WARNING: You will hate this chapter. You might even hate me. That's alright. Just don't forget, this is not the last chapter. And if you've enjoyed the story so far, have faith that I know what I'm doing. Now I'll go into hiding and let you read chapter 90.
"Mr Malfoy," said Dumbledore, wand in one hand, bloody knife in the other, "hand over the ring."
Draco's heart was pounding rapidly, and he had a hard time concentrating on anything but the terror that was taking hold of him. His thoughts were turning somersaults inside his brain. As hard as he tried, he could not focus on one thought for long enough to figure out how to get out of this alive. But then a sharp pain in his leg managed to cut through the whirlwind of thoughts and emotions.
Looking down, he saw a decaying rat claw at his leg. Several others were also crawling towards him. Shit.
Draco grabbed Harry and pushed him towards the door. "Run!"
Harry did as he was told, with Draco hot on his heels.
Several rodents had sunken their rotten teeth deep into Draco's legs, and flies and featherless birds obscured his vision. He did not dare turn around, but he was sure Dumbledore was not far behind.
"We're- we're not fast enough," panted Harry, echoing Draco's own thoughts.
Each bite and cut felt like a small razor blade cutting across his skin and the number of animals on him started to weigh him down.
In his panic, Draco grabbed Harry by the collar with his free hand, and apparated.
With a loud bang they landed about 60 feet further away from the shack.
"What the-"
"No time!" yelled Draco. "Keep moving."
They kept on running, now with their view unobscured. The farther away they got, the fewer creatures followed them. Ultimately, even the ones that had buried themselves deep in their flesh let go.
They slowed their running, both out of breath.
Draco could still smell the penetrating stench of decay, but no more animals were gnawing at his leg. He dared to glance behind him and caught no sight of Dumbledore, just a long trail of decaying animals leading back to the shack.
A loud crack behind him had him jump around.
Dumbledore had apparated right in front of them, blocking their way.
"Good thinking, Mr Malfoy. Now that we have escaped, you may give me the ring and I will destroy it." His calm and rational words were at stark contrast with his appearance – his eyes were wild, his face covered in cuts and bruises, and a few dead critters were hanging in his beard. "Give me the ring."
They both took a step back. Something about Dumbledore was truly terrifying.
"Stay where you are, you are not yourself," said Harry, lifting his wand so it was pointing at Dumbledore, but Draco knew he was bluffing. And even if he weren't, there was no way they could beat one of the most formidable wizards of all time in a duel.
"Hand over the ring," Dumbledore repeated, stepping towards them, "and no one need get hurt."
"You will," said Harry defiantly. "It is one of Voldemort's horcruxes. It is cursed. All of them are. You have seen what the diary did to Ginny. We won't give you the ring. It's for your own protection."
Dumbledore shook his head. "Do not listen to him, Mr Malfoy. The horcrux has no influence over me. And you know I have managed to destroy the ring before. On my own. Why should I be unable to do so again?"
Draco gaped at him in horror.
"W-What?" asked Harry next to him.
Dumbledore smiled and Draco thought he looked rather deranged as he did so. "The ring for your secret, Mr Malfoy."
Shit. "No," gasped Draco. No. No. No. "No!"
"Very well, then," he said. "Mr Malfoy is not who you think he is, Harry. He is a Death Eater who traveled-"
"Stop it," hissed Draco. "I know stuff about you as well. I know about Ariana. She is not real. The ring is lying to you, just like the locket lied to me."
At the mention of his dead sister, Dumbledore's eyebrows drew together.
"Ariana is dead. There is no way to get her back. She is d-ahh!"
"Crucio!" roared Dumbledore, and Draco only just managed to jump aside in time. He reached for Harry's arm, apparating.
It took Harry a moment to orientate himself, but once he had, he glared at Draco. "The graveyard? Are you out of your damn mind?"
"I don't perform well under pressure," hissed Draco. And long-distance apparition needed lots of concentration and a clear image of where one wanted to go, and Draco just didn't have the peace of mind for that. "At least we're no longer in an open field. We know the area and can hide behind stuff."
"Hide behind stuff? You do mean hide behind tombstones!" Harry hissed, crouching down behind one.
"You think of a better place and I'll take us there," barked Draco, hiding as well. Apparition wasn't as easy as Harry apparently thought it was. The picture that kept on coming to Draco was of Wiltshire, of home, but his family would not be happy to see him and if history repeated itself, then he would just end up right in front of the Dark Lord.
