Disclaimer: I don't own anything except any characters I invent and the plot.
A/N: Here is my second chapter for this story. This is based during the Battle of Hogwarts in Deathly Hallows, but it won’t be the exact chain of events. I hope you enjoy, please read and review!
‘You have to!’418Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5Z6ubYcuqm
‘I can’t do that!’418Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgiqEkMe4p2
‘You have to! You must protect him! You promised!’418Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQNPqE2ulFJ
‘Narcissa…’418Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXdVWaCtkll
Narcissa sank to her knees as though her strength had been cut from beneath her. Damp earth soaked the hem of her robes, and tears slipped down her pale cheeks, catching the faint silver of moonlight through the canopy. Around them, the Forbidden Forest seemed to hold its breath. The trees stood black and watchful, their twisted branches creaking in the cold wind, while distant flashes from the battle stained the sky beyond the castle. Snape knelt beside her and gathered her into his arms with a restraint that could not quite hide its desperation. They remained there among the roots and shadows, far from the screams and spells tearing through Hogwarts, though the war reached them in every echo beneath the ground.418Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡs51PaDut5I
‘Please,’ Narcissa said, the word barely holding together. Her fingers closed hard in Snape’s cloak, gathering the black wool as if she could pull him back from refusal by force alone. ‘Severus, I am begging you. Not as Lucius’s wife. Not as a Malfoy. As his mother.’418Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZObkXij7wB
‘And when this ends?’ Snape asked, the words clipped so tightly they were almost not words at all. He did not look away from her. ‘When he asks where his mother is, what answer would you have me give?’418Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbUo1szfDDP
‘He will survive,’ Narcissa said. Her hand shook as she touched Snape’s cheek, but her eyes did not leave his. ‘That has to be enough. Please, Severus. One final favour.’418Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5SxPEZY11V
Snape searched her face for a final flicker of doubt, anything he might seize upon to pull her back from the edge. He found none. Narcissa’s desperation had hardened into acceptance, and that steadiness frightened him more than panic ever could. With a heart that felt older than the forest, he gave a slow, reluctant nod. ‘Alright. Stay here where it’s safe. I’ll be back.’ The promise tasted bitter. Safety had become a fragile, almost meaningless word. He rose before his resolve could fracture and pushed into the undergrowth. Branches clawed at his robes as he disappeared into the dark, Narcissa’s broken cries following him with every hurried breath.418Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrI8AL91uf5
Draco Malfoy sat beside a small, miserable fire, poking at the flickering flames with a snapped branch until sparks jumped and vanished into the smoke. The fire gave off more light than warmth, painting his drawn face in restless orange and gold while the surrounding trees remained steeped in blackness. Somewhere far beyond the forest, explosions rolled across the night like thunder, followed now and then by faint screams or the dull roar of collapsing stone. Each sound made Draco’s shoulders tense. The battle dragged memories out of him whether he wanted them or not: the Manor, his father’s cold stare, the Mark burning on arms around a table, the sickening certainty that he had once belonged to all of this. Though unease gnawed at him and every instinct screamed that hiding made him a coward, he had been forced deeper into the Forbidden Forest, cut off from the castle, his family, and every life he had ever known.418Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcb6ZbElS8t
Being alone disturbed him, but Draco had few options left. Voldemort and Lucius were searching for him, and every path back to the castle seemed to lead through danger. He had abandoned the role expected of him, stepped away from the Death Eaters, and severed himself from the future once laid out like a command. Now there was no easy return, no forgiveness waiting in the smoke behind him—only the consequences of his choice and the terrifying uncertainty of what came next.418Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcdn25on9VK
His thoughts kept circling back to his mother. Narcissa was still out there, and if Lucius found her first, Draco knew mercy would not protect her. The fear tightened his chest and made every rustle of leaves sound like footsteps. When something moved nearby, he sprang up at once, wand raised, staring into the darkness.418Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQygt46wBMV
Draco clenched his wand as a figure emerged from the trees. For one breathless second, fear swallowed thought; then firelight caught the sharp lines of Snape’s face. Draco lowered his wand with an unsteady exhale. ‘Bloody hell, you scared me half to death!’ The words came out sharper than he meant them to. His gaze darted past Snape at once, searching the darkness for pale hair, a familiar outline, any sign of his mother. Branches stirred. Smoke shifted. Nothing. Anxiety stripped away his attempt at indifference. ‘Where’s Mother?’ he asked, unable to keep the fear from his voice.418Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLV1X3CZJTt
‘She’s safe, for now,’ Snape said steadily as he neared Draco, his tone composed yet abrupt. Without hesitation, he reached into his robes and drew a small, shining knife, his actions deliberate and controlled.418Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7qPz2sx18i
Draco’s eyes widened. ‘Don’t—Merlin, what are you doing?’ he snapped, jerking back half a second too late as Snape seized his head and sliced away a lock of hair.418Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJIOHXgWoko
‘There’s no time,’ Snape retorted, quickly pouring the hair into a flask of potion he drew from his robes.418Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTy9PO4vuAq
Draco jumped back, running frantic fingers through the shortened strands. ‘My hair! What the hell was that for?’ His glare sharpened as he spotted the flask in Snape’s hand. ‘Is that Polyjuice? What are you doing?’418Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡL5HWvvGhs1
Snape’s face tightened. ‘I cannot explain. Not now.’ He gripped Draco’s shoulder hard enough to hold his attention. ‘Put out the fire. Stay hidden. If the Dark Lord finds you here, I cannot protect you.’418Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGl4aU9Mo2j
Still shaken, Draco drew his cloak tighter around himself and stared at Snape. ‘Wait. Why would the Dark Lord come here?’ The thought sent a chill through him. What could possibly bring Voldemort into the heart of the Forbidden Forest now?418Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0WFbrrMmrI
‘Because Potter may come here to die,’ Snape said. ‘The Dark Lord is counting on it.’ His gaze flicked once toward the distant castle. ‘I must return before my absence is noticed.’ He turned and vanished among the trees before Draco could demand anything more.418Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMYdKGAFSvQ
