Who: Harry Potter and Severus Snape
Where: Snape's home on Spinner's End
What: Revelations, a 'gift' of sorts, and a tragic ending
When: Tuesday evening

Snape is played by Julia here, with my love and thanks



It had taken less research than he'd thought to find the small house. A few street signs and a local pub was all he'd had to go by, but he found it. Of course Harry knew the risk he was making in going there. Despite all signs pointing towards the Order, there was still some doubt in the back of his mind where Severus Snape's loyalties truly lay. There was the danger in retrieving a Horcrux to begin with. And there was, of course, the fact that he knew with no questions asked that Voldemort knew where Snape was living as well. Harry wasn't stupid. Despite the fact that his former potions professor had been gifted with Occlumency and Legilimency, he couldn't slip into his mind from that far a distance. Not the way Voldemort could. And Harry couldn't, by any means, do the opposite, except with the dark wizard.

So it was with trepidation that Harry made his way to the front door. Somehow, the area seemed colder than the rest. Granted, it was November and England had fallen into its consistent chill for the winter. But this was more of an internal cold. The icy feeling that often settled in Harry's stomach the last four years.

Still. He wanted this done. It needed to end, and soon. After he and Malfoy had been seen by no less than half a dozen Death Eaters in the gardens, Voldemort had to be on to them. If they didn't move fast, he could attempt to create yet more Horcruxes. Or, worse, throw every effort he could into finding them directly. Harry had too many lives in his trust to let their hiding place be found.

He knocked nervously on the door, surprised there weren't more security wards up around it. If he were playing a double agent (for whichever side--no, he couldn't think that way), he would certainly want to be as well hidden as possible. Or maybe that was just it. If he was trying to prove he had nothing to hide, maybe he'd want to be out in the open.

Snape had not particularly liked his conversation with Voldemort nor did he appreciate two of his former students behaving in such a daft manner. Honestly, what the hell had they been thinking? Did they have a brain between the pair of them?

He had just settled down to some tea when he heard the knock. Well, that was new. Usually, everyone just flooed and apparated as they damn well pleased. No privacy in the least. Maybe he'd finally have some peace when he was dead.

Heaving a sigh, Snape went to the door and peaked out. "What in Salazar's---" Furious, Snape opened the door and yanked Harry in by his ear before slamming the door.

A blur of swear words flew to his mind, but Harry was too stunned to bother. "Do you mind?" he yelped, glaring at his former professor. "I'm not exactly eleven anymore."

"Then stop acting it." Snape didn't need to bellow. His low, incensed tone was much more effective. "What in bleeding hell are you doing here, Potter? Did anyone see you? Does anyone know you've come?" He shoved Harry away, giving the boy a gruff once over with his dark eyes. "Sit."

For one defiant moment, Harry considered not listening to the commanding tone the man used. But the common sense he did have knew he had to listen or he didn't stand a chance at getting what he came for. "Of course no one saw me," he replied with a slight roll of his eyes. He pulled at the edge of his pocket where the silky fabric of the invisibility cloak rested. "And no one knows I'm here. Not even the Order. I needed to talk to you and no one would've let me if I attempted the old fashioned way."

"Says who? Your tiny brain?" Snape huffed, before turning back to the teapot. His black robes flew around him, showing exactly why some students deemed him a bat. "Here." He pushed a cup of steaming liquid into Harry's hands. "Out with it then. What do you want? You nearly got yourself killed again. Might as well make it worth your while."

He'd nearly... "I didn't almost get myself killed," Harry contradicted, not quite yet willing to take a sip of anything Snape offered him. Adventures with Umbridge and veritaserum were still too fresh in his mind.

"You mean you scraped by in a stroke of good fortune once again." Snape perched on his favorite chair, glaring straight at the boy who looked so much like James Potter. At least his eyes reminded Snape of the lovely Lily. Those eyes might have been the only thing keeping Snape from beating the boy bloody. Well, that and Snape could never hurt a child. "Now, what is it?"

Those eyes of Harry's narrowed somewhat bitterly. Yes, he had put something of himself on the line in going there. But he'd like that to be appreciated for the risk it was and not the fact that he could've nearly died and only got by on luck. Was it impossible for this man to believe that maybe, just maybe, he was trying to do the right thing? "You've got something I need," he said, his voice brimming with anger. "At least, I suspect you do. And I suspect you know what it is."

Perhaps to Harry's surprise, Snape allowed a small smile. Really, it couldn't even be deemed an actual smile as it was only a slight upturn of his pale pink lips. "Do I now?" He swallowed a bit of tea before setting his cup back down. "Tell me, Harry. What is it you believe I have?"