"What about Grimmauld Place?" whispered Harry.
"We'd have to apparate onto the street before it, right in the middle of muggle London," whispered Draco. He buried the ring deep inside his pocket and pulled out his wand.
"Okay… so not. What about Hogwarts?"
"Anti-apparition wards."
"Right."
Something akin to thunder brought their conversation to a sudden halt, the shock wave nearly throwing Draco off his feet.
"Shit," he muttered, "he's here."
Draco looked over the edge of the tombstone he was hiding behind. Dumbledore was standing a few graves away from them.
"Come out," Dumbledore said, his voice soft and cold. "We are not playing hide-and-seek… I only want to talk to you."
"That sounds familiar," whispered Harry and Draco shushed him.
Dumbledore was slowly walking around the graveyard, his wand held ready. "Where are you boys?"
"It doesn't matter where we go, he'll find us," muttered Draco. "What we need is back up. Can you send a patronus to the Order?"
Harry hesitated. "I can try."
"Good, but not here. We don't want anyone to know we've been to Little Hangleton."
It suddenly occurred to Draco that it had grown suspiciously quiet.
He looked over the tombstone again, only to find Dumbledore towering over them.
Draco and Harry jumped out of the way simultaneously, just in time to avoid Dumbledore's nonverbal Confringo that had the tombstone they had been hiding behind explode.
They both sprinted in opposite directions, Dumbledore sending curse after curse after them.
Draco let out a string of curses as a headstone exploded right next to him. He frantically searched the graveyard for signs of Harry. Once he had caught sight of him, he apparated across the graveyard, tackled him, and apparated again.
They landed hard on concrete.
Draco jumped up, scanning the area for any danger. But the street was empty.
"Cokeworth?" asked Harry. Then his eyes fell on Draco and widened in shock.
"I'm not very creative, okay," replied Draco defensively. "And there's not many places I know well enough to spontaneously apparate to. And there's usually not many people a-"
"No, it's not- it's your arm."
"Huh?" Draco first checked his left arm, which was covered in bruises and cuts and his hand was still bleeding, but otherwise he saw no reason to worry. Then his eyes fell on his right arm and he saw a huge wound covering almost all of his upper arm. "Bloody brilliant. I splinched myself."
Harry looked worried.
"It doesn't look that bad," Draco replied. He still seemed to have all of his limps, at least. He wondered whether it was good or bad that he did not feel any pain in his arm. "Now cast your patronus before Dumbledore finds us!"
"Yeah, right." He rose his wand. "Expecto Patronum!" But only a shapeless mist came out of his wand.
"Try again," urged Draco.
Harry closed his eyes. He took a few deep breaths. "Expecto Patronum!"
And this time it worked. Out of the end of his wand burst, not a shapeless cloud of mist, but a blinding, dazzling, silver stag.
That sight, at last, managed to calm Draco somewhat, if only for a moment. Because a second later the sound of thunder could be heard again, and across the street stood Albus Dumbledore.
Shit. "How?" hissed Draco.
"We need help," Harry hurried to tell the stag. "In Cokeworth. Go, tell the Order."
The stag lowered its head before it took off.
"Now, now, boys," chided Dumbledore, "you should not have done that. It was not necessary. Just hand over the ring and everything will be fine. I will destroy it for you."
"Sure you will," muttered Draco, his eyes scanning the area. They were out in the open. There was nothing to hide behind. He glanced at Harry.
"Run," the boy mouthed. "I'll distract him."
"No!" Draco shook his head. Protecting the ring and thus Dumbledore himself was not nearly as important as keeping Harry alive. And Dumbledore was not himself at the moment.
Harry groaned in frustration before he turned towards Dumbledore. "Petrificus Totalus!"
Dumbledore blocked the spell with a simple flick of his wand. He then made a sudden slashing movement with his wand from which flew a streak of purple flame.
Draco managed to cast Protego just in time. Dumbledore's spell caused no visible damage to the shield, though a deep, gonglike note reverberated from it.
"Impedimenta!" roared Harry safely from behind Draco's shield.
Dumbledore blocked the spell without much effort, taking a step towards them. He sent another wordless spell their way that clashed against Draco's shield with such violence, it nearly knocked him off his feet.
"Expelliarmus!"
Again, Dumbledore deflected the spell as if it were nothing but a bothersome fly, further advancing on Harry and Draco.
"Glacius! Mimblewimble! Melofors!"