Draco swallowed, trying to absorb what Snape had said about Potter. The name sat uneasily in his mind, heavy with rivalry, resentment, humiliation, and a strange understanding he had never wanted to examine. Saint Potter—reckless, infuriating, impossible Potter—would walk into the forest to die for his friends. Draco wanted to scoff, to dismiss it as Gryffindor lunacy, but contempt no longer came as easily as it once had. Admiration flickered where bitterness should have been, and that unnerved him most of all. Potter’s courage threw Draco’s own choices into painful relief. For the first time, the question was not whether he could survive, but whether survival alone would be enough.418Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4yxCPB3Jxs
Maybe I can do the same…
Snape hurried through the thick undergrowth of the Forbidden Forest. Twigs broke underfoot, and branches clawed at his robes, but he kept moving, determined to reach his target. Finally, he arrived at Narcissa, who waited anxiously among the shadows.418Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLv7br2DTwE
Snape hesitantly handed her the flask with the Polyjuice Potion, now darkened by the addition of Draco’s hair. The glass looked terribly small between them, far too ordinary to contain a choice so brutal. Narcissa took it with trembling fingers, and for a moment she simply stared at the liquid as though it were a death sentence written in silver and smoke. Then, before her courage could fail, she raised it to her lips and drank. The effect began at once. Her spine arched, her breath caught, and her features shifted beneath the pale skin like wax softening near flame. Her hair shortened and lightened in texture, her frame narrowed, her face sharpened into Draco’s familiar angles. Snape watched without blinking, though every small change seemed to strike him. When the transformation ended, he was no longer looking at Narcissa Malfoy, but at Draco’s likeness staring back at him with his mother’s haunted eyes.418Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvNPmyWf1tD
Snape exhaled slowly, a brief easing of his stern face as relief washed over him. He took the empty flask from Narcissa and discreetly stowed it inside his cloak, making sure no evidence of the exchange was visible.418Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNzUCdzVb5N
‘How long?’ Narcissa asked, though it was Draco’s voice he heard.418Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡX6aX6YRpp1
‘An hour at most,’ Snape said. His hand settled on her shoulder, a rare crack in his composure showing through. ‘Narcissa, listen to me. You do not have to do this. There must be another way.’418Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiJSQ958JpM
‘It is the only way…’418Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDhZVJ2x6yT
Snape closed his eyes as Dumbledore’s words rose from memory with cruel clarity; only now they came from Narcissa’s mouth in Draco’s voice. The familiarity of the phrase cut deeper than he expected, yanking him back to another desperate conversation, another impossible bargain, another moment when duty had devoured mercy. Narcissa looked at him with sorrowful eyes that were wrong in Draco’s face, and the sight nearly undid him. ‘You have been a good, loyal friend, Severus. You understand what you need to do. Dumbledore had a worthy reason to trust you, knowing you would do whatever was necessary to ensure his plan’s success,’ she said, gently cupping his cheek. Her hand shook, but her gaze did not. ‘You will not fail,’ she assured him with quiet determination before stepping into his embrace and holding him tightly. Beneath the borrowed shape, she was still unmistakably herself: fierce, terrified, and unyielding. ‘Protect him for me,’ she whispered, tears slipping down a face that was not hers, making the plea all the more unbearable.418Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJtEUxbn0kh
‘I will,’ Snape vowed, as he closed his eyes, tears burning behind his eyelids.418Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡg0pvKUHv6Y
The two of them looked up as Voldemort’s voice echoed around them, cutting through the air. ‘You have fought valiantly… but in vain. I do not wish this. Every drop of magical blood spilt is a terrible waste. I, therefore, command my forces to retreat. In their absence, dispose of your dead with dignity. Treat your injured,’ Voldemort instructed.418Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfTCRZPG7KA
Snape’s expression tightened as Voldemort’s words sank in. He knew mercy had no place in the Dark Lord’s strategy; any promise of restraint was only another weapon, shaped to draw Potter out. Still, the announcement confirmed what Snape had feared: the war was narrowing around Potter, Narcissa, and Draco with brutal precision. Every move now mattered. Every delay could destroy them.418Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLQWQmtPBXF
Snape forced his attention back to the present. Voldemort’s ambitions reached far beyond Hogwarts; his aim had always been domination, not victory. The scale of it was obscene, almost absurd, yet Snape knew better than to mistake arrogance for weakness. 418Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡENNiylNBSI
Snape pushed aside his thoughts as Voldemort continued: ‘Harry Potter, I speak now directly to you. On this night, you have allowed your friends to die for you rather than face me yourself. There is no greater dishonour. I ask you to join me in the Forbidden Forest and confront your fate. Should you do so, I give my word that no other life will be lost on this night. You have one hour. If, at the end of that time, you have not given yourself up, then I shall punish every last man, woman, and child who tries to conceal you from me.’ Voldemort’s voice faded away, leaving an unsettling silence.418Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRS6oDw1tan
The hour Voldemort offered was not compassion. It was bait. The Dark Lord’s resolve remained lethal, and the hour he had granted was already slipping away.418Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJRHjmUP4KA
Narcissa exhaled shakily, her determination faltering as she glanced at Snape. ‘It’s time,’ she murmured.418Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyoUY6B8TYy
Snape looked at her with deep regret. ‘Yes,’ he said quietly. ‘It is.’ He took her hands for one last moment, then forced himself to release them. ‘I am sorry.’ His wand rose. ‘Incarcerous!’ Magical ropes snapped into place around her, binding her before either of them could hesitate.418Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvqF9xPGcsB
Narcissa offered him a small, steady smile. ‘Don’t be,’ she whispered. Then she let him lead her through the trees, bound and disguised, toward the role she had chosen.418Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8tVk1LjY4U
