Luthien Lovemagic Oldala

Dedicated to: the most mysterious character of the entire septology, Severus Snape and to all other fans who couldn’t get over what he had done to Dumbledore

Date: 20th July 2005

Sudden ties

Harry was freezing in that cold chamber he was locked in. He had no clue where he was but it definitely looked like as some basement. Wherever he looked he saw nothing but piles of unused stuff one would have in a room like this. Broken mirrors, leaked pots and cauldrons where lying beside him on the floor and there was a shadow of a huge cupboard wich looked not entirely stable and threatened to collapse over him.

With enormous effort, he managed to climb few inches away from it but he was quickly exhausted. He had been beaten very seriously by the one-eyed Mulciber, that cruel and awful Death Eater who got to find out their last hide-out and followed them till there was nothing to do but run. Ron and Hermione managed to get away only by luck but they had to leave Harry behind. He was ready to fight back their followers at the cost of his own life just to save his friends. Without regretting anything he fought the brutal Mulciber who has caused most of his injuries not by wand but by his own bare hands. After many hits and kicks he suffered the boy had lost consciousness and was bought to the mansion he was held now.

After awakening Harry had to notice that his glasses were broken: he could hardly see through the many lines that looked like spider webs on his lenses. He felt blood in his mouth and pain: he seemed to have lost one tooth. But it was nothing compared to the aching he felt in his head and body. He tried desperately to save his face from the Death Eater’s beatings but suffered many bruises by that. He was forced to sit now without moving much because one or two ribs hurt him like mad. He breathed heavily because his powers were at the end: he wasn’t given food or water and the lack of proper meal had caused him blurring his senses.

There was only one thing he hoped for: the success of his friends. They knew all about the Horcruxes he dealt with all along and if he was failing to accomplish his own duty, Harry knew, Ron and Hermione would do their best to finish it for him. He trusted their abilities therefore had no fears of being tortured to death by his hosts. He only wished something to happen to make an end to that awful silence and uncertainty.

He shuddered a bit when he heard a sound coming from upstairs. He opened his eyes and looked up to the staircases that cued up to the first floor of the building, whatever it was. Very weak and trembling, he turned his head to the direction of the noise. As if there were men speaking, he thought sighing. Yes, there were at least two different kind of voices he could hear. It sounded like a quarrel but not a serious one.

Harry wished he could only get a glass of water. It was not in his nature to start begging for something but now he could have given half an arm for something to strengthen himself. He looked up hopefully as the door guarding the basement opened. Light came to the room blinding him for a moment. With barely opening his eyes he tried to identify the dark figure that entered.

It was a man, he could tell it by judging from his robes. He had a plate and a glass of shining liquid with him as he stepped down the stairs one by one. He has put them on a barrel standing close to him and stopped.

Harry sighed a huge one and was barely conscious. His eyes rolled and he fell over. His head hit the cold floor because he couldn’t hold himself anymore. His visitor did nothing but staring at him, his thick bandages, his hands tied to his ankles. In his dark, bug-like eyes was no sing of emotion until now.

- Please, sir - started Harry in a weak voice. - If you’re trying to torture me until you can get information from me, I must tell, I have nothing to give away. There’s nothing I could report you already don’t know. Please, sir, just one glass of water…

His face glided on the ground, bruising his soft skin as he suffered.

- If you’re not… igh… - he gulped bitterly - if you’re not going to help me, sir, just kill me… Finish this suffering! For God’s sake!

The man took two more steps towards to him and his features became more visible.

- I’ve never thought I would be meeting you here someday, Potter - he said in a hollow voice.

Harry took a deep breath again, but this time in a fury.

- Snape! - he cried angrily.

He tried to raise his head to face the man that caused so much suffering to all of them… the man that lead Voldemort to his parent’s house sixteen years ago… the man that made his life so miserable during Hogwarts… the man that betrayed everyone and killed Dumbledore…

- How dare you to show up in front of me, you bastard?! - he continued in his weak rage. - After all you pulled out…!

- Shut your mouth - Snape said calmly, turning away from him.

He looked up to the little window that led to the gardens. The sacred light of the full moon shone upon him.

- Save your energy.

- What for…? - asked Harry sarcastically. - I would never make it before Voldemort in this shape…! Kill me and he will be even happier with you.

