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Summer Fest Fic: The Return of the Slytherins, Part 3
Title: The Return of the Slytherins, Part 3
Pairings: Gen, but with a few slashy hints if you look at it the right way.
Rating: PG-13
Word count: ~19,420 total (~4700 for this part)
Disclaimer: No money is being made off this story; consider it a little wish fulfillment on my part.
Summary: Written for Snapedom's Summer Fest exchange, and based on![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
the_bitter_word's art, Severus Crossing the Hogwarts Lake. Snape survives Nagini's attack, and returns to fight in the battle at Hogwarts--and is surprised when his Slytherins want to join him.
Author's note: For readers of my Snupin stories, the Theodore and Blaise here are based on the canon version of the characters, not the the Theo and Blaise from the Always series, although I did borrow the character of Serafina Avery to help round out the Slytherins. Hope that doesn't confuse anyone.
Part 1, Part 2
***
They managed to arrive at the castle unseen, not just because of the fog, but because the combatants on both sides were distracted by a grim procession: the Dark Lord, the Death Eaters, and Hagrid, who was carrying what appeared to be Potter's lifeless body. Snape felt a moment of regret for the boy, even though he had never liked him, for being sacrificed as a pawn in Dumbledore's grand scheme. But then his heart pounded with excitement as he saw that Nagini had been freed from her protective sphere and was draped around Voldemort's shoulders like a stole.
"We're too late!" Rosmerta whispered despairingly. "Harry is dead!"
"It can't be!" Charlie growled desperately. "It's some sort of trick--you'll see! He's faking it to make old Voldie drop his guard, and then he'll attack and catch him by surprise!"
"Now would be a good time," Blaise muttered sarcastically.
Aberforth shook his head and said regretfully, "I told the boy to flee while he had the chance. But my brother had brainwashed him into thinking he had to sacrifice himself like a noble hero."
Meanwhile, Voldemort was telling the assembled crowd that Potter had died a coward's death, killed as he was trying to run away and save himself, while leaving his supporters behind to die.
"That's a damned lie!" Charlie said hotly. "Harry would never do that!"
"Keep your voice down, Weasley!" Snape hissed. "And of course it's a lie--the Dark Lord is trying to demoralize their spirits to make them surrender."
"Does it matter how he died?" Pansy asked tearfully. "You said that Potter was the only one who could kill the Dark Lord, so if he's failed, then we're all doomed!"
"All is not lost yet, Miss Parkinson," Snape said. "It may be a trick, as Weasley said." He didn't really believe that, but letting them believe it would allow them to cling to hope long enough to achieve victory. "And even if it isn't...Potter's death will have struck a mortal blow to the Dark Lord, though he probably isn't aware of it yet."
Charlie gazed at him suspiciously and demanded, "What are you talking about, Snape?"
Snape reluctantly explained, "What I said about the snake...Dumbledore believed that another piece of the Dark Lord's power was transferred to Potter during the attack that made him The Boy Who Lived--unbeknownst to the Dark Lord."
"You bastard!" Charlie snarled, grabbing Snape by the front of his robes. The Slytherins whipped their wands out in response, and Charlie's dragon-handlers did likewise, the two sides facing off against each other, though Charlie seemed oblivious to anything but Snape. "Was that your plan? To kill Harry like the bloody snake?"
"No, I reckon it was Albus's plan," Aberforth said wearily. "Stand down, Weasley. Killing Snape won't bring the boy back, and it isn't his fault, anyway. I'm sure that it was all part of my brother's master plan."
"But Dumbledore loved Harry!" Charlie protested.
"Perhaps," Aberforth said doubtfully. "But Albus was always preaching about the importance of the 'greater good'. He would consider the sacrifice of a single boy, even a boy that he loved, to be justified if it saved the entire wizarding world."
"I can't believe it," Charlie whispered, but his fingers slowly uncurled themselves from their grip on Snape's robes, and the Slytherins and the dragon-handlers lowered their wands.
"Why not?" Aberforth asked cynically. "It's only one step beyond asking a teenage boy to risk his life by battling the most powerful Dark Wizard in the world."
"It wasn't my intention that things work out this way," Snape said, and it was not a lie; it had been Dumbledore's intention, not his. All he had wanted to do was atone for his part in Lily's death. "Hate me if you want; kill me after the battle if you must. But for now, you must believe me when I tell you that once Nagini is killed, the Dark Lord will be mortal, and may be slain like any other man. The war is not yet over. If you want to do something for your friend, Weasley, see to it that he did not sacrifice himself in vain."
Charlie gave him a long, hard stare, then said grimly, "I will have words with you after the battle is over, Snape. But for now...I will fight."
A commotion in front of the school, where the Dark Lord was addressing the crowd, distracted them. Someone had charged at Voldemort, and then been stunned and disarmed.
"And who is this?" Voldemort asked, in a soft hiss of amusement. "Who has volunteered to demonstrate what happens to those who continue to fight when the battle is lost?"
"It is Neville Longbottom, my Lord!" Bellatrix crowed gleefully. "The boy who has been giving the Carrows so much trouble! The son of the Aurors, remember?"
They watched as Voldemort asked Longbottom to join his side, and the boy defiantly refused him. He had changed a great deal from the clumsy, timid first-year who had melted his cauldron in Potions class, who used to tremble in fear at his own shadow. Snape felt almost proud of him, even though he'd caused no end of trouble during Snape's tenure as Headmaster. Typical Gryffindor--he had defied the Carrows openly instead of using a little common sense and quietly organizing his resistance movement in secret instead. Snape had been hard-pressed to find ways to keep the Carrows from killing the boy without giving away his cover.
He slipped his wand out of his pocket and quietly made his way closer to the Death Eaters. He would save the boy if he could, but his primary concern had to be first, killing Nagini, and then his former master. However, before he could get within spell range, Voldemort summoned the Sorting Hat, placed it on Longbottom's head, and set it ablaze.
A moment later, chaos broke out as several things happened simultaneously.
Grawp lumbered into view, shouting his brother's name--or at least, the close approximation of "HAGGER!" Voldemort's giants charged at him in response, and then the thundering clatter of hooves and the twanging of bowstrings announced the arrival of the centaurs, and the Death Eaters cried out in surprise, scattering and breaking ranks.