Harry’s mind raced beneath the crushing weight of Voldemort’s demand. The words seemed to cling to the cold stone walls even after the voice had faded, settling over him like dust from a collapsed ceiling. Around him, Hogwarts felt wounded: corridors were littered with splintered wood, broken glass, and drifting smoke; portraits whispered fearfully in their frames; somewhere nearby, someone was crying as though the sound had been torn from them. A heavy sense of inevitability pressed down on Harry’s shoulders as he leaned against the wall, trying to breathe through the ache in his chest.418Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpnQtuKqHjl
Hermione and Ron stood before him, helpless and pale, their faces full of terror they could not conceal. They searched for something to say, some argument or comfort that might make the impossible less certain, but the silence between them said what none of them wanted to admit.418Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡe5bMAjJugu
One hour.418Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ95w9MDC1wJ
Harry took a breath that did not quite steady him. ‘I’m going,’ he said. His voice was low, almost ordinary, and that made it worse. ‘If I stay, he keeps killing people to reach me. I won’t let him do that.’ He turned before either of them could answer and started for the marble staircase.418Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxHb7t6o9RP
‘What? No, Harry!’ Hermione cried. She and Ron exchanged one frantic look before racing after him, their footsteps striking hard against the silent corridor.418Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlAs9oc2ifv
Ron caught Harry by the shoulder hard enough to stop him. ‘Have you gone completely mental?’ he demanded, but his voice cracked on the last word. ‘You don’t get to just walk off and hand yourself over.’418Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMjLDr6n6Pl
Harry caught Ron by the shoulders. ‘I can’t watch anyone else die for me.’ His voice shook, but his eyes did not. ‘This has to end now.’ He eased past Ron before either of them could stop him.418Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡINHweBYqjn
Harry froze as Professor McGonagall appeared, solemnly guiding a stretcher bearing Lupin and Tonks. They lay side by side, bloodstained fingers still intertwined, a final tenderness death had not managed to break. Sorrow rose in Harry so suddenly he could hardly breathe.418Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhvwimcMjTj
He tried to step forward, drawn by the need to honour them, but a piercing cry from the Great Hall stopped him cold. Ron recognised his mother’s voice at once. He ran toward it, Hermione close behind, while Harry followed more slowly, grief making every step feel impossibly heavy.418Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiltBXN7hXW
Harry stood at the doorway, unable to move beyond the threshold. His gaze swept across the Great Hall, and for a moment he could scarcely reconcile it with the place that had once been filled with floating candles, laughter, and the scrape of benches against stone. Now the enchanted ceiling reflected a bruised, smoke-streaked sky, and the long tables had been pushed aside to make room for the dead and injured. The air smelled of soot, blood, healing potions, and damp stone. Bodies of the fallen had been carefully arranged in the centre, some covered with cloaks, others surrounded by kneeling friends and family who could not yet let go. Silence hung heavily over everything, broken only by muffled sobs, whispered prayers, and the occasional anguished cry. Each still figure was a stark reminder of the price paid to resist Voldemort, and Harry’s heart sank as he recognised faces of friends and comrades, lives ended in the fight while he still stood breathing.418Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡz8PDoJDb6G
A cry shattered the heavy silence and pulled Harry’s gaze to George, kneeling beside a familiar body. His shoulders shook as tears streamed down his face. Hermione crossed the hall to Ginny and folded her into her arms, while Ron moved to George and drew his brother close. Harry’s vision sharpened with a jolt of grief, and he recognised the still figure between them.418Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRjDN3Ay1wz
It was Fred.418Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡThasXEB8Xf
Harry, overwhelmed by a grief too large to contain, stumbled backwards as if the sight of Fred had physically struck him. Air refused to fill his lungs. The hall blurred into streaks of candlelight, blood, and tear-stained faces. He could not bear George’s shattered expression, could not bear Ron’s arm around his brother, could not bear the terrible stillness of someone who should have been grinning, joking, living. Before anyone could stop him, Harry turned and ran. His footsteps pounded down the corridor, uneven and desperate, carrying him away from the scene of loss and heartbreak in the Great Hall. He burst through the doors into the cold night air, gulping it in as if it might scour the pain from his chest, but the grief followed him like a shadow.418Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0ahc6pyKvX
A shout from behind stopped him before he reached the grounds. Ron and Hermione caught up, breathless and terrified, and Ron threw himself into Harry’s path. ‘Don’t do this!’ he begged.418Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡikacPiNMV5
Harry shook his head. ‘You have to destroy the Horcruxes. Only then can he be killed.’ A faint, bitter smile touched his mouth. ‘It’s ironic, really. I finally understand why I’m connected to him. I can feel it… him.’ His hand moved to his chest, where the truth seemed to burn beneath his ribs. Harry’s eyes met Hermione’s. ‘I think I knew,’ he admitted softly. ‘Deep down.’ His gaze held hers a second longer. ‘And I think you did too.’418Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡo4GI2lHkdt
‘We’re coming with you,’ Hermione said at once. Tears were already slipping down her face, but her chin lifted stubbornly. ‘Don’t ask me to stand here and watch you go.’418Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5nxZjKveH2
Harry reached out and brushed a tear from Hermione’s cheek. ‘Destroy the Cup. Destroy the Diadem. Kill Nagini.’ He swallowed. ‘Once they’re gone, it’s just him. And then it can end.’418Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPNbiLQ3xqs
Ron and Hermione watched Harry walk away. Neither spoke. Fear, grief, and helplessness held them in place until his figure shrank into the darkness near the Forbidden Forest.418Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡX1IwUH0gGl
Ron stared after Harry, his face suddenly changing. ‘The Basilisk fangs,’ he said, hoarse but certain. Hermione turned to him, and he grabbed her arm before despair could take root. ‘The diary. Second year. That killed one. It’ll kill the others. Come on—we can still do this.’418Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYJMUGsG1zd