He couldn’t continue because his nerves caused him to shake from pain. Tears of suffering and bitterness run down his dirty face.

- I’ve heard he made you to one of his new leaders after you finished off Dumbeldore. You must have been very proud of yourself… you devil…

From the corner of his eyes, he saw Snape’s thin figure twitching. Watching the blurred shape of his former teacher, Harry noticed that Snape had become much more paler and twisted as he remembered. He lost some real amount of weight undoubtedly and his long black hair was untidier than ever. What is it? Doesn’t Voldemort feed his dogs well?

- What’s wrong with you, you crazy man? - he asked in a pitiful tone. - Have you lost your appetite in killing? You haven’t missed the one-in-a-million opportunity to deal with Dumbledore, why wasting time on me? The easier for you…

- I’ve said shut your mouth - he repeated. He seemed to rule his patience more than he used to at Hogwarts. - You know nothing…

- Aw, I know a lot of things you would be surprised about - snarled Harry. - I never believed in your loyalty and never understood why they trusted you all along. But I wished I could find you and finish you off for all what you had done… I wished to be the one to pay you back everythi-…

- Silence! - Snape spat.

He marched to the boy’s body, grabbed him by his long and untidy hair and raised him from the grounds.

- You have no right to judge me when you don’t know half of it what really happened! - he whispered angrily.

- I’m not interested in your lies, you bloody traitor!

Snape’s features suddenly softened and his eyes were in tears that should have been cried out long time ago.

- You know nothing! - he replied agonizingly.

Harry watched the mad-like transformation of his ex-professor with growing fear. Snape sat down before him, holding Harry’s head with both of his hands. The boy’s first thoughts were that the man would want to struggle him or something, but Snape’s grip hasn’t fastened. His shoulders began to shake in despair as he murmured the words.

- We hoped you would realize… that you would understand all the meaning behind our acts and not lead some foolish crusade after me…

He looked deep into Harry’s emerald green eyes.

- Your job was so obvious, so why? Why didn’t you follow his steps? Dumbledore’s steps in quest for the remaining Horcruxes…?

- The… Horcruxes? - said Harry in a stunned voice. - How do you know about the…?

- I wouldn’t want to do it… But he left me no other choice… He would have never left Draco to be killed… even with his past and powers… Believe me, I wished I could die in the moment I‘d performed the spell… Killing him… tore my soul in thousand pieces… So why? Why did you waste all you time finding me when you had a clear job, a task to fulfill? You’ve made all our efforts worthless… All our sacrifices…

Harry’s mind was penetrated by horrible thoughts. All their sacrifices…? Is he talking about…?

- If only you had half the wise mind as your mother… You could’ve understand what was meant as your duty…! - continued Snape, now clearly crying. - How could I kill you, you stupid boy?! - said as he embraced him. - Her only son…

No, Harry thought. Even Snape can’t be that a good actor. He can’t possibly…

- What are you talking about? - he asked, taken aback, nearly in tears too. - You can’t think I’d believe he asked you to kill him…! He would have never…!

- He knew about that damned Vow! He knew I would die if denying…

- BECAUSE YOU WERE SUCH A FOOL MAKING IT! - Harry shouted.

- I had to gain back the respect of the other Death Eaters in order to help the Order of the Phoenix more efficiently!

- That doesn’t grant you the right to kill him, to kill Dumbledore!

- He was dying anyway! - Snape said now impatiently. - You all saw his hand! His life was coming to its end! He helped you as long as he could! He left me to serve you at the end, where I was the most useful to you!

- No…! - cried Harry full of pain. - No, he couldn’t have… leave everybody alone…! - he sobbed as he realized what Snape was talking about.

- How could you be such an idiot? You were supposed to find and destroy the Horcruxes, not…

- They are destroyed - Harry looked up at him, more confident than ever. - All except that bloody snake and Voldemort himself…!

Snape sat there as he couldn’t believe his ears. His dark eyes were searching Harry’s features, as if looking for a proof of lying. But Harry fixed his green eyes upon his, sharing each other’s thoughts and plans. He, too, felt the sudden flood of happiness and hope coming from Snape’s soul…

- It can’t be! - he whispered. - You were all along… our ally…