Potions and Snitches
Snape and Harry Gen Fanfiction Archive

Author's Chapter Notes:
A/N: Hello there lovely readers. I must say, it has been far too long, and I am sorry. I have a lot going on right now. I have some life threatening health issues and I have been devoting most of my time and effort to fighting these illnesses, which has not left very much time or mental capacity for writing. I have missed writing very much, and I am trying to get back into it. I will be going through two surgeries within the next few months, including brain surgery. I am going to try to finish this story before that happens, just in case. If you have stuck with me this far – thank you from the very bottom of my heart. If you have recently discovered my story, welcome! It has been a bumpy ride!
This is the last full chapter before the epilogue, and possibly some one-shots to follow up and tie up loose ends later on. Please enjoy.

WARNING: Graphic violence, character death.
Chapter 59: Never Alone

Harry clutched his head under the invisibility cloak, clenching his teeth so as not to scream from the pain. For a few moments suspended in time, all Harry was aware of was blinding, nauseating pain, and then he felt someone grab his arm and pull. He instinctively began to run, knowing subconsciously that it was his father leading him away from Riddle Senior’s headstone, as that is surely the spot where Voldemort would apparate directly to. He knew this is part of the plan, some plan, the plan they made…if only his scar would stop hurting long enough for him to think.

The pain slowly began to ebb away, and then Harry heard it – the cacophonous sound of dozens, maybe even hundreds, of Death Eaters apparating into the Little Hangleton graveyard. He felt his heart begin to race and his hands were shaking. He wasn’t ready for this, what had he been thinking?

“Dad…Dad I can’t do this,” Harry croaked in a harsh whisper, clutching desperately at the hand still holding onto this arm. 

“Yes you can. There is no choice. Be brave, my son. I am right here with you,” Severus said in a harsh whisper. With great reluctance, he released his hold on Harry’s arm and scanned around the chaos that was beginning to ensue. It was dark, and the only thing that could really be seen were spells reflecting off of Death Eater masks, including his own that he had worn as a diversion tactic.

“Get ready, Harry. When I spot the Dark Lord, I’m going to let my mask slip so he recognizes me. He’ll more than likely come after me, if he’s not too busy looking for you, and may even surmise you’re with me. You have the Stone ready?”

Harry clenched the resurrection stone in his palm, feeling a strange sense of almost calmness come over him. “Yes, it’s ready. Please be careful.”

S~S~S~S

The Death Eaters outnumbered the Order members for sure, but the Order were giving as good as they got. All over the graveyard, groups of two and three stood back to back, covering each other as they took down Death Eaters left and right. It was clear that the Death Eaters had not been prepared for a battle tonight, and the planned attacks of the Order were throwing them off kilter.

That wasn’t to say that the Order weren’t getting hit, however. Already, the ground was littered with bodies, but whether they were alive or dead, no one really had time to confirm. The Order members were checking as many as they could and sending them to the infirmary if they thought appropriate. Sometimes, though, when they checked someone and it was clear there was no hope to be had, they cast a shield charm over the body to at least protect their fallen comrade’s remains, and then the battle continued. This was war; there was no time for consideration for the dead when there was still the living to protect.

The Order was not affording this right to only other Order, however. If they came across a Death Eater who was clearly dead, they would also shield the corpse. This had been a debate with many in the Order that Harry had firmly and staunchly won. Yes, they were Death Eaters, they were on the wrong side of the war, but they were also still fathers, sons, husbands – they still had loved ones who would claim their bodies when this was over, and Harry thought it was cruel to protect their own fallen, but not the others.

All across the graveyard, small patches were glowing, marking where the dead now lay. It was like a whole other graveyard, blanketing the already existing one beneath them.

S~S~S~S

On the complete opposite side of the graveyard, Draco and Lucius were already locked in battle with Mulciber and Avery. Despite charming their hair black, the Malfoys were too recognizable, especially to Death Eaters bent on revenge. The savage pair had gone after Draco and Lucius almost immediately, laughing maniacally as they dueled the elder and younger Malfoys.

They weren’t holding back. Killing curses were being sent rapid fire by Avery as Mulciber played dirty and sent cutting hexes at Draco. Lucius was quickly blocking as many of the cutting hexes as he could, dodging the Killing curses by moving around quickly. He and Draco were already covered in a few minor cuts from cutting hexes that they couldn’t quite escape.