Harry felt like a condemned man approaching his execution. At the forest’s edge, he paused, gazing into its dark depths while the castle loomed behind him, battered but still standing. Cold air brushed over his face and stirred the smoke drifting from the grounds. The trees ahead were packed so closely together they seemed less like a forest than a waiting mouth, ready to swallow him whole. The atmosphere was thick with menace. Dementors drifted silently among the trunks, their ragged cloaks trailing through the mist, and wherever they passed, the remaining warmth seemed to drain from the world. Harry’s breath fogged in front of him. Dread settled over him, familiar and terrible, but beneath it lay something quieter—a steady acceptance that frightened him almost more than fear itself.418Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaW7ZGcW1G3
Harry inhaled and stepped toward the forest, then hesitated. His hand moved instinctively to his pocket and closed around the Golden Snitch. It fluttered warmly in his palm, glowing faintly against the dark. Harry frowned at the words engraved across its surface, the riddle he had turned over in his mind so many times since Dumbledore had left it to him: I open at the close.418Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9XQXri8ej8
Harry, still confused, murmured the phrase aloud, his brow creased with concentration. He closed his eyes to steady himself for what might happen, then brought the cool metal orb to his lips, hoping this simple action would uncover the Snitch’s secret.418Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ93zkGaPFUX
After a tense moment, Harry’s hand trembled as he lowered it, eyes fixed on the object. He watched closely as the metal shell of the Golden Snitch peeled away, revealing a mysterious stone inside. The stone bore a jagged crack along its centre, matching the Elder Wand’s line. Faintly carved on its surface, the triangle and circle—the symbols of the Cloak and Resurrection Stone—were visible, subtle yet unmistakable. Overcome with disbelief, Harry examined the stone, turning it in his hand as he tried to comprehend the significance of what he was holding.418Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhzej7uyODJ
Harry stared at the stone in his palm. ‘It was there the whole time,’ he whispered. A sad, almost grateful smile touched his mouth. ‘You really did plan for everything, didn’t you?’418Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFyofdzETnb
Harry took a deep breath and concentrated on what he needed to do next. His determination grew stronger as he took one last glance at Hogwarts. The castle loomed in the distance, outlined against the night sky—representing everything he was fighting for. For a moment, he remembered the warmth and comfort inside its walls. Then, with his shoulders back, he headed into the woods.418Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrzLKLrHj7S
Dementors glided through the haze between the burning trees, ragged cloaks trailing through the mist. They passed him without turning, as if he had already slipped beyond their reach. Harry did not summon a Patronus. He kept walking, each step carrying him closer to Voldemort, while an eerie calm settled over him. Whatever waited ahead, fear no longer had the strength to stop him.418Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyYMi50a9D5
Harry pressed on through the forest, clutching the Resurrection Stone tightly. The darkness seemed to close in with each step, but the Dementors drifted past without noticing him. He focused on the mission ahead, trying not to feel the cold they dragged in their wake. At last, crackling fire and distant voices guided him to a clearing where Death Eaters circled a large bonfire. Voldemort moved restlessly around the flames, the Elder Wand clutched behind his back. Harry stopped at the tree line, hidden for the moment, and watched with growing unease.418Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6HFUlkj5vN
Near Voldemort’s pacing feet lay a scorched body by the fire. Harry squinted, but distance, darkness, and burns made recognition impossible. Worry clenched in him. Voldemort had promised a truce, but promises meant nothing from him, and Harry could not shake the fear that one more friend or ally had already paid the price.418Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjmyYRjS1DD
Harry took a breath but did not step out yet. The oppressive darkness pressed in from every side, dense and watchful, while the only sounds were the crackle of flames, the rustle of robes, and the eerie stillness of the Death Eaters around the bonfire. The firelight flickered across the ground ahead, close enough to catch on his glasses if he moved another pace. In his palm, the Resurrection Stone seemed impossibly weighty, a silent reminder of the dead who had loved him and the courage he would soon need to summon alone. Harry kept his eyes fixed on Voldemort, refusing to look again at the scorched body near the flames.418Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLgxTSEOAnz
Draco slipped through the trees, keeping low and silent. When voices drifted toward him, he cast a Disillusionment Charm and muted his footsteps with a second spell. The magic settled over him like cold water, blurring him into the shadows.418Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8jsIKtrj26
He crouched behind a dense bush and peered through the leaves. Voldemort stood at the centre of the clearing, ringed by Death Eaters and lit by the bonfire’s restless glow. Draco went perfectly still. One careless sound, one misplaced breath, and he would be seen.418Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1jhq3DZRLp
Voldemort moved restlessly around a large bonfire, showing signs of anticipation as he waited for Potter to arrive. Draco, hidden in the shadows of the thick forest, listened to Voldemort’s ominous voice echoing through the trees. The eerie sound made Draco wonder if Potter would really have the bravery to show up in such perilous conditions.418Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnzZzTIQyFQ
Then Snape entered the clearing, dragging someone behind him. Draco’s breath stopped. The bound figure had his hair, his face, his body. For a heartbeat, he could not make sense of it at all.418Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5S4iyucHUU
From his hidden vantage point, Draco watched the figures in the clearing, his thoughts tripping over one another as he tried to piece together what was happening. The firelight distorted everything: faces appeared monstrous, shadows stretched thin and long, and the bound figure on the ground looked so horribly like him that his stomach lurched each time he glanced at it. 418Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡt47rJM9zWH
Then understanding struck with sickening force. 418Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6oTiV4hXoy
The person pretending to be him—dragged before Voldemort and the Death Eaters like a condemned traitor—was not a mere decoy. It was his mother. Narcissa was kneeling there in his skin, wearing his face as she offered herself up to the monsters who wanted him dead. The realisation sent a violent shiver through him, and he pressed a hand to his mouth to smother any sound that might betray him.418Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfYLAe2lLdw
Panic and fury collided inside Draco as he watched the scene unfold. What are you doing, Mother? Every instinct screamed at him to run into the clearing, but the truth was merciless: if he revealed himself now, Narcissa’s sacrifice would mean nothing. She had made her choice to keep him alive, and all he could do was endure it.418Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOWyWW6ocgl