Harry was growing desperate, Draco thought. And Dumbledore was now standing directly in front of his shield, only a few feet away from them, smiling. He pointed his wand at them and whatever he was doing, Draco could feel his shield growing weaker by the second.
"Avis!" Harry yelled. "Oppugno!" The attacking birds were not enough to stop Dumbledore, but he had to use his wand to get rid of them and was thus not pointing it at them.
"Impedimenta!" yelled Draco. "Fumos! Run!"
And through the smoke, they did.
"We have to destroy the ring," panted Harry. "It's our only hope."
"But how? Did you bring the sword?"
"Fiendfyre. It also destroys horcruxes, right? Do you know how to cast that?"
The sound of Crabbe's screams as he burned alive filled his head, he could smell the stench of burnt flesh, and he staggered while running. But there was no time for hesitation. The thick fog was clearing already, and Draco knew they would not survive another encounter with Dumbledore.
He stopped running, hauled the ring out of his pocket and threw it on the ground in front of him. He pointed his wand at it, trying to remember the incantation, but all he could think of was Crabbe's face the last time he had seen it.
"Crucio!"
The violent curse hit Draco square in the chest and knocked him off his feet. He hit the concrete hard, writhing with unimaginable pain. The pain was intense, and so all-consuming, that he no longer knew where he was... white-hot knives were piercing every inch of his skin, his head was surely going to burst with pain. He was screaming more loudly than he'd ever screamed before.
But as soon as the pain had started, it stopped again, leaving him wringing for air.
"What is going on here?"
Severus? That made no sense, Draco thought. He sluggishly raised his head, disoriented, and searched for Dumbledore. He found him lying on the ground several feet away from him. His view was soon blocked by a dark figure.
"Step aside, Severus," said Dumbledore as he got back to his feet. "The boy has something that belongs to me."
"I don't think I will," drawled Severus Snape. "Whatever it is that he has, I do not think unforgiveable curses are warranted."
"Do not forget what you have promised," replied Dumbledore.
Severus hesitated for a second, but then he said, "I haven't."
Dumbledore drew back his wand and waved it as though brandishing a whip. A long thin flame flew from the tip. It wrapped itself around Snape. For a moment, it seemed Dumbledore had won, but then the fiery rope became a serpent, which relinquished its hold upon Snape at once and turned, hissing furiously, to face Dumbledore.
Dumbledore brandished his wand in one, long, fluid movement - the snake, which had been an instant from sinking its fangs into him, flew high into the air and vanished in a wisp of dark smoke.
Harry crouched down next to Draco, while the battle raged on in the background.
"Are you alright?" whispered Harry, keeping an eye on the fighting wizards.
Draco managed to look at the other boy. Was he alright? He wasn't sure. His head hurt, his vision was swimming, and he was covered in blood. He tried to get up, but he felt as if someone was pulling the rug out from right under him.
"Dizzy," he mumbled, sinking back to the ground. He stared at his blood covered hands. Something was not right. "Where's the ring?"
Harry patted his left pocket and Draco nodded, although the movement hurt.
At that precise moment, a screech owl swooped down from the sky. It dropped the large parchment envelope it was carrying in its beak at Harry's feet, and turned gracefully, zooming off.
Harry looked bewildered but picked up and opened the envelope.
"Dear Mr Potter," he began reading, "the Ministry has received intelligence that at ten twenty-four, this morning, you performed the Patronus Charm in a Muggle neighborhood. As a clear violation of the Decree for the Reasonable Restriction of Underage Sorcery, you are hereby… expelled from Hog- What?"
Draco stared at him, uncomprehending.
"I'm expelled," repeated Harry, disbelieving.
The world started spinning before Draco's eyes and he had to close them for a second to be able to think properly. "They know where we are."
"I can't believe it. I'm ex- Wait, what?"
"The ministry," clarified Draco, opening his eyes again. The world was alright again, but the light was simply too bright.
Harry dropped the letter and buried his face in his hands. "Great. Just… perfect."
Draco observed Dumbledore and Snape, which were still dueling. And it looked as if Snape was… flying? Draco was clearly starting to hallucinate. "I'm… I'm not a Death Eater." Draco didn't know why he said it, but it somehow seemed important.
Harry lowered his hands and looked at Draco.
"Dumbledore said I am a Death Eater. I'm not."
"Uhm- yeah. I know. I don't know why he said that."