And, most importantly, the seemingly dead Harry Potter came to life, pulled the blasted Invisibility Cloak out of his robes, and vanished from sight.
Snape was surprisingly glad that the boy had managed to survive, but he didn't have time to dwell on it. Taking advantage of the distraction, he rushed forward to get rid of the final Horcrux, with Theodore and Blaise close on his heels.
But Longbottom had broken free of the curse that had bound him in place, and the flaming Sorting Hat tumbled from his head as the boy reached into it and pulled out the Sword of Gryffindor.
And with a single quick stroke, before the Dark Lord could even raise his wand, Longbottom brought down the sword and cleaved Nagini's head from her body.
"Damn!" Theodore swore, sounding genuinely disappointed. "That bloody Gryffindor beat us to it!"
"You'll just have to content yourself with hunting down the Death Eaters," Snape managed to respond dryly, although he was nearly overwhelmed with shock and exultation. Exultation, because it looked like they really had a chance to win, after all, and shock, not just because Nagini was finally dead, but that Longbottom--incompetent, sniveling Longbottom, the bane of Snape's Potions classes--had been the one to destroy her.
Theodore grinned at Snape, his eyes glittering with a cold, implacable determination that boded ill for any Death Eater who happened to cross his path. "All right, then," he said. "Shall we start hunting?"
More allies came to their aid--the thestrals and Sirius Black's pet hippogriff filled the skies and attacked the giants from above, while below, Hagrid was frantically shouting Potter's name. Snape had lost track of the boy when he had donned the Invisibility Cloak, and the Dark Lord had vanished, too--possibly into the castle, where many of the combatants on both sides were fleeing to avoid being hit by arrows or attacked by flying creatures.
An army of house-elves was also charging into the fray, wielding knives and cleavers from the kitchen. Just when Snape thought he couldn't be surprised any further, he was stunned to see that their leader was Kreacher, the Black family's half-insane house-elf.
Charlie and Slughorn--still waving the Slytherin banner--stormed up the front steps of the school, leading the villagers, dragon-handlers, and most of the Slytherins into battle in a dramatic, Gryffindor-style charge that caused Snape to sigh and shake his head slightly. But his students had been suffering from pent-up fear and resentment for months, and they were letting out their frustrations now with cathartic screams of rage as they viciously hurled spells against the Death Eaters.
Serafina, however, showed Slytherin subtlety, slipping quietly through the crowd like a shadow, casting hexes on unsuspecting Death Eaters.
Snape was about to urge Theodore and Blaise to do the same, when Amycus Carrow came running up to them, looking bruised and disheveled.
"Professor Carrow," Theodore murmured, still with that dangerous smile on his face, but Carrow was too distracted or too dim to notice; Snape suspected the latter.
"Severus!" Carrow gasped. "Thank Merlin you're back! That little Potter brat knocked me out, and that bitch McGonagall locked me up! I only just managed to free myself. Have you seen Alecto? We were together, but then we got separated in the crowd."
"No, but I'm sure that Mr. Nott and Mr. Zabini would be happy to help you look for her," Snape replied blandly.
Theodore's grin widened, and Carrow blanched, finally noticing the expression on his face, and then screamed as Theodore raised his wand quickly in a slashing motion and a large cut ripped open diagonally across Carrow's toad-like face.
Snape had invented the Sectumsempra spell during his school days, and had eventually shared it with his fellow Death Eaters; the elder Nott must have passed it on to his son. He noted approvingly that Theodore had cast the spell nonverbally--at least one of his students had been paying attention during his DADA class the previous year.
"That's for my father," Theodore said coldly. "And this is for my mother." He slashed his wand in the opposite direction, carving a nicely symmetrical "X" on Carrow's face.
"I never even met your mother!" Carrow whined, reaching for his wand, but Blaise paralyzed him with a Body-Bind Curse.
"Finish it," Snape ordered. "We haven't time to waste on this trash. But don't kill him. His blood isn't worth staining your hands--and your soul--over."
Theodore's gaze fell on a large chunk of stone that had been knocked loose from the castle walls. He levitated it up, then brought it down sharply on Carrow's head, knocking him out cold.
"You could have just Stupefied him," Blaise said.
"Yeah, but this was more satisfying," Theodore replied with a grin. "Shall we go look for Alecto now? We did promise Professor Carrow that we'd find his sister, after all."
They continued on their way and managed to catch a few more Death Eaters unawares by playing the part of allies, and stunned them without a fight. Then Snape spotted a giant brandishing a club at Luna Lovegood, who was bravely pelting the creature with spells, although they didn't seem to be having much effect.
The giant was too large to be affected by a stunning spell, so Snape came up behind it and slashed it deeply across the calves with a Sectumsempra. Luna jumped back as the giant toppled to the ground, howling in pain. Her eyes widened with surprise when she saw who her rescuer was, but she said, "Thank you, Professor," before rushing back into the battle.
"Headmaster!" a voice called out desperately, and Goyle stumbled towards them. He was a sorry sight: patches of his hair and robes had been singed off, and he was covered in soot and ashes. Flowing tears cut a trail through the gray smudges on his face as he sobbed, "Everything's gone wrong! I can't believe he's dead..."
"Who's dead?" Snape demanded as Goyle buried his face in his hands and wept. Snape grabbed the boy by the shoulders and gave him a shake. "Pull yourself together, Mr. Goyle! Where are Crabbe and Malfoy?"
"Crabbe's dead!" Goyle sobbed. "He was trying to kill Potter with this spell...Fiend-something..."
"Fiendfyre?!" Blaise asked incredulously. "Was he insane?"
"It was something we learned from the Carrows," Goyle replied, still weeping. "But he lost control of it, and it burned him up."
Snape thought to himself that maybe he should have let Theodore kill Amycus, after all--or better yet, have done it himself. Or at least make him wish he were dead. If and when they ran into Alecto, she wouldn't get off with a mere rock to the head.
"What happened to Draco?" Snape asked sharply, wondering if the sacrifices that he and Dumbledore had made to save Draco's life and soul had just been rendered pointless.
Goyle replied, "Potter and his friends saved us. I dunno why, after we tried to kill them. Well, Crabbe wanted to kill them; Draco kept saying that the Dark Lord wanted Potter alive, but Crabbe was tired of taking orders from Draco for so many years. I was too, but now...now I wish everything could just go back to the way it was before!"
