Potions and Snitches
Snape and Harry Gen Fanfiction Archive

Author's Chapter Notes:
Disclaimer: I do not own JK Rowling’s world or plotlines. I do own my own plotlines and since this is being written about things JK has not yet published, most of the plotline is mine. However, my brilliant sister inspired the story, and I lovingly thank her for her contribution.
Chapter Twelve: Unforgivable

With friends like these, who needs enemies?

-Muggle expression favored by the Boy-Who-Lived

Harry jumped as a trio of owls flew through his ever-open window. It was too annoying for him to keep removing the warding spells so the owls could enter. He was searching through Snape’s books for a warding spell that allowed only owls as the bugs were beginning to drive him crazy.

The first bird he recognized instantly as the Professor’s black Cyllen. He removed the letter and a shrunken box from her talon, gave her a drink of water and made sure she was up to the return before he even considered the other two. One he didn’t recognize, but the other was Errol, and was carrying a Howler. He checked the smoking red letter quickly to see who it was from.

Ron.

Harry took one look at the ailing bird and muttered, “Poor animal doesn’t deserve this, but it should royally piss Ron off.” With a quick gesture the bird and letter were both returned to sender. It was the same spell he had used to expel certain idiotic red-headed gits.

The final owl turned out to be from Moody. Harry frowned, Moody was not a letter writer. He was cautiously opening it when a series of crashes squeaks and hisses piqued his attention. In the hallway, Cleo and Pig were snapping back and forth reenacting a cartoonishly ridiculous scene. “Cleo, get over here.” Cleo had been trained by Mrs. Figg and immediately scampered to his shoulder.

Pig was slightly less cooperative. Eventually Harry snatched onto the fuzzy snitch and locked it into a cage he hadn’t known he owned.

“Is everything alright?”

Harry jumped slightly less than a foot straight up before drawing his wand and preparing to attack speaker.

“Hello Aunt Petunia. Did you need something? I’m sorry about the noise this fuzz ball was making. I am sending him back to his owner as soon as I can find a way.” He said detachedly.

His aunt muttered something about psychiatric help for the whole family and walked away trembling.

The Dursleys had been largely ignoring him, except for unique circumstances like the arrival of Ron on their doorstep.

“Ruddy Git. Anyway, back to the letters I guess. Right Cleo?” She leapt from his shoulder and began to attack the scratching pole Harry had mail ordered.

Hedwig sailed in with her dinner just as Harry was starting Snape’s message.

“’Lo Hedwig.”

Potter-

The Order was told of your ‘Dark’ activities by the youngest Mr. Weasley. It has caused an uproar similar to their reaction to my aiding the Werewolf. Dumbledore has asked that Moody write you and try to determine your loyalties. He has no doubt done so by now.

The decision of whether or not to tell them of your plan lies with you, however, it may be important that you know how quickly they accepted the ‘fact’ that you are ‘Dark.’ In light of this it may be best that you reconsider how much faith you put in them. The package I have attached is a pensieve with my and Lupin’s combined memories of the discussion.

As my intelligence in these matters far exceeds your own, I decided to follow my belief. Lupin is privy to the fact that I sent you the books. I informed him of the fact upon his proclamation that the Weasley boy was lying. It seems that you have at least one person on your side. (That person is NOT myself.)

By some miracle - or perhaps the impact your ego has on the universe twisted fate to your favor - the Dark Lord has decided that your jaunt outside was a distraction to keep him from where you actually are. He is currently searching London. DO NOT GO OUTSIDE AGAIN. For the moment he has been deceived but if you appear there again, he will establish the truth.

The letter I received from you yesterday only further demonstrated your idiocy and deepened my belief that allowing you to enroll in advanced potions was a mistake. How I knew that you had passed your OWLs has nothing to do with you, so you will not ask about it again. Work on your essay as I know that you at the minimum now know what the assignment is.

Your subconscious use of your parseltongue abilities is not a reassuring sign of your sanity. I will send what texts I can on the subject.