Snape tightened his grip on the rope binding the false Draco. His sneer was immaculate, his voice edged with contempt. ‘My Lord, I found him wandering near the castle. Mr Malfoy appears to have mistaken treachery for courage.’ He jerked the rope hard enough to force Narcissa to her knees.418Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6v5bkZKsrR
‘Lucius,’ Voldemort said softly. The name carried farther than a shout. Around the fire, the Death Eaters went still, every gaze turning as Lucius stepped forward.418Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwerS0fAqza
‘Yes, my Lord,’ Lucius said, stepping forward with the careful grace of a man crossing a drawing room rather than a battlefield. He lifted his wand to the boy’s face. ‘You have made yourself inconvenient, Draco. Your mother will learn the cost of indulgence when we find her.’ He caught the impostor’s chin between gloved fingers and forced the borrowed eyes up to meet his.418Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIj0Vbt2p5a
‘I hate you,’ Narcissa spat through Draco’s mouth. The words trembled, but not with fear. Hidden in the leaves, Draco knew at once that this was no performance. It was truth, years old and finally given voice. Behind Draco’s borrowed face, Narcissa finally let years of fury break through. She was no longer pleading, bargaining, or enduring in silence. She was a mother standing between her son and death, and even disguised, even bound, she looked more defiant than Draco had ever seen her.418Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmMLz63xzEs
Draco’s hands shook where they gripped the leaves. He wanted to seize her, shield her, drag her away from the circle of wands—but reason held him in place with cruel clarity. If he stepped out, they would both die. Worse, Voldemort would know the deception, and Narcissa’s last desperate act would be wasted.418Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡN5HO5j0kOy
So Draco stayed hidden, hating himself for every second of obedience. If the Death Eaters believed Draco Malfoy was dead, he might still become the weapon his mother had bought with her life. He held on to that thought because there was nothing else left to hold.418Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5JUwVptCrQ
‘Impudence!’ Snape sneered, striking the false Draco across the face. Hidden in the leaves, Draco flinched as though the blow had landed on him. Fury surged hot and useless through his chest. He knew it was an act. He knew it had to be convincing. None of that made watching Snape hit his mother any easier.418Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWvXjbUQLBc
‘Severus,’ Voldemort said, his voice almost pleasant. ‘Step aside. I believe his father has earned the privilege.’ Snape released the rope at once and moved to Voldemort’s side.418Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmfzoN3fhgW
Snape bowed his head, his submission flawless. ‘Forgive me, my Lord.’ The humility in his voice was perfectly measured, bitterly convincing.418Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWiUgejPKSj
Voldemort’s eyes stayed fixed on Snape, a serpentine smile spreading across his thin lips. ‘I understand, Severus, but I have another task for you,’ Voldemort said, his tone cold and calm. Snape met his gaze, his face steady but cautious, waiting for the next command from the Dark Lord.418Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFgRzCubBJ2
‘Anything, my Lord,’ said Snape, his tone carefully controlled to sound respectful and eager to please.418Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSesP8rfNIk
Still concealed in the shadows, Draco recoiled internally at Snape’s sycophantic attitude towards Voldemort. The overly eager loyalty in Snape’s speech and the nearly tender tone in his voice made Draco uneasy, as he recognised it as a deliberate act.418Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmBUESmeLQU
Voldemort lowered his voice, each word meant for Snape alone. ‘Potter knows too much. His friends may try to interfere.’ His red eyes narrowed. ‘Find them. Exterminate them.’ Snape bowed once, accepting the command without hesitation.418Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡh3kjuJ3Tt9
‘At once, my Lord,’ Snape responded. He bowed and turned from the clearing before hesitation could betray him. Behind him, Narcissa’s first scream tore through the trees, sharp enough to make his steps falter. He did not look back. A second scream followed, then another, each one growing fainter as he forced himself deeper into the forest. By the time the sounds blurred into the chaos of battle behind him, he was running for the castle. Voldemort’s command had given him the only excuse he needed to reach Ron and Hermione, and Dumbledore’s impossible game was moving into its final play.418Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAMSFl5Gjvr
Draco watched Snape run away into the woods, and he half-considered following him, but the sound of his mother’s distressed shrieks froze him in place. All he could do was stare as his mother writhed on the ground. Draco felt sick observing his body heave and convulse as the Cruciatus Curse tore through her. He clenched his fists so tightly that blood trickled down his palms where his nails pierced his skin.418Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpfTvSYv5gD
A sudden flash of green light tore across the clearing, harsh and absolute, turning every face corpse-pale for a heartbeat. Draco instinctively shielded his eyes, but the image had already burned itself into him. When he forced himself to look again, his heart seemed to drop into a hollow place inside his chest. There, on the ground, lay his own likeness—the false Draco—eyes wide open in death, his face twisted in a frozen expression of agony. For one irrational second, Draco felt detached from his own body, as though he were witnessing his own death from somewhere far away. Then the truth crashed back: it was his mother lying there, hidden beneath his face, and the horror of it made him turn away, shaking so violently that leaves trembled around him.418Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeLvmTR9Pzp
Panic screamed at Draco to run, but his body refused to obey. Fear locked every muscle in place. Desperate to stay hidden, he forced his shaking hand up and cast a silencing charm. The spell swallowed his ragged breaths and the soundless cries tearing through him.418Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnVSHE1fieL
Those silent cries hardened into promises. Lucius seized the limp body—his mother wearing his face—and hurled her into the fire with a cold, careless motion. Flames swallowed the borrowed shape. Draco’s grief sharpened into something colder: a vow he could survive long enough to keep.418Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRS9eqI70Nl