While he had been blocking another cutting hex, Lucius lost sight of Avery for a second too long, and suddenly he was behind Draco. Without even thinking, Lucius grabbed Draco by the collar, pulled him tight to his chest, and spun around. He took a cutting curse full strength in the back, and for a moment, he couldn’t breathe. White hot fire consumed his entire being as he felt the warm moisture of his own blood soak through his robes quickly.

Lucius turned halfway and sent a Killing curse at Avery, who was too slow to block it through his laughter, and fell to the dry earth with a dull thud.

“Dad! Dad! Oh Merlin, oh no…Father…” Draco sobbed as Lucius began to slump forward, losing blood and strength rapidly. In a blind panic, Draco apparated to behind a copse of trees, taking his father side-along with him. There was blood everywhere, the stench of it making Draco want to retch as Lucius fell to his knees, unable to hold himself up anymore.

“We have to get you back to Headquarters, just hold on, ok? You’ll be ok, I’ll take you back, just breathe. Stay with me,” Draco begged as he tried a quick healing spell to at least try to stop the bleeding a little bit, his heart racing as Lucius slumped further down to the ground. Draco was kneeling in front of him, trying to hold his father up as much as he could.

“Draco…My dragon, I love you so much, and I am so proud of you. Please…please stay safe, survive this and then go on and show the world that we Malfoys weren’t all bastards. I love you, Dragon.” Lucius’ voice had become faint, the full weight of his body slumping against Draco, his only son, his only child.

Draco could not see through his tears as he desperately continued to send healing spells at his father’s back, but once he had moved the man’s robes aside, it was clear no healing spells would fix this. Muscle and tissue – even bone – were exposed, and there was so, so much blood.

“Father…Daddy, no, please don’t die. Don’t leave me, please…I love you, please,” Draco sobbed as he gave up casting spells and just held his father to his chest instead. He knew he could not stay where he was long, as a Death Eater was bound to see him and take advantage of his vulnerable position. He realized he could no longer hear or feel his father’s rattling breaths, and with a streak of fear and panic, he cast a spell to detect the elder Malfoy’s pulse. There was none. Draco felt all of the air leave his lungs as he clutched desperately to his father’s lifeless body and sobbed violently against the hair that had now faded back to platinum blond.

“No, oh Merlin no,” Draco moaned, rocking back and forth. What was he supposed to do? He couldn’t just leave his father there!

Draco remembered then that they had each been given portkeys back to Headquarters in case of medical emergency. He rummaged in Lucius’ robes, hiccupping sobs wracking his body as his hands shook uncontrollably. He found the small coin in a side pocket and pressed it to his father’s chest.

La maison noire,” Draco croaked before quickly letting go of the coin and backing away from his father’s body. The portkey activated with the password, and he watched as Lucius disappeared, to be delivered back to the makeshift infirmary at Grimmauld Place.

He could not help but wonder if his father could have been saved if he had remembered the portkey sooner. Sobs wracked his body as he used a cleaning spell to get the worst of the blood off of his hands. He had various small cuts everywhere, but all he could feel was the agonizing pain of losing his father. He was truly an orphan now; both of his parents were gone. He was only seventeen; he was too young to lose both of his parents.

Draco took a deep breath to gather his wits about him. He did not have time to grieve now. This was war, he had to get back out there and fight. He felt the utter anguish in his soul turn to fiery rage as he stood and apparated back to the spot he and his father had been dueling with Avery and Mulciber. Avery’s body was lying dead, and Mulciber was locked in a fight with another Order member. Having the element of surprise and unadulterated rage on his side, Draco quickly shot a killing curse at Mulciber, hitting him square in the back and dropping him like a sack of potatoes.

As Draco stood panting out the bodies of Mulciber and Avery, he didn’t hear another Death Eater coming up behind him until it was almost too late. Draco felt white hot pain in his abdomen, clutching his ribs out of pure instinct. His shaking hands came away bloody, and he fell to his knees. His ears were ringing, and then suddenly the Death Eater standing over him fell to the ground, and Remus was there. He lifted Draco with ease and apparated to the edge of the graveyard.

“I’m not sure what you were hit with, but you seem to be bleeding quite a lot. I’m going to send you back to headquarters,” Remus explained as he searched Draco’s pocket for the portkey.

“Not all mine,” Draco mumbled as he slid the coin from his pocket and held it out to the werewolf.