The Dark Lord is developing a spell that is, as what best be understood by a Gryffindor like yourself, a blast of the Killing Curse. I lack details. Once I have managed to procure them, I will inform you of what I can. THIS IS NOT PERMISSION TO LEAVE YOUR HOME. In a case of extreme emergency, myself or Lupin will arrive at your home to take you to a secondary facility.

Professor Severus Snape

Snorting at the Professor’s ceaseless insults, Harry enlarged the box, opened the pensieve and began to watch in disgust as the events unfolded before him.

*~~~*~~~*

Ten minutes later Harry had watched the side ‘loyal’ to him establish his guilt based on the testimony of a hormonal and notoriously blockheaded teenager.

He skimmed the letter from Moody, able to see past the first layers.

He crumpled it up and burned it to vent some anger, then scribbled a quick reply.

To the Order of the Phoenix and All Those Concerned-

I am doing what I need to do and what I want to do.

-Harry James Potter

He attached the note to Moody’s owl. The poor bird had waited in the hopes of a response though Harry doubted the Order would like what they received. He also tied Pig’s cage to the bird’s other talon after giving Pig a severe threat against his return.

The bird flew away, and Harry flopped onto his bed.

“Exactly what did I do to deserve this Dad? Did I offend someone in a past life? What? Because at the moment I seem to have double the enemies. It was bad enough with their suspecting Remus of being a traitor. Although you did the same, didn’t you? I bet your reasons were better than ‘he’s a werewolf.’ Gits. They can never manage to think at the right pace. In an emergency they insist on planning and taking their time. When they actually have time to work think things through, like now for instance, they insist on rushing.

“Did you and Mum accidentally offend some sort of powerful wizard who cursed the family and all those near to it? It’s always possible that you pranked the wrong crotchety old hag.

“Of course, probably doesn’t help that I went to Snape for help. I hope you two manage to forgive me for that, but it does make sense. He thoroughly hates me so at least I don’t have to be baby-talked through a war. He doesn’t give a damn if he sent me books that have lost me my best friend, any form of emotional support from the Order, and my lunch several times. If he did, well, he just wouldn’t be Snape would he?”

Harry stopped and sat up in his bed. His aunt could be heard whispering, “…talking to no one. Psychiatric help. He needs…” She walked away and Harry chuckled while laying back down.

“You know Sirius, she’s probably right. I spend far too much time talking to inanimate objects: walls, doors, books, the Dursely’s, the ceiling, my broom… The ceiling is definitely my favorite though. Something nice about it. I particularly like the water stain in the south-west corner over there. It’s very-”

crack.

He cut off and jumped out of the bed, somehow managing to roll to his feet, draw his wand and cast a shield spell before consciously registering what the noise meant.

I guess my reflexes are improving. Good to know.

Rising to the dueling pose, he saw Remus with his wand at his side. Harry cast a disarming charm, quickly followed by a leg-locker curse before he floated the man to the bed and stared down at him harshly. He went to the door, locked it, and began to rifle through the pockets of his coat. Inside one he found his quarry. With an eyedropper he administered three cautious drops of Veritaserum.

He waited a few seconds and then asked, “What is your name?”

“Remus J. Lupin.”

“What is your nickname and why is it that?”

“Moony, because I am a lycanthrope.”

“Do you serve Voldemort or any of his followers?”

“No.”

“Did you come here with any intent to harm me?”

“No.”

“Does your power allow any of my enemies to find me and or harm me?”

“No.”

“Are you a traitor to the Order, wait, scratch that, are you my enemy?”

“No.”

Harry breathed a sigh of relief and administered the antidote. The counter curses were cast and Remus wearily said, “Paranoid aren’t you?”

“Naturally, Moony. Why are you here?”

“There has been a full scale attack on the ministry. It is still underway. I am here to make sure that you know what is happening. Officially I am here to make sure you stay put and safe. Unofficially I am going to make sure that you get there.”

“Why?”

“Harry, you are damn powerful, not to mention that your presence scares the hell out of any Death Eater that was there for the duel in your fourth year. According to Snape, and based on what you could do as a third year, not to mention the records of the DA. Besides, the Lestranges should be there. Are you coming or not?”

Smirking, Harry gathered a series of vials Snape had sent, poured them together and drained them. He picked up his wand.

“Of course I’m coming.”