Voldemort watched the body burn, disappointment flickering across his face like another kind of flame. ‘Such a pity,’ he hissed. ‘Such a talented young man. Such a waste of pure magical blood.’ The sorrow in his voice was a mockery, thin and poisonous. Hidden nearby, Draco’s fury clenched until it hurt. He wanted to strike, to tear that cold satisfaction from Voldemort’s face, but he buried the impulse beneath silence. 418Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGKCYOQpbMj
Not yet.418Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrfpAP0lyIW
Snape emerged from the Forbidden Forest, black robes snapping behind him as he broke into a full sprint for the castle. Smoke and spells streaked the night ahead, but he did not allow himself to think of Narcissa dying behind him or Draco waiting alone among the trees. Thought was indulgence, and indulgence would cost lives. Mid-stride, he transformed into a bat and shot upward, veering through smoke, sparks, and shattered windows until he reached the second-floor girls’ lavatory. He landed softly on the cold stone, returned to his human form, and pushed open the door.418Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ312fy4NjOC
Snape drew a small vial from his pocket, uncorked it, and drank. The bitter liquid burned down his throat, but he swallowed without pause. Hesitation was a luxury he could not afford.418Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVHd7On6EO1
He looked toward the entrance of the Chamber of Secrets, eyes sharpening with focus. The potion had steadied his human form, but the borrowed language still burned unpleasantly at the back of his throat. He pointed his wand at the sink and hissed. Ancient magic answered at once, and the passage to the Chamber rumbled open with a deep, echoing groan.418Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYVNoUiXufr
He transformed again, body folding into shadow and wing, and plunged into the passageway. The tunnels twisted beneath him, damp and narrow, but he moved through them with practised speed until the Chamber swallowed him whole.418Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlT6x6D2930
Snape soared toward the grand statue of Salazar Slytherin, his leathery wings cutting through the damp, cavernous air of the Chamber. He landed on the cold stone floor, transforming back into his human form, and moved closer to the coiled remains of the giant serpent at the statue’s base. The Basilisk’s large body was still and silent, its scales faintly shining in the darkness.418Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPO6F3P07H0
Dumbledore’s words returned to him: Potter had destroyed the diary with a Basilisk fang. Venom powerful enough to pierce a Horcrux still waited here in the dead serpent’s jaw. Snape did not waste time admiring the irony.418Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡh23bLfpMO8
Snape flicked his wand, summoning several Basilisk fangs from the serpent’s massive jaw. They floated smoothly through the air, landing in his outstretched hand. Without delay, he tucked the deadly fangs into a black leather bag, carefully hiding them within his cloak. Satisfied, Snape transformed into a bat once more, shrinking and twisting until he took flight. He quickly navigated the winding tunnels of the Chamber, retracing his earlier path, and emerged into the girls’ bathroom. Changing back into his human form, Snape stood on the cold floor, looked at the open entrance, and hissed in Parseltongue again. The large stone sink rumbled as it slid shut, sealing the passage behind him.418Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZwyq7fWr1Z
Snape reached for the second vial, intending to end the borrowed Parseltongue before returning to the forest, when voices sounded outside the bathroom. He slipped into a cubicle at once, stilling even his breath as the door creaked open.418Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgC0jIHoJqG
Peering carefully around the corner, Snape saw Ron and Hermione heading toward the entrance. Noticing their focused expressions, he guessed they had also figured out how to destroy the Horcruxes. Though typically reserved, he briefly felt pride in their resourcefulness.418Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhrWsFFPG2a
Knowing he had to stay hidden for now, Snape swiftly drank the second potion. It severed the last thread of borrowed magic, leaving only its bitter aftertaste. He tucked the empty vial carefully into the folds of his cloak, making sure no trace was visible.418Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtY4QU2ZvYs
Hermione’s voice rang with urgency. ‘We need to move quickly! We’ve already lost too much time!’ Her eyes swept over the taps, searching for any mark or clue that might open the Chamber.418Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCJkiTxGia2
Ron frowned at the sink. ‘I’m not a Parselmouth, Hermione.’ He ran an anxious hand through his hair. ‘I know we need the fangs. I didn’t say I knew how to get us in.’418Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdfs8rn2Ma6
‘Harry could already be dead!’ Hermione’s voice cracked. ‘Just try, Ron. Make the sound, hiss, anything!’418Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwVsyPtAjUc
Ron moved closer and caught her trembling shoulders. ‘Hermione, breathe.’ His own fear showed despite the gentleness of his voice. ‘That was second year. I barely remember what Harry did, never mind how to copy it.’418Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyXBrvSqu1Q
Hermione’s voice quivered with despair as she softly said, ‘Then it’s all for nothing,’ her head shaking in resignation.418Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFZeaKgXPUE
Snape stepped from the shadows before despair could root them in place. His wand rose in one swift motion. Ron’s and Hermione’s wands flew from their hands and snapped into his grip before either of them could react.418Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9qId5JWVeU
‘Snape,’ Ron growled fiercely, unable to hide his resentment, his fists clenched tightly at his sides. Seeing Snape standing there with his wand drawn and their wands out of reach intensified his anger. Every muscle in Ron’s body tensed, and his jaw clenched as he stared at the man he blamed for so much pain and betrayal.418Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡENLNDV8dwG
Snape stepped out of the cubicle with both their wands already in his hand. ‘Touching,’ he said, his mouth curling. ‘Wasteful, sentimental, and almost impressively ill-timed.’ He drew a Basilisk fang from inside his cloak and held it where they could see it. ‘I assume you were looking for these.’418Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXn1bYTL4NF
Ron’s expression darkened when he saw the fang. For one crushing second, he thought they had already failed Harry’s last request. Frustration surged through him, and he struck the sink with his palm, the sound cracking through the tense, silent bathroom.418Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzPqqjz6Saj
‘If Potter were dead, Mr Weasley, the walls would be shaking with celebration.’ Snape’s eyes cut from Ron to Hermione. ‘They are not. Therefore you will both stop wasting the few minutes he may still have and listen.’418Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGefzaaKsLz
Ron’s face went white with rage. ‘You killed Dumbledore,’ he said, each word dragged out like it hurt. ‘So don’t stand there pretending you’re on our side. If you want us dead, get on with it.’ Hermione’s hand closed around his arm, but he did not step back.418Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXAtgSHhTec
‘If I wanted you dead, Mr Weasley, you would not have had time to complain about it.’ Snape drew a small stone from his pocket and set it on the floor. With a flick of his wand, it rippled, widened, and became a Pensieve in the dim bathroom light. Snape poured silvery memories into the basin. ‘Look,’ he ordered. When neither of them moved fast enough, his voice cut like a blade. ‘Now.’418Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrcjFKplHSf
Snape stood aside while Ron and Hermione bent over the Pensieve. His expression revealed nothing. He brushed imaginary lint from his sleeve, as if their world were not being rearranged beside him, while the memories churned silver in the basin.418Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡA8N08dTFty
Finally, Ron and Hermione raised their faces from the shimmering depths. Both appeared visibly shaken, with wide eyes and expressions of shock and disbelief at the truths they had just seen.418Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDdg3ztlBAo
Snape looked at them with calm indifference. ‘Now, you understand,’ he said, his tone straightforward. Ron and Hermione felt overwhelmed by what they had witnessed, leaving them numb. They could only give subdued nods as they tried to grasp the magnitude of the revelation.418Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBcVv36wLJQ
Ron stared at him, suspicion and confusion warring across his face. The man before him was still Snape—sharp, cold, impossible to trust—and yet the memories had shifted everything. ‘So,’ Ron said hoarsely, ‘you’re helping us?’418Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7rGyj4s27d
Snape gave a curt nod. ‘You will need these.’ He handed Hermione the small leather bag of Basilisk fangs, then returned their wands with a sharp flick. ‘Try not to lose either.’ Snape fixed his gaze on them. ‘Destroy the Horcruxes and meet me at the Forbidden Forest’s edge,’ he ordered in a quiet, authoritative tone. Without waiting for an answer, he moved through the door, his black cloak snapping behind him. Only once he was clear of the bathroom did he transform into a bat and vanish into the shadows, racing ahead of them toward the forest.418Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ93926zh6Fl
Ron stared at the bag in Hermione’s hands, then at the old sink. ‘How did he get into the Chamber?’ he muttered. ‘Please don’t tell me Snape speaks snake as well.’418Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡejib5gtqFY
Hermione shrugged, though uncertainty still flickered in her eyes. ‘Who knows? But we have them.’ Carefully, she drew the Cup and the Diadem from her bag and placed them on the sink. The objects seemed to darken the very air around them. Ron and Hermione exchanged one steadying look, fear giving way to resolve.418Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡz5HhZO8FvW
Ron and Hermione each grasped a Basilisk fang, the curved ivory points looking brutal and ancient in their shaking hands. For a moment, they only stared at the Horcruxes on the sink between them, knowing that each object contained a piece of the monster who had taken so much from them. Hermione’s lips moved silently, perhaps counting, perhaps praying. Ron swallowed hard, then met her eyes. They exchanged a determined nod before driving the fangs down. The cursed objects split with a sound like tortured metal and breaking bone. Immediately, two separate fragments of Voldemort’s soul burst free, shrieking in pain as they tore through the room. The sound was unbearable, thin and vast at once, scraping across the tiles and through their skulls until both Gryffindors clapped their hands over their ears. The writhing soul fragments twisted above them, dark and furious, then shot across the room, burst through the doorway, and vanished into nothing. Far beyond the bathroom, the destruction would already be tearing through Voldemort. Ron and Hermione had no way to know that. In their wake, the bathroom fell utterly still, the silence almost as frightening as the scream had been.418Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ78E54dWLaY
Then Hermione snatched up the remaining fangs and shoved them back into the leather bag. Ron grabbed her hand, and together they ran from the bathroom, racing for the Forbidden Forest’s edge as Snape had ordered.418Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡidjYv6Pivs
Hidden at the tree line, Harry struggled to hold back a cry as a sharp, burning pain surged through his scar. It felt as if a white-hot blade had been pressed beneath the skin, driving straight into his skull. He staggered back against the trunk, instinctively gripping his head, while his vision broke into sparks and blurred shapes. Through the haze, he saw Voldemort stagger too, almost collapsing as he clutched his chest in sudden agony. The Death Eaters drew back in alarm, their whispers rising like disturbed insects around the fire. A brief, fierce smile flickered across Harry’s face as realisation cut through the pain. Hermione and Ron had done it. They had reached the Horcruxes, and more of Voldemort’s soul had been destroyed. As the agony in his scar slowly eased, Harry forced air into his lungs and remained in shadow, unseen.418Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGHELQtjH9R
From behind the tree, Harry looked back at Voldemort, who stood breathing hard in the firelight. Then a glint of gold caught his eye: a Ring on the middle finger of Voldemort’s left hand. Harry stared, unable to look away. The clearing blurred at the edges. Sounds thinned. The Ring seemed to pull at his mind with a whisper too faint to understand and too insistent to ignore.418Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrWVJBl2xXU
Bellatrix lurched forward at once. ‘My Lord!’ she cried, but Voldemort shoved her away before she could touch him.418Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡefeiqZ8qOx
‘Do not touch me,’ Voldemort snapped. Bellatrix recoiled, and the Death Eaters fell still. With visible effort, Voldemort straightened, dragging his composure back over himself like armour.418Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡv10Pjnkcld
The shock snapped Harry free. He blinked hard, heart pounding, and dragged his attention away from the Ring. Had it whispered to him, or had fear given shape to silence? He did not know. He only knew he could not afford to listen.418Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKX3xgRuLhS
Firelight carved harsh shadows across the Death Eaters’ faces, making the circle around Voldemort seem tighter than it was. Harry watched from cover, painfully aware that every wand was ready and every escape route would close the moment he stepped forward.418Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBLkAi1k9ZA