He started sobbing again, and Snape asked impatiently, though not entirely without sympathy, "Where is Draco now?"
"I dunno," Goyle sniffled. "Back in the castle, last I saw. He ran off, trying to find his parents, I think." His voice dropped to a whisper. "I don't want to fight anymore, Professor. I didn't think that being a Death Eater would be like this."
"This is the true face of the Death Eaters, Mr. Goyle," Snape said grimly, motioning at the carnage raging around them. "Not the false promises of glory that the Carrows made to you."
"Well, we're fighting," Theodore told Goyle firmly. "We're tired of being terrorized and bullied by the Dark Lord and his Death Eaters. But you can run if you want, Goyle. If you can make it off the school grounds without being killed, you can Apparate to safety."
"I lost my wand in the fire," Goyle whimpered. "And I never got my Apparition license; I kept splinching myself during practice."
Blaise sighed disgustedly. "Well then, you should have found somewhere in the castle to hide, you idiot!"
"You'd better stick with us for now," Snape told Goyle. "It will be marginally safer than running around the battlefield without a wand, though not by much. Let's make our way into the castle; I think that's where the Dark Lord's gone, and perhaps we can find somewhere safe for you to hide."
Snape skirted the battle raging at the entrance of the school, and took his three followers around to a hidden side entrance where they were able to sneak in unseen. Most of the fighting seemed to be taking place in the Great Hall, and Snape was debating whether it was safe to send Goyle down to the dungeon alone and unarmed, or if he should take the time to escort the boy to safety when he ought to be looking for the Dark Lord. And what about the fact that Potter was still alive? Did that mean that the horcrux inside him was still intact, or had he somehow miraculously managed to survive his supposed act of sacrifice? Had Dumbledore had a hidden ace up his sleeve all along?
"I swear, if the old man wasn't already dead, I'd kill him again," Snape grumbled under his breath. He was about to give Blaise and Theodore the password to his dungeon quarters and tell them to take Goyle there, when Alecto Carrow ran down the corridor towards them, disheveled, bleeding, and out of breath.
"Oh, Severus!" she gasped. "Thank Merlin you're here!"
"Here we go again," Blaise whispered to Theodore, with a grin and a wink.
"Amycus and I were captured, but we managed to escape," Alecto said. "But we got separated in all the confusion. I was trying to find him when I was attacked by a bunch of bloody house-elves! Can you imagine?! The nerve of those uppity little creatures, turning on their masters! I swear, I'll feed them to Nagini when I get my hands on them!"
"Nagini is dead," Theodore said quietly.
"What?!" Alecto exclaimed in disbelief. "That's impossible! The Dark Lord always keeps her close by his side! What's happened?!"
"A revolution, Professor Carrow," Theodore replied, then without warning, he pointed his wand at her and shouted, "Crucio!" She dropped to the floor, writhing and screaming in pain, and Theodore looked down at her and said coldly, "That's for laughing at my father's death, and for teaching Crabbe the Fiendfyre spell. You should have realized that a spell that powerful was beyond his capabilities. I never liked him much, but he didn't deserve to be burned alive."
"Enough," Snape told Theodore softly as Alecto screamed and begged for mercy.
"She deserves it!" Theodore said fiercely. "They all do!"
"Yes," Snape replied evenly. "But when you use their methods, you reduce yourself to their level, and you are better than them, Theodore."
Theodore glared at him for a moment, then sighed and released Alecto from the Cruciatus Curse. Snape knocked her out with a stunning spell and trussed her up for good measure with a set of magical ropes.
"Sometimes it sucks to be the good guys," Blaise sighed.
"Indeed," Snape said dryly, and the tension seemed to ease slightly as Theodore and Blaise laughed.
Goyle, understandably, was still too distraught to find any humor in the situation. His eyes were downcast, but suddenly his gaze jerked up to a point above Snape's shoulder, and he shouted, "Look out, Headmaster!"
Snape whirled around in time to fend off a curse from Yaxley. "You traitor!" the other Death Eater cried. "Bellatrix was right; we should never have trusted you!"
"You only just now figured that out?" Snape retorted, returning fire. "You always were a bit slow, Yaxley! Oh, and by the way, remember when we were chasing the Potter duplicates? It wasn't George Weasley I was aiming at--it was you."
"Then you have lousy aim, Snape!" Yaxley shouted, firing off another curse, which Snape easily parried. Then Blaise and Theodore began hurling spells towards Yaxley as well, and he seemed to have a change of heart and decided that retreat was the better part of valor.
But as he turned to flee, he was hit full-force in the chest by a stunning spell, and dropped to the floor like a stone. Remus Lupin kept his wand up, turning slightly to point it in Snape's direction.
"You weren't aiming at George?" Lupin asked warily.
"No, you blithering idiot!" Snape retorted, as Blaise and Theodore trained their wands on the werewolf, maintaining an uneasy standoff. "The Dark Lord wanted Potter alive, remember? He would have killed, or at least tortured anyone who harmed the boy!"
"I thought perhaps you were trying to hit me, Severus," Lupin said quietly. "And had bad aim, as Yaxley said. Why should I believe that you're on our side?"
"Maybe because he just fought two Death Eaters?" Blaise asked sarcastically, prodding Alecto's unconscious body with his foot for emphasis.
"It could be a trick to make me lower my guard, or some sort of internal power struggle among the Death Eaters," Lupin replied. "If you're on our side, Severus, why did you kill Dumbledore, the man who gave you a second chance, who always believed in you and defended you to anyone who questioned your loyalty?"
"Because that was Dumbledore's wish," Snape said. "He was already dying from the curse that withered his hand. He never feared death, remember, and if he was going to die anyway, he wanted his death to mean something. He asked me to kill him because it would save Draco from becoming a murderer and because it would seal my place in the Death Eaters as the Dark Lord's right-hand man."
"That sounds like something Albus would do," Lupin said uncertainly. "But...to tell no one else about this, not even Minerva...?"
"A secret shared, even with one person, is no longer a secret," Snape pointed out. "And it wasn't just a matter of trusting people not to gossip. If your reactions towards me were anything else than sincere hatred and betrayal, the Dark Lord would have been suspicious, and I would be dead and no longer able to secretly work for the Order within the Death Eaters' ranks."