*~~~*~~~*

The potion he had taken was a simple energy draught, but Harry was grateful for it by the time he had finished at the Ministry.

He and Remus had portkeyed into a hallway near the auror department. It was filled with witches and wizards running frantically about, confused, lost and panicking. He ducked a spell from an unknown wand and dragged Remus into an office.

“Exactly what is happening?”

“The main attack seems to be over, but there was a large…explosion. It was something like the killing curse except that it hit several dozen people at once. The Death Eaters arrived after that, and must have retreated recently.”

Harry shifted the grip he had on his wand, “How many Death Eaters were there?”

“I’m not sure, but I heard someone in the hallways say a dozen. They may have been wrong though.”

“Where is the minister?” Remus stopped dead in confusion. “I don’t want to save his life, but I need to speak to him. He can’t deny this proof, even if he is rather terrified of me.”

“Harry, we have no proof that this was Voldemort. It could have been anyone.”

His hand tightened on the wand before he heard a voice shout, “Death Eaters in the Lobby!”

“Is that enough proof, Remus?”

Everyone else was moving with him, so he was either attacking or blindly retreating.

For a few minutes he still wasn’t sure about his decision to follow the crowd, but grinned coldly as he entered the room. The fountain of Magical Brethren had been repaired, likely by Fudge, or more accurately, Fudge’s minions. Harry found himself at the front of the group, though he was unsure whether that had been his choice or not.

Another dozen Death Eaters were standing in their black robes, thoroughly blocking the exit. A few stray guards and visitors were lying on the ground.

“Probably Avada Kedarva.” He muttered.

A woman to his left screamed and he turned instinctively to check on her. She was a muggle, at most a squib, and kept babbling about her dead cousin. She latched onto Harry’s wand arm as he turned to the situation at hand and refused to move.

“As I said before Sirius, what did I do to get stuck with this bloody lovely fate? Personally, I don’t think there’s much worse.” Harry muttered.

The woman still refused to release her death grip.

He was waiting for the Death Eaters to make the first strike. It was the safest method, but none of them were doing anything. Well now, isn’t this odd.

Half dragging, half carrying the woman with him, he walked directly to them. He cautiously lifted his wand, almost certain of his theory now, and terrified of what it meant. His wand slipped through the chest of the image he had approached.

“Shit.” He breathed.

Harry scooped the woman on his arm into his arms and carried her to the Ministry officials who had watched in horror.

He turned to follow their frightened gaze and saw the real Death Eaters sliding out of doorways. The replicas faded away, and all hell broke loose.

A blast of stunning spells were shot by both sides but only the Death Eaters and Harry were smart enough to duck.

Half the aurors were unconscious and the other half were useless.

“Sir, take her and get her out of here.” Harry ordered a young man with blonde hair.

He whipped back to the conscious members of the Ministry and shouted for Remus, but the name died stillborn on his tongue as a voice he would have recognized a mile away cooed, “Ooh, Harry, is this anyway to treat your family?”

The wand in his hand began to hum with unused energy. He bit back the scream that tried to tear from his lips. He had to remain calm. He had to remain focused. He could not violently attack the speaker. At least not yet.

“Hello Bella, how are you? Killed anyone lately?” He said as he turned to look at her.

“No one important. There was one fellow by the name of Black a little while ago, and some hag squib in the city you tricked us into attacking. How does it feel to have innocent blood on your perfect hands? Do you like it?”

Sadistic bitch.

Taking a deep breath, he stood in the dueling pose he had learned in his second year, watched her do the same, and felt the horde behind him surge forward to attack the other Death Eaters. They were in a circle of peace amid the chaos of the room, and circled each other, trying to appraise the others’ abilities. Harry could hear the curses around them, but ignored them all.

Instead he asked, “Polyjuice?”

“Polyjuice.” She replied with a sneer. He waited until she moved again. His reflexes were faster when defending.

She cast Impedimenta, and he calmly dodged it. She expected him to attack, so he waited until she was unsure, and threw a series of spells at her, everything from a stunning spell to the unique Furnuculus curse/ Jelly Legs he had discovered to be so useful at the end of the fourth year.

