"Thank you," Severus answered. He hadn't expected it to be this easy to get Flamel to take the oath.

"I don't know whether Albus has told you anything about it, but Harry Potter was supposed to start Hogwarts this term. However, there have been certain issues that led to the boy being unable to perform magic or even attend classes. When the headmaster decided that Harry should be confined to a closed ward at St Mungo's , I obtained guardianship and had him discharged from hospital.

"I had started to investigate what had happened to the boy even before that incident, and what I discovered led to me - in addition to our medi-witch, Harry's head of house and the man that had been in charge of his treatment until the previous summer - deciding that it would be best for Harry to stay with one of the few people who know what exactly is wrong with him and who really have the boy's best interest at heart."

Severus stopped. He had expected Flamel to ask why he didn't trust a hospital - or at least Albus! - when it came to caring for Harry. However, the ancient wizard stayed silent and regarded him with a thoughtful expression. Either the man did actually think before asking unnecessary questions or the age had done something to his brain.

"Well," the Potion Master continued, a bit disconcerted, "when I found out what Harry has been suffering from ever since he was a small child, I consulted a good friend of mine who is quite knowledgeable about that sort of things about how to best proceed. It took me a while to put the pieces together and, I admit, I didn't know whether I would have thought about this possibility if it hadn't been for Quirrell being possessed by the Dark Lord and the creatures attempt to steal your stone. I need - " Severus paused, taking a deep breath. If Flamel refused, he didn't know what to do. Casting the killing curse at Harry after the boy had taken the Elixir of Life was the only way he could think of that would allow him to banish the Horcrux without injuring the child fatally. If Flamel didn't cooperate, Harry would die sooner or later, because surely either Dumbledore or the Horcrux itself couldn't be prevented from killing him forever.

"I need access to the Elixir of Life in order to safe Harry's life." There. It was out. Now all Severus could do was praying that Flamel would comply.

Whatever Flamel had expected, evidently it hadn't been this. If the situation hadn't been quite so serious, Severus might have laughed at the expression of bewilderment on the man's face.

"You need - what ?" Flamel asked.

"The Elixir of Life. I don't know how much, though, I must admit. I haven't thought about this, neither have I ever heard about how much of this concoction is necessary to survive a killing a curse. I think we must be very careful, if he takes too much, the-" Severus, who had spoken more to himself than to Flamel, interrupted himself, "You will stick to your word, you won't tell Albus - or anyone else - about anything we have or will discuss today?" He asked sharply.

"No, no, of course not, I have already given you my word, I just wasn't expecting something of this magnitude." Flamel answered rather distractedly.

"Right. As I said, before we continue with the plan, we must determine exactly how much Elixir will be necessary. If Harry takes too much, the Horcrux might survive."

The ancient wizard suddenly paled and regarded the younger man distrustfully. "What do you want, Mr Snape?" He asked harshly.

"I gather you are familiar with the term 'Horcrux'?" Severus asked drily.

"Yes, though I don't know how a young man like you can possibly know about such abominations. There was a time when certain kinds of wizards experimented with splitting their souls, but this has stopped centuries ago! There is hardly anything more vile and dreadful than those beings, and I certainly won't help you - or anybody - starting to experiment with that branch of magic, not again!"

"Again?" Severus hadn't missed the other man's choice of words.

"Yes. Again. Don't ask me what happened, I have never told a soul and I certainly won't tell a young wizard like you. You are too young and innocent to know about such things."

Severus almost snorted. Innocent indeed! But than, to the more than 600 years-old Flamel, Severus must appear as something akin to a newborn infant, he supposed.

When the other man made a move as if he wanted to rise, Severus spoke up again. "Please wait, Mr Flamel. I don't intend to experiment with Horcruxes, nor do I plan to perform a dark ritual or anything else. I need the Elixir only to cure Harry. The boy is a Horcrux, Flamel, and I have been told that there are very few ways to destroy such a thing, all of which are fatally to the shell. Dumbledore himself has proposed to kill the child in order to exterminate the Horcrux."

"Dumbledore want to kill a child? Only to get rid of a Horcrux?"