"And just what did you do to aid us?" Lupin asked skeptically.
"How else do you think that Potter managed to find the Sword of Gryffindor?" Snape asked in exasperation. "And I gave him a set of my memories that held Dumbledore's instructions to him on how to defeat the Dark Lord." Lupin looked confused, and Snape sighed. "I guess that Potter didn't have time to explain to you about that, or chose not to. I'm sure that he slipped off to bravely offer himself to the Dark Lord without telling any of his friends, because they would have stopped him."
"Use your brains, Lupin!" Theodore snapped impatiently. "You may be a werewolf, but I never thought that you were stupid! If it hadn't been Dumbledore's wish for Professor Snape to kill him, then why wouldn't he have done it in a much more subtle manner? He could have just let the Headmaster die naturally from the curse, or even quietly sped it along with a bit of poison disguised as a healing potion. Then Dumbledore would be dead, and the Professor's role as a spy within your ranks would still have been safe."
Lupin looked startled, then smiled faintly and said, "You have a point, Theodore. And though your father was a Death Eater, you never struck me as a cruel boy." Now it was Theodore's turn to look startled. "You didn't seem like Death Eater material, although I thought you might eventually join them out of duty and obligation to your father." Lupin gave Theodore a sympathetic look. "I heard that he was killed...?"
"By his own master, yes," Theodore replied curtly. "And I will not bow down to the man who killed my father--and indirectly, my mother."
Lupin finally lowered his wand, and the boys relaxed slightly and lowered theirs, although they still remained alert, watching for signs of other attackers. Snape picked up Yaxley's fallen wand and handed it Goyle, saying, "Here, he won't be needing this any longer. Do you think you can make it down to the dungeon alone? My quarters are heavily warded, and you should be safe enough there."
Goyle hesitantly replied, "I...I think I'll stick with you, Headmaster, if that's all right. I...I want revenge for Crabbe, too. And to find Malfoy. He's a bit annoying, but he's the only friend I've got left."
Snape smiled at the boy approvingly, and that seemed to strengthen his spirit; he stood up a little straighter, and the lost, helpless look on his face changed into one of determination. How odd, Snape mused. He wasn't used to being looked up to by the students, even his own Slytherins--feared, yes, and even respected, but he'd never before seen a student seem so proud and pleased by such a small, simple gesture on his part. Snape had never had the sort of close relationship with his students that Flitwick and Sprout did. Even the Gryffindors regarded stern McGonagall with a certain degree of pride and affection. This was a new experience for Snape, but not an unwelcome one.
"Let's go, then," Snape told his three Slytherins. "Be on your guard; we're likely to be attacked by both sides before we have a chance to explain ourselves."
"Yes, sir," the boys chorused, and together with Lupin, they headed towards the Great Hall.
"Remus!" Charlie shouted, smiling when he caught sight of Lupin. "I have to warn you, if you see Snape and the Slytherins, don't attack them; they're on our...oh." His smile grew wider as he saw Snape and the boys. "I see you figured that out already; good. Is Tonks okay?"
A look of sorrow and guilt fell across the werewolf's face. "She's dead," Lupin replied, and a wolf-like growl rumbled in his throat. "Bellatrix Lestrange killed her, then ran off. I've been trying to find Bellatrix to repay the favor."
"Well, you won't have to look far," Charlie said, pointing across the hall. It took some time to pick out Bellatrix amongst all the other people fighting in the room: Macnair was literally being hurled into a wall by Hagrid; Longbottom and Ron Weasley were battling Greyback; Arthur and Percy Weasley were dueling Thicknesse; and Lucius and Narcissa were not fighting anyone at all, but running through the crowd, desperately screaming Draco's name.
And there, across the room, was Bellatrix, dueling Granger, Ginny Weasley, and Luna all at once, and more than holding her own. About fifty yards away was Voldemort, also fighting three opponents--McGonagall, Shacklebolt, and Slughorn. Snape felt a flash of pride for his former Head of House; he never would have imagined that Slughorn would have the guts to duel the Dark Lord himself.
"BELLATRIX!" Lupin howled, running towards his wife's murderer as Ginny just barely dodged a Killing Curse by less than an inch.
But Molly Weasley got there first, screaming, "NOT MY DAUGHTER, YOU BITCH!" She hurled curses like a maniac--powerful spells that cracked the floor around Bellatrix's feet. Snape had never seen her using anything more than simple household magic before, but she was fighting to kill now, and Bellatrix was hard-pressed to defend herself. Maybe it was just shock that the seemingly harmless housewife Molly Weasley was using Dark Magic against her--or maybe Molly had hidden talent that she'd never before revealed. Or maybe it was just the instinctive ferocity of a mother defending her young.
A few of the students tried to help her, but she shouted at them to get back. "She is mine!" Molly cried fiercely.
"What will happen to your children when I've killed them?" Bellatrix taunted, looking more confident now. "When Mummy's gone the same way as Freddie?"
Freddie? Did that mean that Fred Weasley was dead?
Molly's face contorted with hatred and she shouted, "You--will--never--touch--our--children--again!"
Bellatrix just laughed, and a moment later, a Killing Curse hit her squarely in the chest, and she fell over dead with a look of incredulous shock on her face.
"Bloody hell," Snape muttered. Had Molly Weasley--fussy, nagging, motherly Molly Weasley--really just used an Unforgivable Curse?
"Are you going to give her the speech about not lowering ourselves to the Death Eaters' level?" Blaise asked, with a touch of ironic humor.
"I think not," Snape replied. "At least, not until she's had some time--a great deal of time--to calm down. I'd rather not join Bellatrix, if it's all the same to you."
Lupin was just standing there in a state of shock, his jaw hanging open. Apparently he was even more stunned by Molly's act of revenge than Snape was. Too stunned to notice Dolohov pointing a wand at his back.
But Snape did, and hit his former comrade with a quick Stupefy spell. That snapped Lupin out of his daze, and he said gratefully, "Thanks, Severus."
Before Snape had a chance to reply, they were both distracted by Voldemort's cry of rage as he realized that his most faithful lieutenant had fallen, and McGonagall, Shacklebolt, and Slughorn were all sent flying backwards by a blast from his wand. He then turned towards Molly with murder in his eyes.