A noise at the edge of the clearing drew Harry’s attention, and despair struck as he saw Hagrid bound among Voldemort’s followers. Nagini lay coiled near the Dark Lord’s feet within a loose ring of guards, close enough to tempt Harry’s hand toward his wand, but too well protected for any strike to succeed.418Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuwKYt0FwEa
Harry remained in the shadow of the tree line as Yaxley strode into the clearing and bowed low. ‘No sign of him, my Lord.’418Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9XDmZSwvCa
Voldemort watched the flames. ‘I thought he would come,’ he murmured. For a moment, disappointment thinned his voice. Then his mouth tightened. ‘It appears I was mistaken.’418Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNMGdDKgso6
Harry’s fingers tightened around the Resurrection Stone one final time. Then, with a small movement hidden by the grass and shadow, he let it fall. The loss felt like a door closing behind him. He drew a breath, stepped out from the trees, and walked fully into the firelight.418Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ76GUS4TzMk
Hagrid strained against his captors the instant Harry entered the light. ‘HARRY! NO! WHAT’RE YEH DOIN’ ’ERE?’418Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAFdSjdBZLs
Yaxley snapped his wand toward Hagrid. ‘Quiet.’ The spell hit at once, cutting off Hagrid’s protest and leaving him slumped, silent, and helpless.418Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBi96eBN1Sh
Bellatrix’s cackling laugh sliced through the clearing. She looked from Harry to Voldemort with open hunger, already savouring what she believed would come next. Harry refused to meet her eyes. He fixed all his attention on Voldemort instead.418Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGP9VWP8hyr
Voldemort moved closer, the flickering firelight casting a ghostly glow over his unnaturally pale face and hollowing the shadows beneath his red eyes. The Elder Wand rested lightly in his long fingers, yet the casual grip did nothing to lessen the threat radiating from him. He slowly tilted his head to one side, studying Harry as though he were something curious and already defeated. A cruel smile curled his thin lips. ‘Harry Potter. The Boy Who Lived,’ he said in a low, mocking tone that made several Death Eaters shift hungrily around the ring of fire. After a pause, he tilted his head the other way, his gaze never leaving Harry’s. Behind him, Nagini hissed from the protective cluster of shadows, the sound sliding through the clearing like a blade. ‘Come to die,’ Voldemort whispered, and the words seemed to extinguish even the warmth of the flames.418Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ59kgcVjdMz
By the time Snape reached the clearing again, Harry had stepped into the firelight. Snape stopped behind the tree Harry had used moments before and took in the tableau at once: Harry face-to-face with Voldemort, Hagrid bound and silenced, Nagini coiled near the Dark Lord within her loose ring of guards. There was no time left. Staying in the shadows, Snape cast a Disillusionment Charm on himself and circled the edge of the clearing, every step aimed toward the serpent.418Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXiJZfe3CeQ
He slipped behind the Death Eaters guarding Nagini and raised his wand. One spell after another struck cleanly, freezing them before any could turn. Still shielded by darkness, Snape crept closer to the enormous serpent. Nagini’s scales gleamed dully in the firelight as the frozen guards stood locked around her, useless as statues. Her attention remained fixed on Voldemort and Harry, not the shadows behind her. Snape’s fingers tightened around the Basilisk fang until its edge bit into his palm. He allowed himself one brief pause, just long enough to steady his hand. Then he drove the fang down with all the force he could summon. Nagini lashed against the ground, her hiss breaking into a wet, furious rattle as venom met Horcrux. A moment later, her body collapsed into stillness.418Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAop7mXdE4E
Voldemort’s scream ripped through the woods. Snape did not wait to see who turned. He slipped away at once, moving fast and low through the trees until the clearing’s chaos dulled behind him. Only when distance covered him did he stop and look back.418Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRocaxDuHjH
As the final echoes of Voldemort’s anguished scream died away into the night, Snape leaned his back against a nearby tree’s rough bark, his chest heaving as he fought to compose himself after the frantic act. His heart pounded violently in his chest, and the weight of what he had just done bore down on him.418Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhxs5pyA49Q
‘Checkmate…’ Snape muttered, still fighting for breath. The word hung in the dark, quiet and final, the end of a game that had consumed years and demanded almost everything. He closed his eyes as exhaustion and relief moved through him in equal measure. ‘It’s up to you now, Albus,’ he whispered. His part was finished. Now Harry had to play his.418Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡi4t6xUXEM6
Harry gasped as fresh pain split through his scar. At the same instant, the same scream that ripped through the woods tore from Voldemort as he doubled over, clutching his chest. Harry stared past him and saw Nagini’s body collapse near the fire, a dark, ragged fragment rising from her like smoke torn from a wound. Unlike the agony before, this one had a clear source. Another piece of Voldemort’s soul had been ripped free.418Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9suPGWaf6M
Voldemort twisted toward the shadow rising from Nagini’s body. Fury blazed across his face as understanding struck. He turned back to Harry, wand lifting. ‘You,’ he hissed.418Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNb6lKoaP4G
Harry stood his ground, unwavering in the face of the inevitable. Around him, the clearing seemed to narrow until there was nothing but Voldemort’s wand, the fire’s violent glow, and the thunder of his own heartbeat. 418Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMgZCSHLCTL
Harry thought of Ron and Hermione racing through the castle, of Hagrid helpless behind him, of Fred lying still in the Great Hall, of every person who had fallen because Voldemort believed love was weakness. 418Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡM9Ag3XtrQU
He prepared himself, not because he was unafraid, but because fear no longer had the power to turn him back. Voldemort’s wand flicked. A green beam shot out, lighting the darkness with its lethal glow. The blast sped toward Harry, impossibly bright and silent in the final instant before it struck. It hit him directly, engulfing him in emerald light. 418Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ32AR7TUdYe
Sound, sight, and sensation vanished beneath the force of it, leaving behind only silence, weightlessness, and the unknown beyond…
A/N: Well, I hope you all enjoyed this second chapter. I really liked the Deathly Hallows Battle of Hogwarts, so I decided to use the elements of it, but not in the exact same way. It needs to be the way I've done it for later chapters to work.
Anyway, let me know what you all think!
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