"Yes. Perhaps you should know that it isn't just any Horcrux but a piece of the soul of the Dark Lord - the dark wizard that started to gain power and followers several decades ago and that almost succeeded in overthrowing our government about ten years ago. You might have come across the story about what prevented him from doing so and how the boy - Harry Potter - was involved in the events. It seems that the backfired killing curse split the soul of the Dark Lord - intentionally or accidentally I don't know - and a small part of it attached itself to Harry."

Flamel stared into the fireplace for several minutes and Severus prayed that his explanation had convinced the man - or at least made him consider the matter more carefully instead of outright refusing.

"I have heard something about your war, yes, and I know about the rumours regarding Harry Potter and Voldemort-"

Severus reflexively clutched his left forearm where the dark mark was forever embedded into his skin. When Flamel stopped and looked at him thoughtfully, the Potion Master knew that he had noticed his sudden movement. Hopefully, this hadn't diminished the odds of him agreeing to Severus' plan.

When the old man just continued to stare at him, Severus' felt his uneasiness increase. If the man would just say something, than he would at least be able to defend himself!

It was only when Nicolas Flamel's look returned to the licking flames, though, that he spoke up again. "We all have made mistakes... yes, and unfortunately, our mistakes tend to increase with our power... and knowledge."

Severus didn't understand what the man was trying to say. He, Severus Snape, was hardly very powerful or knowledgeable. Yes, he excelled in potions and his magic was probably more powerful than that of the average wizard, but in comparison to people like Dumbledore, the Dark Lord or Flamel himself (and probably many other sorcerers the man must have encountered during his lifetime) he certainly wasn't anything special.

Or hadn't it been him the man had meant with his comment? Flamel hadn't mentioned a name, and neither was he telling Severus off because of the latter's past mistakes nor had he fled from the room. Perhaps he had spoken about Dumbledore? As far as Severus was concerned, killing a child was a far more grievous crime than joining the death eaters.

Or had Flamel even referred to his own mistakes? The Potion Master hadn't forgotten the man mentioning something about helping other wizard meddling with mind magic.

While Severus thought about Flamel's ominous statement, the latter sipped his coffee without really registering what he was doing, or so it appeared. It was only when Severus emerged from his own musings that he noticed the other man's faraway expression.

Ten minutes later, Flamel still hadn't given any indication that he would say something any time soon and the Potion Master decided to intervene.

"You are right, at one time, I was a loyal follower of the Dark Lord. I changed my allegiance before he vanished." Severus swallowed. Surely he didn't need to confess his greatest sin? It didn't make a difference that he was the reason that Harry had lost his parents and became a Horcrux in the first place, did it? He knew that, some day, he would need to tell Harry about his involvement in everything, the boy had the right to know the truth, the right to know that to some extent Severus was responsible for his suffering, even if the man hadn't done so purposefully.

"You don't need to justify your actions, Mr Snape, not to me, anyway." Flamel answered quietly.

The Potion Master cleared his throat. "I honestly don't know whether it was the right move to go to Dumbledore to ask for sanctuary. He isn't as cruel and obsessed as the Dark Lord, but he didn't seem to care much about an individual's life either." He didn't manage to keep all traces of bitterness out of his voice.

For the first time since his mysterious statement about anyone making mistakes, the French wizard looked the Potion Master into the eyes. "But you care..." he trailed of again.

"I will help you, Mr Snape. I will help you and Mr Potter."

Severus didn't dare to believe his ears. "You will allow me to use the stone?"

"I will provide you with as much Elixir of Life as you deem necessary. I won't give you the stone, though. Most men aren't fit to handle such a powerful device adequately. It can be very - tempting, especially for wizards as young as yourself. I do not wish to offend you, but after all what I have seen during the years, I don't think it would be in your best interest to be exposed to the stone more than absolutely necessary. Even Albus has shown the habit of being a bit, well, over-enthusiastic when given unlimited access to it. There are times I wish I hadn't..." he didn't elaborated that thought but Severus was well able to guess what Flamel had been about to say.

"That's all I can ask for," Severus replied, inclining his head in acknowledgement of everything the other wizard had - and hadn't - said.

"I can't guarantee you that it will work, though. The Horcrux might survive. The boy might die. It's unlikely, yes, but I don't know for sure. It might be wise to test it on someone else before casting the curse at Mr Potter."