Then a voice shouted, "Protego!" and Potter appeared out of nowhere.
Part 4, Part 5
Pairings: Gen, but with a few slashy hints if you look at it the right way.
Rating: PG-13
Word count: ~19,420 total (~4700 for this part)
Disclaimer: No money is being made off this story; consider it a little wish fulfillment on my part.
Summary: Written for Snapedom's Summer Fest exchange, and based on
the_bitter_word's art, Severus Crossing the Hogwarts Lake. Snape survives Nagini's attack, and returns to fight in the battle at Hogwarts--and is surprised when his Slytherins want to join him.Author's note: For readers of my Snupin stories, the Theodore and Blaise here are based on the canon version of the characters, not the the Theo and Blaise from the Always series, although I did borrow the character of Serafina Avery to help round out the Slytherins. Hope that doesn't confuse anyone.
Part 1, Part 2
***
They managed to arrive at the castle unseen, not just because of the fog, but because the combatants on both sides were distracted by a grim procession: the Dark Lord, the Death Eaters, and Hagrid, who was carrying what appeared to be Potter's lifeless body. Snape felt a moment of regret for the boy, even though he had never liked him, for being sacrificed as a pawn in Dumbledore's grand scheme. But then his heart pounded with excitement as he saw that Nagini had been freed from her protective sphere and was draped around Voldemort's shoulders like a stole.
"We're too late!" Rosmerta whispered despairingly. "Harry is dead!"
"It can't be!" Charlie growled desperately. "It's some sort of trick--you'll see! He's faking it to make old Voldie drop his guard, and then he'll attack and catch him by surprise!"
"Now would be a good time," Blaise muttered sarcastically.
Aberforth shook his head and said regretfully, "I told the boy to flee while he had the chance. But my brother had brainwashed him into thinking he had to sacrifice himself like a noble hero."
Meanwhile, Voldemort was telling the assembled crowd that Potter had died a coward's death, killed as he was trying to run away and save himself, while leaving his supporters behind to die.
"That's a damned lie!" Charlie said hotly. "Harry would never do that!"
"Keep your voice down, Weasley!" Snape hissed. "And of course it's a lie--the Dark Lord is trying to demoralize their spirits to make them surrender."
"Does it matter how he died?" Pansy asked tearfully. "You said that Potter was the only one who could kill the Dark Lord, so if he's failed, then we're all doomed!"
"All is not lost yet, Miss Parkinson," Snape said. "It may be a trick, as Weasley said." He didn't really believe that, but letting them believe it would allow them to cling to hope long enough to achieve victory. "And even if it isn't...Potter's death will have struck a mortal blow to the Dark Lord, though he probably isn't aware of it yet."
Charlie gazed at him suspiciously and demanded, "What are you talking about, Snape?"
Snape reluctantly explained, "What I said about the snake...Dumbledore believed that another piece of the Dark Lord's power was transferred to Potter during the attack that made him The Boy Who Lived--unbeknownst to the Dark Lord."
"You bastard!" Charlie snarled, grabbing Snape by the front of his robes. The Slytherins whipped their wands out in response, and Charlie's dragon-handlers did likewise, the two sides facing off against each other, though Charlie seemed oblivious to anything but Snape. "Was that your plan? To kill Harry like the bloody snake?"
"No, I reckon it was Albus's plan," Aberforth said wearily. "Stand down, Weasley. Killing Snape won't bring the boy back, and it isn't his fault, anyway. I'm sure that it was all part of my brother's master plan."
"But Dumbledore loved Harry!" Charlie protested.
"Perhaps," Aberforth said doubtfully. "But Albus was always preaching about the importance of the 'greater good'. He would consider the sacrifice of a single boy, even a boy that he loved, to be justified if it saved the entire wizarding world."
"I can't believe it," Charlie whispered, but his fingers slowly uncurled themselves from their grip on Snape's robes, and the Slytherins and the dragon-handlers lowered their wands.
"Why not?" Aberforth asked cynically. "It's only one step beyond asking a teenage boy to risk his life by battling the most powerful Dark Wizard in the world."
"It wasn't my intention that things work out this way," Snape said, and it was not a lie; it had been Dumbledore's intention, not his. All he had wanted to do was atone for his part in Lily's death. "Hate me if you want; kill me after the battle if you must. But for now, you must believe me when I tell you that once Nagini is killed, the Dark Lord will be mortal, and may be slain like any other man. The war is not yet over. If you want to do something for your friend, Weasley, see to it that he did not sacrifice himself in vain."
Charlie gave him a long, hard stare, then said grimly, "I will have words with you after the battle is over, Snape. But for now...I will fight."
A commotion in front of the school, where the Dark Lord was addressing the crowd, distracted them. Someone had charged at Voldemort, and then been stunned and disarmed.
"And who is this?" Voldemort asked, in a soft hiss of amusement. "Who has volunteered to demonstrate what happens to those who continue to fight when the battle is lost?"
"It is Neville Longbottom, my Lord!" Bellatrix crowed gleefully. "The boy who has been giving the Carrows so much trouble! The son of the Aurors, remember?"
They watched as Voldemort asked Longbottom to join his side, and the boy defiantly refused him. He had changed a great deal from the clumsy, timid first-year who had melted his cauldron in Potions class, who used to tremble in fear at his own shadow. Snape felt almost proud of him, even though he'd caused no end of trouble during Snape's tenure as Headmaster. Typical Gryffindor--he had defied the Carrows openly instead of using a little common sense and quietly organizing his resistance movement in secret instead. Snape had been hard-pressed to find ways to keep the Carrows from killing the boy without giving away his cover.
He slipped his wand out of his pocket and quietly made his way closer to the Death Eaters. He would save the boy if he could, but his primary concern had to be first, killing Nagini, and then his former master. However, before he could get within spell range, Voldemort summoned the Sorting Hat, placed it on Longbottom's head, and set it ablaze.
A moment later, chaos broke out as several things happened simultaneously.
Grawp lumbered into view, shouting his brother's name--or at least, the close approximation of "HAGGER!" Voldemort's giants charged at him in response, and then the thundering clatter of hooves and the twanging of bowstrings announced the arrival of the centaurs, and the Death Eaters cried out in surprise, scattering and breaking ranks.
And, most importantly, the seemingly dead Harry Potter came to life, pulled the blasted Invisibility Cloak out of his robes, and vanished from sight.