“Not all yours? Blood, you mean? Ok, but I still think it would be safest to send you for medical attention, ok? If I see your father, I’ll let him know.”

Draco felt the cut in his side ache as a sob escaped him. “He’s dead…oh Merlin, my father is dead.”

Remus gasped as he realized whose blood Draco must be covered in, and quickly folded Draco’s hand over the coin. “I’m so sorry, Draco. You know how to activate it. We’ll all be back soon.”

Remus felt his heart clench as tears poured from the blonde teen’s eyes. These children were too young to see this kind of war, this was utter madness. He waited for Draco to activate the portkey, and then quickly moved away so that he did not join the young Slytherin.

After making sure Draco was gone, Remus stood and quickly made his way back to the fight. This needed to end this as soon as possible. He felt a sharp stab of panic as he wondered where Severus and Harry were, who they were fighting, who else had been injured or killed.

S~S~S~S

The graveyard was utter chaos. The only light that lit the night were spells bouncing back and forth, acid green, bright red, sickly purple, electric blue. Bright white flashes of light signaled shield spells being cast and attacked. Amongst the light from the spells, however, there were other, larger flashes of light. The acid green of the killing curse flew back and forth between a Death Eater and an Order member, and then suddenly, a rainbow of colors exploded between them, momentarily blinding the Death Eater long enough for a spell, seemingly from nowhere, to hit the man straight in the chest.

“Good one, Fred! What did you hit him with?”

“Body bind and blood boiling; he’s going to feel that for a while,” George replied as he and his brother weaved through the many duels, lighting fireworks, throwing fistfuls of Peruvian dark powder, setting off traps and taking out Death Eaters faster than they could even block. They were an unstoppable team.

On the opposite side of the graveyard, Ron and Hermione were doing the same. They knew that Severus planned to lure Voldemort towards himself and Harry, who was wielding the resurrection stone, on the far north end of the graveyard. They were causing a scene at the far south end, drawing as much attention to the area as they could to get the majority of the Death Eaters away from the north end, where they could assist their Lord.

“Be ready to use your portkey, ‘Mione, they’re getting awfully close,” Ron hissed as he set off another diversion to their left.

“Just keep setting traps, I’ll be fine. No being a martyr either – if they get too close to your side, you have to use yours too,” Hermione reminded her boyfriend as she lit a firework with her wand and tossed it towards the trees to the south end. From far away, the light of the firework looked like spell lights, and would hopefully lure the Death Eaters towards that area. The further from Severus and Harry they were, the better.

S~S~S~S

MacNair had always been a notoriously bloodthirsty individual. As the executioner for the Ministry’s Department of Magical Creatures, the man had always taken a little too much pleasure from his job. It was no surprise when MacNair joined the Death Eaters after being promised all of the blood and gore his shriveled, black heart desired.

MacNair was fighting dirty. Many of the other Death Eaters were just sending Killing curses, trying to drop bodies as quickly as possible and move on, but not MacNair. He was sending gruesome, terrifying curses rapid fire: disemboweling, cutting, eviscerating spells that would mean a terrible ending to anyone unlucky enough to be hit.

Charlie turned quickly as MacNair sent another disemboweling curse his way, Tonks moving with him like a well-oiled machine. They were back to back, constantly blocking as MacNair was so quick and vicious, they could only defend at this point. Tonks spotted Bill, who was trying to make his way towards them to get MacNair off of them, but he was caught in his own battle with Amycus and Alecto Carrow.

“Dora, we need to weaken him just long enough to get one curse off. If I can weaken him, will you curse him?”

“Yeah, I can do that. No holding back, now. On the count of three?”

“On the count of three.”

“One,” Charlie said.

“Two,” replied Tonks.

“Three!” They shouted together as Tonks ducked, broke the shield spell around her, and did an about face. As Charlie was getting ready to cast another shield over himself while Tonks took her aim, a wayward spell caught his wand arm and his wand flew from his hand.

There wasn’t time to both protect herself and Charlie. She could get one spell off before MacNair struck again, and she knew what she needed to do. Tonks heard Charlie scream her name as she pointed her wand at him and cast a shield spell, leaving herself in the open. Before Charlie could reach his wand and before she could cast another spell, Tonks was hit from behind by a spell from MacNair.