Severus stared at the man incredulously. Was he serious? Casting and Avada Kedavra at a randomly chosen person that had been fed the Elixir just to see what would happen? "You realize that if it doesn't work the person will most likely die?"

"Yes. I think I know someone who would be willing to take the risk."

"Who?" Severus demanded.

"Me."

The Potion Master gaped at Flamel, waiting for an explanation.

Obviously, the ancient wizard had noticed the young man's confusion and decided to elaborate. "I have thought about destroying the stone anyway. My wife has already agreed to this course of action. For someone as young as yourself it might be hard to understand why someone would die willingly, but after a certain amount of time, life tends to lose its appeal. And considering how many times the stone has been targeted by people who couldn't resist the temptation, the world might be safer without its continuous existence."

Severus was about to tell the man that he had never really understood how anyone could wish for an eternal life, but he refrained from doing so. His personal attitude towards life and death hardly mattered. But if yet another wizard - Flamel - had realized that death wasn't something you feared and if he was even willing to risk his life so that it was less likely that Harry would die, who was he to argue with the wizard?

"You are serious." It was more of a statement than a question.

"Yes. It would be nice to do something useful before finally moving on. I think it is rather unfair that a child should die before really having had a chance to live, and if I can do something to avert this, I will gladly oblige."

"I will need to speak with Harry before we continue with this plan, though. If he has any objections I won't force him to go through all of this." Severus said carefully. Just because he was convinced that this course of action would be in Harry's best interest, it didn't mean that the boy would agree. Yes, he was a child but after everything he had had to endure Severus would try his best not to force him into anything he was really uncomfortable with. Oh, he would try to convince Harry, yes, and he certainly would employ some of his Slytherin cunning, but in the end, Harry would have the final say. It was his life that was at stake (one way or another), after all.

"Of course," Flamel agreed, "I will need a few drops of the boy's blood in order to adjust the Elixir for him, though. It will take about two weeks to get it ready, so you will have plenty of time to prepare the boy."

"I will speak to him within the next few days and let you know about his decision. If he agrees, I will provide you with his blood."

"All right. I think it would be wise if I brewed the Elixir for the boy before we carry out our little experiment, though, just in case something goes wrong but you still wish to go through with the plan. Just tell me when you have decided about the further proceedings."

Shortly after Severus had agreed to this course of action, he accompanied Flamel to the Hogwarts Gates where the ancient wizard apparated back towards France.

Something had happened, Harry could tell it. The Professor looked as if he hadn't slept all night and he was clearly avoiding Harry's gaze. He had wished Harry a good morning, yes, and he had asked how Harry had slept and how he was feeling, but other than this, Professor Snape wouldn't talk to him.

When it was almost time for the man to leave for classes, Madame Pomfrey, who was in charge of watching Harry during the morning, came through the floo (after the Professor had answered her call and allowed her access to the dungeons, that was). Snape briefly patted his shoulder and had almost reached the doors when Harry dared to address the man.

"Mh, Professor, my medicine..."

However, Professor Snape didn't stop or even turned around (though admittedly Harry wasn't sure whether the man had heard him) and before Harry could call again, the door had fallen shut.

"Don't worry, Harry, I will give your your medicine. Professor Snape is rather late already and he has a busy day ahead, surely he hasn't meant to forget your medication. It's good that you keep track of it, though, not many children would do so!" She praised the boy who was staring at the closed doors, looking rather forlorn.

When the medi-witch had given him is pills, Harry took one of the books about magical creatures Professor McGonagall had left for him the previous day and retreated to his tent. He didn't tell Madame Pomfrey - who was rather concerned about the boy's apparent unhappiness - that he didn't mind the Professor forgetting his pills but that it was something else that bothered him.

He slammed the door to his room shut, ignoring the witch's request to leave it open. He knew that he wasn't supposed to shut the door to his room (or any room) when nobody was with him, but just now he didn't care.

When he crawled into his tent, though, the door flew open again. "Mr Potter, you know that you aren't to close this door. Now, I don't mind if you spend the morning reading, but if you need anything, I'll be in the living room." And with that, the medi-witch left him alone again.

Harry tried to concentrate on his book, but no matter how fascinating some of these creatures were, his thoughts kept turning back to Professor Snape. Why had the man been so gloomy and silent? Why hadn't he even looked at Harry properly? He could only think of one logical explanation for the sudden shift in the man's attitude: He wanted to get rid of Harry.