Snape was surprisingly glad that the boy had managed to survive, but he didn't have time to dwell on it. Taking advantage of the distraction, he rushed forward to get rid of the final Horcrux, with Theodore and Blaise close on his heels.
But Longbottom had broken free of the curse that had bound him in place, and the flaming Sorting Hat tumbled from his head as the boy reached into it and pulled out the Sword of Gryffindor.
And with a single quick stroke, before the Dark Lord could even raise his wand, Longbottom brought down the sword and cleaved Nagini's head from her body.
"Damn!" Theodore swore, sounding genuinely disappointed. "That bloody Gryffindor beat us to it!"
"You'll just have to content yourself with hunting down the Death Eaters," Snape managed to respond dryly, although he was nearly overwhelmed with shock and exultation. Exultation, because it looked like they really had a chance to win, after all, and shock, not just because Nagini was finally dead, but that Longbottom--incompetent, sniveling Longbottom, the bane of Snape's Potions classes--had been the one to destroy her.
Theodore grinned at Snape, his eyes glittering with a cold, implacable determination that boded ill for any Death Eater who happened to cross his path. "All right, then," he said. "Shall we start hunting?"
More allies came to their aid--the thestrals and Sirius Black's pet hippogriff filled the skies and attacked the giants from above, while below, Hagrid was frantically shouting Potter's name. Snape had lost track of the boy when he had donned the Invisibility Cloak, and the Dark Lord had vanished, too--possibly into the castle, where many of the combatants on both sides were fleeing to avoid being hit by arrows or attacked by flying creatures.
An army of house-elves was also charging into the fray, wielding knives and cleavers from the kitchen. Just when Snape thought he couldn't be surprised any further, he was stunned to see that their leader was Kreacher, the Black family's half-insane house-elf.
Charlie and Slughorn--still waving the Slytherin banner--stormed up the front steps of the school, leading the villagers, dragon-handlers, and most of the Slytherins into battle in a dramatic, Gryffindor-style charge that caused Snape to sigh and shake his head slightly. But his students had been suffering from pent-up fear and resentment for months, and they were letting out their frustrations now with cathartic screams of rage as they viciously hurled spells against the Death Eaters.
Serafina, however, showed Slytherin subtlety, slipping quietly through the crowd like a shadow, casting hexes on unsuspecting Death Eaters.
Snape was about to urge Theodore and Blaise to do the same, when Amycus Carrow came running up to them, looking bruised and disheveled.
"Professor Carrow," Theodore murmured, still with that dangerous smile on his face, but Carrow was too distracted or too dim to notice; Snape suspected the latter.
"Severus!" Carrow gasped. "Thank Merlin you're back! That little Potter brat knocked me out, and that bitch McGonagall locked me up! I only just managed to free myself. Have you seen Alecto? We were together, but then we got separated in the crowd."
"No, but I'm sure that Mr. Nott and Mr. Zabini would be happy to help you look for her," Snape replied blandly.
Theodore's grin widened, and Carrow blanched, finally noticing the expression on his face, and then screamed as Theodore raised his wand quickly in a slashing motion and a large cut ripped open diagonally across Carrow's toad-like face.
Snape had invented the Sectumsempra spell during his school days, and had eventually shared it with his fellow Death Eaters; the elder Nott must have passed it on to his son. He noted approvingly that Theodore had cast the spell nonverbally--at least one of his students had been paying attention during his DADA class the previous year.
"That's for my father," Theodore said coldly. "And this is for my mother." He slashed his wand in the opposite direction, carving a nicely symmetrical "X" on Carrow's face.
"I never even met your mother!" Carrow whined, reaching for his wand, but Blaise paralyzed him with a Body-Bind Curse.
"Finish it," Snape ordered. "We haven't time to waste on this trash. But don't kill him. His blood isn't worth staining your hands--and your soul--over."
Theodore's gaze fell on a large chunk of stone that had been knocked loose from the castle walls. He levitated it up, then brought it down sharply on Carrow's head, knocking him out cold.
"You could have just Stupefied him," Blaise said.
"Yeah, but this was more satisfying," Theodore replied with a grin. "Shall we go look for Alecto now? We did promise Professor Carrow that we'd find his sister, after all."
They continued on their way and managed to catch a few more Death Eaters unawares by playing the part of allies, and stunned them without a fight. Then Snape spotted a giant brandishing a club at Luna Lovegood, who was bravely pelting the creature with spells, although they didn't seem to be having much effect.
The giant was too large to be affected by a stunning spell, so Snape came up behind it and slashed it deeply across the calves with a Sectumsempra. Luna jumped back as the giant toppled to the ground, howling in pain. Her eyes widened with surprise when she saw who her rescuer was, but she said, "Thank you, Professor," before rushing back into the battle.
"Headmaster!" a voice called out desperately, and Goyle stumbled towards them. He was a sorry sight: patches of his hair and robes had been singed off, and he was covered in soot and ashes. Flowing tears cut a trail through the gray smudges on his face as he sobbed, "Everything's gone wrong! I can't believe he's dead..."
"Who's dead?" Snape demanded as Goyle buried his face in his hands and wept. Snape grabbed the boy by the shoulders and gave him a shake. "Pull yourself together, Mr. Goyle! Where are Crabbe and Malfoy?"
"Crabbe's dead!" Goyle sobbed. "He was trying to kill Potter with this spell...Fiend-something..."
"Fiendfyre?!" Blaise asked incredulously. "Was he insane?"
"It was something we learned from the Carrows," Goyle replied, still weeping. "But he lost control of it, and it burned him up."
Snape thought to himself that maybe he should have let Theodore kill Amycus, after all--or better yet, have done it himself. Or at least make him wish he were dead. If and when they ran into Alecto, she wouldn't get off with a mere rock to the head.
"What happened to Draco?" Snape asked sharply, wondering if the sacrifices that he and Dumbledore had made to save Draco's life and soul had just been rendered pointless.
Goyle replied, "Potter and his friends saved us. I dunno why, after we tried to kill them. Well, Crabbe wanted to kill them; Draco kept saying that the Dark Lord wanted Potter alive, but Crabbe was tired of taking orders from Draco for so many years. I was too, but now...now I wish everything could just go back to the way it was before!"