She could feel the nauseating feeling of her flesh being torn open and the odd, cool/warm feeling of her own blood rushing down her back and legs. The last thing she heard was Charlie screaming her name again, and then him shouting the killing curse at MacNair with her wand. Then, Nymphadora Tonks heard no more.

S~S~S~S

All Harry could hear were shouts, screams, grunts of pain, horror, grief, and frustration. His vision was filled with bright flashes, his head pounding with the effort of keeping Voldemort out. He had brought up his Occlumency shields as quickly as possible after Voldemort’s arrival, but the poor excuse for a man was clawing tooth and nail at his shields, trying to get in, to torture Harry and find him.

“Fight me, you coward! Your friends lay dead at my feet, and you continue to hide in shame! Fight me!” Harry could hear Voldemort screaming, the resurrection stone grasped so tightly in his palm, he was sure to have a permanent indent.

Harry was waiting for the signal from his father, who he could see dueling with numerous Death Eaters about twenty feet away. He had torn off his Death Eater mask, no longer hiding his face. He wanted to lure Voldemort as close to Harry as they needed before the final steps of the plan went into play.

Harry could hear Death Eaters asking Voldemort what they should do, if they should find Harry or go after Snape, and Harry wasn’t all that surprised to hear Voldemort dismiss them and hiss, “The boy is mine! Do not touch Potter, I want him!”

Harry heard his father’s voice shout a killing curse at a Death Eater and winced, but as his father looked towards him, he gave the signal. Harry looked just behind the Potions Master, and there he was – Voldemort was practically gliding across the dry earth, his pale skin glowing sickly in the moonlight as he scoured his surroundings, looking for Harry.

Harry shot red sparks to his left to signal to his father that he was putting the next step into motion. He rolled the stone in his palm three times, concentrating on Sirius. Harry could feel the man’s presence, though Sirius had found a way to make himself invisible. He felt a slight brush of his shoulder as Sirius leaned down to whisper in his ear.

“I have the syringe, everything is going to plan. Once you’re ready, you send a Killing Curse at that monster and I’ll do the rest. I’m so proud of you, Harry. It’s almost over.”

Harry nodded, even though he knew Sirius couldn’t see him. He felt when his godfather moved away, missing his presence immediately. Harry was alone now, and Voldemort was not far. He was getting too close to Severus for Harry’s liking, so he quickly pulled back his hood, took a deep breath, and yelled.

“Tom! If you want to fight me, then fight me!

Voldemort turned quickly, his eyes narrowing as he caught sight of Harry’s ridiculously floating head, and let out a wheezing chuckle that held absolutely no humor.

“Of course you would have an invisibility cloak. That won’t save you now, Potter. I have been waiting a very long time for this, and nothing is going to stand in my way this time. Avada Kedavra!

The green light of the Killing curse quickly fizzled out as it hit some sort of shield. Voldemort gave a growl of frustration and continued the send spell after spell, all hitting the same barrier. “What is this? Fight me, Potter! Die like a man!”

“You see, Tom, that has always been your biggest flaw. You could never do the thing you just told me to do – die like a man. You feared death so much that you turned yourself into this warped, horrible creature to avoid it. You’ve mistaken immortality for power, Tom. You cannot live forever, because you have never truly lived. You have never loved; you have never cared for anyone. You’ve never known friendship or compassion, and I feel sorry for you. This, this shield around me, this is love. The love and protection from my father, Severus Snape surrounds me now. You may have taken my birth parents from me, but their love will never leave me. I have a family again now, and you will never be able to take them from me. You can never hurt any of us again!

“All of your life you have been afraid to die, but really, you’ve never actually lived. How’s that for irony?”

Avada Kedavra!” “Protego!

As the green and red spell light hit in midair, Voldemort suddenly clutched at his neck, gasping as he fell to his knees. Sirius was standing there, glowing against the dark backdrop of the graveyard with the empty syringe clutched in his hand.

A terrible scream ripped from the dark wizard’s throat, and a burst of light shot towards Harry’s left. Harry ducked, thinking the spell had been meant for him, but Voldemort’s aim was off. That’s when Harry saw his father out of the corner of his eye, clutching his chest as he fell to the ground.

“No! Dad! NO!” Harry screamed, and then everything went black.

Chapter End Notes:
A/N: You didn’t think I would give you the last full chapter and NOT have another cliff hanger, did you? Ha! Please let me know what you think, and I will work on the epilogue as quickly as my diseased little brain allows!

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