She brought up a shield spell in time, deflecting the curses into the masses around them.

“Very good for someone so young. Creative, I’m tempted to see what happens with that last pairing of spells. The results could be…fascinating. But are you still too shy and noble to use something real?” She asked in a tone so sickeningly sweet it turned his stomach. “Crucio.” She shouted before he could respond.

His own shield was a breath late, and the curse, though lessened, found its mark. Harry bit through a section of his lip tasting the coppery blood that filled his mouth. Don’t scream. Don’t scream. Don’t scream. He repeated to himself. Blood oozed out of the corner of his mouth and he felt it trail over his cheek, dripping as though he were a vampire. The pain was nothing in comparison to what he had felt at Voldemort’s hand, but was enough to overload his senses, and fog his brain, and at the same time, he managed to resist the need to scream

After an agonizing and immeasurable time, she lifted the spell.

He stood up.

He didn’t know he had fallen down.

“What? Was that too much for the little innocent boy? No? You could be almost as much fun as the Longbottoms to break. First I’ll find their son though. One of your friends isn’t he? I guess there will be even more blood on your-”

Harry snapped and cast the only thing that could find a way through his delusional and vengeance-set mind.

The Unforgivable Killing Curse shot from his mouth and from his wand. Harry felt suddenly detached from his body as Bellatrix raised her wand and cast the last thing Harry expected. The Cheering Charm met Death, but didn’t stop it. Green light flashed and Bellatrix Lestrange collapsed.

Sirius.

All noise in the room had stopped, and every person, no matter the affiliation was staring at him. “My, my, my. Wee little Potter is growing up. I’m so proud.” Lucius voiced cruelly from behind his mask.

Tracing the noise, Harry turned to the Death Eater, and fearlessly walked to him. Aurors and enemies alike fell over each other to get out of his way. “Get out.” He whispered. Lucius waited, and the instinctive glare Harry was using amplified. If Snape had been there, he would have been proud.

Lucius’ gulp was almost audible before the Death Eaters collectively vanished, including the body of Bellatrix.

Harry walked to Remus, feeling remarkably religious as a path opened in the sea of people before him. “Where is-”

“Traitor!”

“-ah, Minister Fudge. Do you consider this to be enough proof?”

“You’ll go to Azkaban for this! I swear it! Used the Killing Curse! Against the law! Azkaban! Life Sentence! Outrageous! Traitorous! Lied! Betrayal! Disgusted! Never again! Wont let it!” In the fluster he had worked himself to, Fudge seemed to have lost the ability to use full sentences. So he used what was one of his most menacing words. “Azkaban!”

Harry rolled his mental eyes. “As I told you previously sir, I’d break out. However, in a few days there won’t be an Azkaban, so you are welcome to put me there. I’d appreciate the vacation time. The Dementors will be leaving soon after all.”

“How dare you threaten me!”

“Sir, that was not a threat. Now, is this enough proof for it to sink into your mind that Voldemort has returned, or should I go ask him to stop by for a visit to prove my point?”

“Regardless of his return, you have just used an Unforgivable. It is an automatic sentence to Azkaban. Avada Kedarva means a life sentence!” One of Fudge’s lackeys shouted.

“Minister, will you be making an announcement about Voldemort’s return?” Harry said, as he ignored the lackey.

“Yes, well, yes of course.” He said grudgingly, “but this does not change the fact that you just killed one of the few surviving members of an ancient pureblood family. You murdered her!”

Abruptly, Harry’s mind, which had detached itself from the moment rushed back, and the full weight of what he had done, what he had repaired and why he had done it crashed over him. He was physically knocked back and staggered several feet before Remus was at his side holding him up. His breath was coming in short gasps between long pauses and his thoughts refused to settle, keeping him under a constant barrage of guilt and panic.

“Be sure to inform the press, Minister, anything else you feel needs to be addressed can be dealt with via owl post.” Remus said cruelly.

Then Remus pulled a second portkey from his pocket and both he and Harry found themselves in the Smallest Bedroom of Number Four Privet Drive once more.

Harry managed to stay upright only long enough to reach the garbage can where he quickly rediscovered exactly what he had eaten for breakfast.


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