He started sobbing again, and Snape asked impatiently, though not entirely without sympathy, "Where is Draco now?"
"I dunno," Goyle sniffled. "Back in the castle, last I saw. He ran off, trying to find his parents, I think." His voice dropped to a whisper. "I don't want to fight anymore, Professor. I didn't think that being a Death Eater would be like this."
"This is the true face of the Death Eaters, Mr. Goyle," Snape said grimly, motioning at the carnage raging around them. "Not the false promises of glory that the Carrows made to you."
"Well, we're fighting," Theodore told Goyle firmly. "We're tired of being terrorized and bullied by the Dark Lord and his Death Eaters. But you can run if you want, Goyle. If you can make it off the school grounds without being killed, you can Apparate to safety."
"I lost my wand in the fire," Goyle whimpered. "And I never got my Apparition license; I kept splinching myself during practice."
Blaise sighed disgustedly. "Well then, you should have found somewhere in the castle to hide, you idiot!"
"You'd better stick with us for now," Snape told Goyle. "It will be marginally safer than running around the battlefield without a wand, though not by much. Let's make our way into the castle; I think that's where the Dark Lord's gone, and perhaps we can find somewhere safe for you to hide."
Snape skirted the battle raging at the entrance of the school, and took his three followers around to a hidden side entrance where they were able to sneak in unseen. Most of the fighting seemed to be taking place in the Great Hall, and Snape was debating whether it was safe to send Goyle down to the dungeon alone and unarmed, or if he should take the time to escort the boy to safety when he ought to be looking for the Dark Lord. And what about the fact that Potter was still alive? Did that mean that the horcrux inside him was still intact, or had he somehow miraculously managed to survive his supposed act of sacrifice? Had Dumbledore had a hidden ace up his sleeve all along?
"I swear, if the old man wasn't already dead, I'd kill him again," Snape grumbled under his breath. He was about to give Blaise and Theodore the password to his dungeon quarters and tell them to take Goyle there, when Alecto Carrow ran down the corridor towards them, disheveled, bleeding, and out of breath.
"Oh, Severus!" she gasped. "Thank Merlin you're here!"
"Here we go again," Blaise whispered to Theodore, with a grin and a wink.
"Amycus and I were captured, but we managed to escape," Alecto said. "But we got separated in all the confusion. I was trying to find him when I was attacked by a bunch of bloody house-elves! Can you imagine?! The nerve of those uppity little creatures, turning on their masters! I swear, I'll feed them to Nagini when I get my hands on them!"
"Nagini is dead," Theodore said quietly.
"What?!" Alecto exclaimed in disbelief. "That's impossible! The Dark Lord always keeps her close by his side! What's happened?!"
"A revolution, Professor Carrow," Theodore replied, then without warning, he pointed his wand at her and shouted, "Crucio!" She dropped to the floor, writhing and screaming in pain, and Theodore looked down at her and said coldly, "That's for laughing at my father's death, and for teaching Crabbe the Fiendfyre spell. You should have realized that a spell that powerful was beyond his capabilities. I never liked him much, but he didn't deserve to be burned alive."
"Enough," Snape told Theodore softly as Alecto screamed and begged for mercy.
"She deserves it!" Theodore said fiercely. "They all do!"
"Yes," Snape replied evenly. "But when you use their methods, you reduce yourself to their level, and you are better than them, Theodore."
Theodore glared at him for a moment, then sighed and released Alecto from the Cruciatus Curse. Snape knocked her out with a stunning spell and trussed her up for good measure with a set of magical ropes.
"Sometimes it sucks to be the good guys," Blaise sighed.
"Indeed," Snape said dryly, and the tension seemed to ease slightly as Theodore and Blaise laughed.
Goyle, understandably, was still too distraught to find any humor in the situation. His eyes were downcast, but suddenly his gaze jerked up to a point above Snape's shoulder, and he shouted, "Look out, Headmaster!"
Snape whirled around in time to fend off a curse from Yaxley. "You traitor!" the other Death Eater cried. "Bellatrix was right; we should never have trusted you!"
"You only just now figured that out?" Snape retorted, returning fire. "You always were a bit slow, Yaxley! Oh, and by the way, remember when we were chasing the Potter duplicates? It wasn't George Weasley I was aiming at--it was you."
"Then you have lousy aim, Snape!" Yaxley shouted, firing off another curse, which Snape easily parried. Then Blaise and Theodore began hurling spells towards Yaxley as well, and he seemed to have a change of heart and decided that retreat was the better part of valor.
But as he turned to flee, he was hit full-force in the chest by a stunning spell, and dropped to the floor like a stone. Remus Lupin kept his wand up, turning slightly to point it in Snape's direction.
"You weren't aiming at George?" Lupin asked warily.
"No, you blithering idiot!" Snape retorted, as Blaise and Theodore trained their wands on the werewolf, maintaining an uneasy standoff. "The Dark Lord wanted Potter alive, remember? He would have killed, or at least tortured anyone who harmed the boy!"
"I thought perhaps you were trying to hit me, Severus," Lupin said quietly. "And had bad aim, as Yaxley said. Why should I believe that you're on our side?"
"Maybe because he just fought two Death Eaters?" Blaise asked sarcastically, prodding Alecto's unconscious body with his foot for emphasis.
"It could be a trick to make me lower my guard, or some sort of internal power struggle among the Death Eaters," Lupin replied. "If you're on our side, Severus, why did you kill Dumbledore, the man who gave you a second chance, who always believed in you and defended you to anyone who questioned your loyalty?"
"Because that was Dumbledore's wish," Snape said. "He was already dying from the curse that withered his hand. He never feared death, remember, and if he was going to die anyway, he wanted his death to mean something. He asked me to kill him because it would save Draco from becoming a murderer and because it would seal my place in the Death Eaters as the Dark Lord's right-hand man."
"That sounds like something Albus would do," Lupin said uncertainly. "But...to tell no one else about this, not even Minerva...?"
"A secret shared, even with one person, is no longer a secret," Snape pointed out. "And it wasn't just a matter of trusting people not to gossip. If your reactions towards me were anything else than sincere hatred and betrayal, the Dark Lord would have been suspicious, and I would be dead and no longer able to secretly work for the Order within the Death Eaters' ranks."
"And just what did you do to aid us?" Lupin asked skeptically.
