells, and use them against him.
"So then when the Dark Lord cast a time-slowing curse, and I cast a protection spell…"
"Harry here took both our spells and accidentally used them against all of us," Voldemort said, "But that doesn't explain surviving the Avada Kedavra or my Crucio."
"I wished for my professor to be okay," I admitted looking embarrassed at professor Snape who smiled at me. Wait until I told Ron he did know how to smile!
"I wished you dropped dead, Harry, yet that didn't happen. Did you wish me to survive?" Voldemort asked.
I threw him a look as if he were mental. He probably was.
"Well then it's not wish magic, is it?" he lectured me. It stung to admit it but he would have made a good DADA teacher.
"What if the time curse and the protection spell interacted with each other because of Potter's curse? We could be in a different time and unable to hurt each other because of the combination of spell properties?" Professor Snape asked looking infuriatingly at Voldemort for guidance or counseling. I was getting a bit nauseous.
"A plausible theory, Severus," Voldemort said.