The boy had to suppress a sob. He had really started to like the man. He had really believed the man cared and would try to keep him safe from the Horcrux and from the dreadful hospital. But apparently, he had changed his mind.

It wasn't as if Harry couldn't understand that the Professor had decided that he was too much of a burden. Professor Snape must have realized what Harry had known all along, that the Horcrux would never go away, would never leave him alone.

Perhaps it had something to do with the man that had been in their - no, the Professor's - quarters late last night. Harry had woken up at some point during the night and had heard an unfamiliar voice talking to Professor Snape. At first, he had thought that Dr Green might be visiting, but very soon Harry had ruled out this possibility. The Doctor's voice just sounded different.

Maybe it had been one of the other Professors or even the headmaster. After all, hadn't Snape said that the headmaster didn't want to have Harry at his school any longer? He must finally have convinced the Professor to send Harry away.

But where would he go? Back to the Dursleys? Or straight to Dr Green's hospital? Harry shivered when he contemplated whether the Professor would send him back to the wizard's hospital. He had said that the way they had treated Harry had been wrong, yes, but perhaps he had changed his mind?

Of course, it was also possible that Ron's mum had spoken to the police - he assumed that wizards had a police, too - and they had decided to send him to jail for his attempted murder of Ron.

At some point, Harry's eyes fell shut and he drifted off into a restless sleep, full of dreams of white-clothed people pointing their wands at him, a horrible pain in his head and him being tied to the ground in a cold and clammy room with incredible high walls and no windows or even a door whatsoever.

#

"...'ry! Harry, wake up! Harry, it's only a dream!"

When Harry noticed someone shaking his shoulder, he jerked up, almost slamming his head into Professor Snape's face that was looming over him. He didn't notice this, though.

"Harry, I'm sorry for waking you up, you had a bad dream. And you need to eat lunch, too."

"No no no no no no..." Harry whispered, shaking his head constantly. He didn't want to, no, he needed to get away, he couldn't stay in this room, no, the walls were driving him mad, he needed to go out, he needed to flee, to escape...

"Harry?" A male voice asked, sounding slightly concerned.

Harry flinched violently but finally focused on the figure that crouched next to him. "Professor!" He exclaimed.

"Harry, what happened?"

Harry stared at the man, not sure what to say. It must have been a dream. Yes, a nightmare, nothing more. He was still with Professor Snape, still in his room, not in a prison cell! He almost started to cry with relief.

However, just when he was about to lean against the side of the Professor, as he had done every time when he had needed comfort or when the Horcrux' threats became too much for him to handle during the last few days, the events of the morning came back to him.

Professor Snape, not speaking to him, not looking at him, the other man, the Professor about to send him away again - the disappointment and dejection and loneliness became too much and tears started to leak out of the child's eyes.
Inch by inch, Harry moved away from the Professor, desperately hoping that the man would grab for his arm and hug him and tell him that everything was all right and that he wouldn't send Harry away.

Professor Snape, however, just stared at him and didn't utter a word until Harry had reached the corner farthest away from the man.

Severus was confused. What was the matter with the boy? Normally, Harry sought out comfort when he had had a nightmare but now he seemed almost afraid of Severus. Did he still think that the nightmare had been real? Or had the Horcrux started to influence his thoughts?

"Harry, please tell me what is wrong. Has something happened? You realize that you had a nightmare, yes? You are still in our quarters, you are safe, neither the Horcrux nor one of the healers from St Mungo's are going to hurt you."

"You... you will not send me back to that hospital?" Harry asked in a small voice, avoiding the Potion Master's searching gaze.

"Of course not, Harry, I have promised you this and I keep my promises."

"But the headmaster told you to get rid of me and I don't know whether the Dursleys or Dr Green will take me back..."

"What - who has told you that the headmaster want you gone? And why do you believe that he can make such a decision? I am your guardian, not Dumbledore!"

"But last night, there was a man who talked to you and it wasn't Dr Green so it must have been the headmaster and you have said that he doesn't want me to stay at Hogwarts." Harry argued.

Severus led out a sigh. So Harry had noticed Flamel's visit? "How much of our conversation have you overheard, Harry?" The Potion Master asked quietly. He could only hope that Harry hadn't heard too much. Damn, this wasn't how he had planned for the boy to find out! He had intended to talk to the child in the evening, when classes were over and he had time to explain everything and could be there for Harry if he needed him.