A thundering sound echoed through the street, the sound like an explosion in Draco's head. He glanced towards the dueling wizards, but they were still fighting. The sound had come from somewhere else.
"Sirius!" yelled Harry.
Draco turned his head and indeed, Sirius had apparated behind them. He ran towards them, wand held high. "Oh my god, Draco! What happ-" He stopped abruptly when his eyes caught sight of what was going on behind them. His look of determination turned into one of confusion.
A loud pop, and Remus was standing next to Sirius, followed by Alice and Frank Longbottom. The cavalry had arrived.
Even more cracks could be heard, but when Draco looked around, it was not only allies that met his eyes. Dark, cloaked figures – Death Eaters - had arrived on the scene, amid Aurors and Order members.
Fighting broke out all around him and Draco reached for his wand – but he could not find it. He looked around frantically. He must have dropped it when Dumbledore's Cruciatus had hit him.
When he spotted it a couple of feet away from him, he dove for it, but landed right in front of a Death Eater, and when he looked up, he found a wand pointed right at him. And then everything went black.
Severus occluded his mind as deeply as he was able to as he passed several albino peacocks on his way towards Malfoy manor. Occlusion so deep was akin to having his conscious, feeling mind immersed in a claustrophobic black fog, impenetrable to the Dark Lord's intrusions.
In many ways, such deep Occlusion protected him not just from external intrusion, but from his own mind. His own feelings. His sharp heartbreak and suffocating fear. This made him more of an automaton as he moved around the assembled Death Eaters i side the manor, receiving their congratulations as his due, as if what he had achieved was worthy of celebration.
To all outward appearances, Severus Snape was proud of his deeds, an unpleasant smirk painted on his sharp features as he accepted a flute of the finest champagne from the Malfoy cellars.
When he arrived in the drawing room, the center of the festivities, a voice called for him. "Come forward, Severus. Take a seat."
The speaker was seated directly in front of the fireplace, so that it was difficult, at first, for the new arrivals to make out more than his silhouette. As Severus drew nearer, however, his face shone through the gloom, hairless, snake-like, with slits for nostrils and gleaming red eyes whose pupils were vertical. He was so pale that he seemed to emit a pearly glow.
The Dark Lord's expression was triumphant. His cruel mouth was practically salivating in anticipation as Severus took a step towards the closest empty chair.
"No, not there! Next to me. Scoot down, Bellatrix…"
An ugly flush colored her cheeks, pleasing the Dark Lord even more and he uttered a nasty little laugh. Bellatrix glared at Severus but did as she was told.
"There's a good girl. Wormtail! Bring Severus another glass of champagne."
The rodent bobbed his head and scurried out of the room.
"Now," the Dark Lord hissed, "tell me everything. Better yet, show me."
It took all of Severus' strength to somehow manage to present the Dark Lord with a somewhat modified version of the day's events. To make it seem like he had used the old man's trust to convince him to hide at Spinner's End. To make it seem as if it had been his idea to bring the boys, the Dark Lord's most wanted, with him. To make it seem as if he had put the old man under the Imperius curse so he would attack the boys, so Potter would use magic, allowing the ministry and the Death Eaters to know where they were. To make it seem as if he had bested the most powerful wizard alive once the Death Eaters were outnumbering all others.
Only that he did not need to fabricate the last one. He had bested Albus Dumbledore eventually, managing to disarm him after what seemed like hours of fighting. And Dumbledore had tortured Draco. That was a fact Severus still could not understand.
The Dark Lord seemed satisfied with what he saw and retreated from his mind. "You have done us all a great favor today, Severus. Your actions tonight might very well have won us the war. You deserve to be rewarded… How would you like to be headmaster of Hogwarts?"
Severus further deepened his Occlusion as to not betray the disgust he felt at the thought of such betrayal. "I would be honored, my Lord. Thank you."
"No, Severus, thank you."
Severus' gaze wandered down the table until it met Lucius'. The other man glared at him. He was paler than Severus had ever seen him before, his eyes bloodshot. One did not need to be an Occlumens to notice that he was radiating anger, betrayal and hatred. And fear. He was lucky that the Dark Lord paid him no further mind.
Narcissa was nowhere to be found, which Severus hoped meant that Lucius had managed to slip her a Calming Draught or some potion to a similar effect, and not that she had spoken her mind in the presence of the Dark Lord and suffered the consequences.