"How else do you think that Potter managed to find the Sword of Gryffindor?" Snape asked in exasperation. "And I gave him a set of my memories that held Dumbledore's instructions to him on how to defeat the Dark Lord." Lupin looked confused, and Snape sighed. "I guess that Potter didn't have time to explain to you about that, or chose not to. I'm sure that he slipped off to bravely offer himself to the Dark Lord without telling any of his friends, because they would have stopped him."
"Use your brains, Lupin!" Theodore snapped impatiently. "You may be a werewolf, but I never thought that you were stupid! If it hadn't been Dumbledore's wish for Professor Snape to kill him, then why wouldn't he have done it in a much more subtle manner? He could have just let the Headmaster die naturally from the curse, or even quietly sped it along with a bit of poison disguised as a healing potion. Then Dumbledore would be dead, and the Professor's role as a spy within your ranks would still have been safe."
Lupin looked startled, then smiled faintly and said, "You have a point, Theodore. And though your father was a Death Eater, you never struck me as a cruel boy." Now it was Theodore's turn to look startled. "You didn't seem like Death Eater material, although I thought you might eventually join them out of duty and obligation to your father." Lupin gave Theodore a sympathetic look. "I heard that he was killed...?"
"By his own master, yes," Theodore replied curtly. "And I will not bow down to the man who killed my father--and indirectly, my mother."
Lupin finally lowered his wand, and the boys relaxed slightly and lowered theirs, although they still remained alert, watching for signs of other attackers. Snape picked up Yaxley's fallen wand and handed it Goyle, saying, "Here, he won't be needing this any longer. Do you think you can make it down to the dungeon alone? My quarters are heavily warded, and you should be safe enough there."
Goyle hesitantly replied, "I...I think I'll stick with you, Headmaster, if that's all right. I...I want revenge for Crabbe, too. And to find Malfoy. He's a bit annoying, but he's the only friend I've got left."
Snape smiled at the boy approvingly, and that seemed to strengthen his spirit; he stood up a little straighter, and the lost, helpless look on his face changed into one of determination. How odd, Snape mused. He wasn't used to being looked up to by the students, even his own Slytherins--feared, yes, and even respected, but he'd never before seen a student seem so proud and pleased by such a small, simple gesture on his part. Snape had never had the sort of close relationship with his students that Flitwick and Sprout did. Even the Gryffindors regarded stern McGonagall with a certain degree of pride and affection. This was a new experience for Snape, but not an unwelcome one.
"Let's go, then," Snape told his three Slytherins. "Be on your guard; we're likely to be attacked by both sides before we have a chance to explain ourselves."
"Yes, sir," the boys chorused, and together with Lupin, they headed towards the Great Hall.
"Remus!" Charlie shouted, smiling when he caught sight of Lupin. "I have to warn you, if you see Snape and the Slytherins, don't attack them; they're on our...oh." His smile grew wider as he saw Snape and the boys. "I see you figured that out already; good. Is Tonks okay?"
A look of sorrow and guilt fell across the werewolf's face. "She's dead," Lupin replied, and a wolf-like growl rumbled in his throat. "Bellatrix Lestrange killed her, then ran off. I've been trying to find Bellatrix to repay the favor."
"Well, you won't have to look far," Charlie said, pointing across the hall. It took some time to pick out Bellatrix amongst all the other people fighting in the room: Macnair was literally being hurled into a wall by Hagrid; Longbottom and Ron Weasley were battling Greyback; Arthur and Percy Weasley were dueling Thicknesse; and Lucius and Narcissa were not fighting anyone at all, but running through the crowd, desperately screaming Draco's name.
And there, across the room, was Bellatrix, dueling Granger, Ginny Weasley, and Luna all at once, and more than holding her own. About fifty yards away was Voldemort, also fighting three opponents--McGonagall, Shacklebolt, and Slughorn. Snape felt a flash of pride for his former Head of House; he never would have imagined that Slughorn would have the guts to duel the Dark Lord himself.
"BELLATRIX!" Lupin howled, running towards his wife's murderer as Ginny just barely dodged a Killing Curse by less than an inch.
But Molly Weasley got there first, screaming, "NOT MY DAUGHTER, YOU BITCH!" She hurled curses like a maniac--powerful spells that cracked the floor around Bellatrix's feet. Snape had never seen her using anything more than simple household magic before, but she was fighting to kill now, and Bellatrix was hard-pressed to defend herself. Maybe it was just shock that the seemingly harmless housewife Molly Weasley was using Dark Magic against her--or maybe Molly had hidden talent that she'd never before revealed. Or maybe it was just the instinctive ferocity of a mother defending her young.
A few of the students tried to help her, but she shouted at them to get back. "She is mine!" Molly cried fiercely.
"What will happen to your children when I've killed them?" Bellatrix taunted, looking more confident now. "When Mummy's gone the same way as Freddie?"
Freddie? Did that mean that Fred Weasley was dead?
Molly's face contorted with hatred and she shouted, "You--will--never--touch--our--children--again!"
Bellatrix just laughed, and a moment later, a Killing Curse hit her squarely in the chest, and she fell over dead with a look of incredulous shock on her face.
"Bloody hell," Snape muttered. Had Molly Weasley--fussy, nagging, motherly Molly Weasley--really just used an Unforgivable Curse?
"Are you going to give her the speech about not lowering ourselves to the Death Eaters' level?" Blaise asked, with a touch of ironic humor.
"I think not," Snape replied. "At least, not until she's had some time--a great deal of time--to calm down. I'd rather not join Bellatrix, if it's all the same to you."
Lupin was just standing there in a state of shock, his jaw hanging open. Apparently he was even more stunned by Molly's act of revenge than Snape was. Too stunned to notice Dolohov pointing a wand at his back.
But Snape did, and hit his former comrade with a quick Stupefy spell. That snapped Lupin out of his daze, and he said gratefully, "Thanks, Severus."
Before Snape had a chance to reply, they were both distracted by Voldemort's cry of rage as he realized that his most faithful lieutenant had fallen, and McGonagall, Shacklebolt, and Slughorn were all sent flying backwards by a blast from his wand. He then turned towards Molly with murder in his eyes.
Then a voice shouted, "Protego!" and Potter appeared out of nowhere.
Part 4, Part 5