"Just that there was another man who talked to you." Harry admitted.

Severus felt relieved. "Yes, Harry, there was a man, though it wasn't the headmaster or any other Professor. And we didn't talk about sending you away, this will never happen - unless you choose to leave when you are better, of course. I promise you Harry, you are stuck with me." He said with a small wink.

For the first time, Harry met the Professor's eyes. He wouldn't send him away? He could stay? "But you haven't talked to me and not even looked at me when we had breakfast." He voiced his doubts.

"Oh Harry, I didn't mean to, and I'm sorry if my behaviour has worried you. The conversation I had with the man who was here last night - Nicolas Flamel - it was rather difficult. I had to think about it for quite some time and didn't exactly get much sleep. I planned to talk to you after classes, I didn't realize that you had noticed that something was off."

"You didn't talk about how to get rid of me? I know that you probably don't like the Horcrux and that it's really annoying having to deal with it..."

"I don't like the Horcrux, yes, but I'm certain you don't like it either, do you?" Having received an affirmative nod, Severus continued. "I thought so. But me not liking the Horcrux doesn't mean that I don't like you, Harry! In fact, I have grown rather... fond... of you during the last few weeks." Admitting this was more difficult than he had thought. However, it seemed to help enormously as Harry's gaze became much more hopeful.

"Yes, and I certainly won't send you away, no matter what the headmaster or any other person thinks about me having custody of you. Mr Flamel wasn't here because he wanted to discuss your whereabouts but in order to help me to find a way to get rid of the Horcrux. The Horcrux, not you, Harry!"

"There is no way to make it go away, Professor," Harry answered unhappily, "even the medicine only prevents it from hurting me really badly."

"Yes, I know, but I have already told you that the Horcrux is something magical. Therefore, we need to use magic to get it out of your head, and I think I have found a way to achieve exactly this. Mr Flamel was here because I invited him to come in order to discuss a few details about how to proceed. I would like to tell you more after classes, though, I want to have enough time to answer any questions you might have. Is this all right with you or do you think you will worry too much if I don't tell you straight away? I promise you that I really won't abandon you."

Harry felt a wave of relief wash over him. Professor Snape only wanted to help him, not send him away! He needed to take a few deep breathes to fight the tears that threatened to overcome him once again before he could reply. "'s all right if you tell me later. I'm sorry..."

"There is no reason to be sorry, child. I am sorry that you had to worry so much." Severus offered his hand to the boy (who was still sitting in the corner of his tent) and Harry seized it immediately. A second or so later, the Potion Master had a sobbing child in his arms.

"So, Harry, I will try to answer every question you might have - though there might be things I don't know myself - but please let me finish explaining first. And please remember that we don't need to do anything of what I'm going to tell you but that it will, in the end, be your decision whether to do this or not. I'm not going to force you, all right?"

Harry nodded. He was curious but also a bit apprehensive about what Professor Snape might tell him. It must be something big, otherwise the man would have told him straight away when he had talked to Harry after he had woken him up, he supposed.

"All right," Severus tried to keep his voice as calm as possible. It wouldn't help if Harry noticed how worried his guardian was. "I have already told you that I have spoken to an old friend of mine while you were in hospital. She knows a great deal about Horcruxes and how to destroy them. All these means include the complete and irreparable destruction of the container, though. As Horcruxes are meant to reside in inanimate objects, it doesn't matter much, normally. If a Horcrux possesses a living being, however, there is almost no way to only exterminate the Horcrux but not the - the shell." Noticing that the boy was no longer paying attention, the Potion Master stopped.

It took Harry a while to understand everything the Professor said and its implications. There were ways to destroy Horcruxes - this was good, wasn't it? You just had to destroy the thing where the Horcrux lived in. Surely this couldn't be very difficult? Harry had (accidentally) smashed several glasses and plates back at the Dursleys. So Professor Snape simply had to kill the thing the Horcrux lived in. He simply had to destroy... simply had to destroy Harry.