"Speaking of children," the Dark Lord continued and Severus noticed Lucius' hands had clenched into fists. He kept his wand ready, should he have to Imperio his old friend to keep him from doing anything stupid. "I would like you to take care of our traitorous guest in the basement. I would like to further… interrogate him. It would be unfortunate should he die before I have all the answers I require."
"Of course, my Lord."
The party continued as Severus slipped away to the basement.
His godson was barely recognizable. Draco lay on the ground, covered in blood and bruises. One of his arms was a bloody mess, one of his eyes swollen shut.
"Sev'rus," he heard the boy silently mutter. Severus sank down next to him, barely able to breathe over his constricting throat. A pain in his chest managed to pierce through the fog of his deep Occlusion. "Sev...rus," he heard him whisper again.
"Draco," breathed his godfather. He gently took the boys head in his hands, checking the numerous injuries. Even though one of Draco's eyes was swollen almost shut, the boy still managed to focus his gaze on the older man.
"O-obliviate," Draco managed to utter.
Severus swallowed. "Shush," he said, raising his wand. He cast several spells on the boy, trying to numb his pain, heal the most urgent injuries. He gave him his very own Cruciatus Potion, which he always carried with him.
All the while he had to fight to keep his Occlusion intact. He still remembered how he had first held baby Draco. How happy his parents had been. How they had asked him to become the boy's godfather. Because they had trusted him. Because they had thought he would protect the boy. But what had he actually done? He had defeated Dumbledore and surrendered him to the Aurors. He had done nothing when the Death Eaters had arrived, letting them take Draco. And even now he was not helping the boy, not truly, he was only delaying the inevitable.
The spells and potions slowly took effect.
"Obliviate," repeated the boy, a bit stronger than before.
"I- I know. Albus said I might have to… There has to be some other way. Whatever you know-" he stopped, when he saw Draco shaking his head.
"No other way," he murmured. "'from the future."
Snape's breath hitched, before he managed an "Ah."
"Ah?" mouthed Draco.
"It… was one of my hypotheses, yes."
Draco managed something that could almost be called a smile. "You-"
"I know… I… how much do you need to forget?"
"Everything… after my sixth year at Hogwarts."
Snape nodded. "I will have to look at your memories…"
"I… Yes. I trust you. There… 's some'ing 'bout Astoria… you have to help her…"
"I will do what I can," promised Snape. He readied his wand. "Legilimens."
He entered his mind and was nearly overcome with fear and despair.
And then he saw. He saw everything. He saw Potter clutching the dead body of Cedric Diggory. He saw that Black had been murdered, that Lucius had been arrested, that Draco was given a task. He saw "Sectumsempra!" He saw his godson covered in blood. He saw himself and… "Avada Kedavra." He saw Charity begging him to save her, and his own dispassionate face as Nagini devoured her. He saw himself as the headmaster of a school succumbing to chaos. He saw the Lovegood girl screaming and crying. He saw Bellatrix torturing Granger. He saw Fiendfyre and Crabbe. He saw the end of the war, and the Dark Lord falling. He saw Draco in the Great Hall, surrounded by death. Lupin. Tonks. Creevey. Brown. One of the Weasley twins. Severus himself.
But Severus also learned of AlbusSeverusPotter. He felt the love Draco felt for Astoria and the happiness he experienced when he first held little Scorpius in his arms. He felt his despair as Astoria died. And then he saw the time-turner, and he thought he finally understood.
Then he saw things as he had experienced them himself but in a new light. A living Hippogriff. The boy's friendship with Neville Longbottom. His friendship with countless other students. Students from various houses working together to help an innocent Sirius Black. Theodore Nott choosing to fight for what he believed in. Cedric Diggory, alive. Sirius Black, alive. The Longbottoms reunited. Where previously there had been death, there was now life. Where there had been loneliness and animosity, was now love and friendship. And where there had been despair, was now hope.
Severus Snape retreated. "He will kill you," he finally said. I will kill you, he thought. If he erased the boy's memories, he would kill the wonderful man he had grown into before the Dark Lord could do so.
Draco looked him in the eyes. "Doesn't... matter," he croaked.
There had to be another way. There had to be. But there was not. Severus Snape looked his godson in the eyes one last time before he raised his wand.
He could see the layers Dumbledore and Draco had built up as well as the strain the torture had put them under. He would leave the remaining layers intact. The Dark Lord would struggle with them for a little longer, but once they broke, he would find the boy taking the Dark Mark, he would find Severus being his most loyal servant, but beyond that - nothing.
"Obliviate."