"Harry?" Severus asked gently after several minutes of silence. At first, he hadn't want to interrupt the boy's train of thought, but now Harry's confused expression had been replaced by a blank and utterly emotionless look on his face. To say the Potion Master was worried was an understatement, and the lack of any response he got from Harry only increased his concerns.

"Harry, have you understood what I have told you? Or do you have any questions? He tried again, but still, there was no change in the boy's expression.

He hadn't expected this. Severus had thought that Harry would throw a tantrum or at least scream at him, demanding what he meant by 'destroying the shell'. He even was prepared to deal with a confused and anxious Harry that wanted to know whether the Potion Master would somehow cut out his scar, but certainly not with such numbness, paralysis.

In the end, the Potion Master sat down next to the boy and put his arm around the child's shoulders in order to (hopefully) get any kind of response. It seemed to do the trick, since Harry flinched ever so slightly, gave him a quick look and scrambled to the other end of the sofa. Apparently, he didn't want to be hugged.

"Harry? Do you want me to continue or do you want to ask questions first?"

Harry slowly shook his head. "No, Sir. I don't have any questions, but you don't need to continue. I understand." He all but whispered.

"I don't think you do, Harry, please let me finish my explanation. There are other ways to destroy a Horcrux, ways that allow the shell to remain intact - Harry?" When the boy suddenly rose from the sofa, Severus was next to him within a second. He wouldn't risk the Horcrux trying anything.

Harry wasn't listening to the Professor's words. There was no point in doing so, he guessed, he understood what this conversation was about. The man might not have expressed it directly, but Harry wasn't stupid. Professor Snape would need to kill him in order to get rid of the Horcrux.

Harry stood up, but before he could take more than two steps, he felt the firm grip of the Professor's hand preventing him from retreating to his room. He tried to shrug the hand off, not wanting to be touched by the man who would kill him, not wanting to look at the man who he knew was doing the only sensible thing - the Horcrux was dangerous, after all - and who had only Harry's best interest at heart - being dead surely was better than being locked up for the rest of his life.

And wasn't it nice of the Professor to be willing to do this for him, to kill him? Not many people would be prepared to carry out such a vile and dirty deed, even if it was necessary!

Professor Snape, though, refused to let go if his arm. "Harry, you will listen to me!" By now, Severus was sure that Harry had been much faster in puzzling out what he had carefully avoided to state directly. Stupid boy, hadn't Severus made it clear that he wouldn't let come any harm to him? Well, apparently he needed to be blunt.

"I will not - not! - kill you, Harry. Nor will anybody else, for that matter." He quickly added, thinking of the headmaster.

The man was saying something, Harry could hear his voice, but he was unable to make out any words. Unbeknownst to the child, though, his mind wasn't completely oblivious to the Professor's words. No, a small part of him- or rather, in him - understood quite clearly what the Potion Master was telling the child.

The next thing Harry knew was that there was a strange, rushing noise - similar to the one the fireplace made when people came through it - and that he started to feel unsteady on his feet.

Then, everything happened in a very quick succession.

Suddenly, Harry became aware of the Horcrux rushing past him, screaming as he had never heard it screaming before. Before he had a chance to do anything it had seized control of his - their? - body. Dimly, Harry felt his mouth moving and he was sure that someone was shouting. He thought he felt his hand making a grab for something soft and silky, but then there was a pain so intense as if someone had cast one of those spells at him again and then he knew no more.

Severus was still talking when he noticed a distinct change in Harry's stance, and although everything that followed seemed to happen in slow motion (though later, when he watched the events of this evening in a pensive again and again, trying to find out whether he had done anything wrong, whether this wouldn't have happened if he just had been more careful, quicker, he learnt that it hadn't been more than two or three seconds altogether) he was unable to reach the boy in time.

He had just finished his sentence when the child swayed on his feet and Harry - no, the Horcrux - let out a scream that let his blood run cold. "SNAPE! YOU CAN'T CONQUER ME AND THE BOY WILL DIE!"

The Potion Master, who realized what had happened immediately, reached out for the child whose body was now in control of the Horcrux, but the thing was faster. It tried to grip Severus arm but only managed to grasp his robes. The force was enough to tear a hole in the Potion Master's cloak.

Somehow, Severus still got to snatch Harry's arm but the incredible strength of the Horcrux surpassed the Potion Master's by far.

With a sickening crunch, Harry's body was hurled against the stony wall.