"I..." Harry had tried so hard to sound hard-edged that the flicker of a change in expression stunned him. And then to hear Snape use something that was not his surname with which to address him... Shaking his head slightly, he sighed. "You have the locket that once belonged to Salazar Slytherin. Don't you?" Despite himself, the final sentence came out quite hesitant.

Snape was silent for a few moments. He heard the trepidation in Harry's tone and though Snape was no stranger to children (and, yes, he still viewed Harry as such) fearing him, Harry always had that irritating whine and snootiness to his speech. He walked to his fireplace, remembering taking the vow for the Malfoys all those months ago. He remembered occumlency lessons with Harry and killing Dumbledore. He recalled it all. Perhaps the time had come. Perhaps.

Still wordless, Snape left the room. When he returned, he held a black box the size of a quarter. He muttered a charm, allowing the box to break open in a cloud of smoke. "About time." He held the glittering locket toward Harry.

No. It was too easy. He was just...handing it over? "I...this is it, then? The real thing?" He'd been looking at the fake for so long. Too long, really. He'd kept it almost as a badge for Dumbledore. It was a sign of what he'd gone through for Harry. And now, here it was. With a shaking hand, Harry reached out, carefully taking the locket. He'd been nearly afraid to, remembering the state of Dumbledore's hand when he'd retrieved him from the Dursleys. But Snape was holding it, so he accepted it, though kept it at arm's length.

"Clearly." Snape resisted the urge to roll his own eyes as Harry had only moments earlier. Snape might not have been the most mature individual, but he didn't need to resort to Potter's behavior. He chanted another spell, causing the box to explode and disappear. He rubbed his hands on his robes as if he was cleansing himself of the memory. "That is what you wanted, yes, Potter?" He slipped back into using Harry's surname without much effort.

"Don't give me clearly, Snape," Harry replied, a bit more defensively than he needed to. Professor Dumbledore's voice echoed in his mind, his gentle way of reminding him 'Professor Snape, Harry'. He paused, but continued. "I watched hell on earth for Dumbledore to try to get this thing all for it to not even be real. I really don't need to go through that again."

"Professor," Snape snapped. "Or shall I refer to you as 'little brat' hm?" Severus' eyes bore into Harry's, but he refused to see Lily in them just then. "Why would I give you a fake one, Mr. Potter? Think for once. Just think."

"You're not my professor any longer, or have you forgotten?" Harry snapped right back. "No one is, because I've taken nearly a year finding this bloody thing. How do I know why you'd give me one? I don't know anything about you--" Other than he was a slimy git, but he wouldn't speak that out loud no matter how angry he was. "All I know is there was one fake out there, it's possible there's more. I'm not even saying you'd know, I'm simply asking the question."

"Then it is sir or mister." Snape didn't miss a beat though Harry's words did cut at his soul. People might have thought Snape didn't appreciate teaching, but he did. It was a serious task to mold children and while Snape might not have been right in his actions, he did what he thought best for his students. "It is real. I'd not have kept it all these years if it wasn't. Mr. Black gave it to me himself.'

Mister... "RAB?" Harry asked, incredulously. It had been a Black to steal the locket? But how? And... "You knew him, then?"

"Regulus Black. Yes." Snape nodded before taking a seat again. "Of course I knew him, Potter." His eyes flickered with the barest indication of emotion as he remembered the scared young man. "He didn't want the damn thing. He wanted out and he thought I'd be able...well. You know the rest?"

"I...don't. Not really. I know he was...well, killed. And I know he was really young when he joined." He paused, wondering if it was safe to continue. "Sirius didn't talk about him much. Not with me, at least." If Snape was drinking from the same teapot he'd just poured Harry's drink with, he figured it must be safe, and he took a careful sip, letting himself be warmed.

Snape was glad to see Harry accept the tea finally. It was cold out and the boy needed the nourishment. "I'm sure he didn't talk about him much." The words held a note of accusation, but he continued. "Regulus didn't know what he was getting into...he joined and..." Snape paused, refusing to let emotion to best him. "He wished to leave. It wasn't that easy."

"I've heard," Harry replied, a bit bitterly. Why, then, did people insist on getting caught up in something so dark? "I...Remus mentioned it once. A while ago. When they...when they found Karkaroff."

"Then why did you claim to not know the rest?" Snape was annoyed at being made to relive that unpleasant memory for nothing.

"Only that it isn't easy to get out," Harry answered, though this time with less bitterness and more exhaustion. He'd gotten what he'd come for. He probably should just leave. But he felt like there was still a lot left unsaid. Not that he thought he'd get the nerve to ask or say anything.

Snape laughed bitterly. "No, it is not. Most are killed." He thought of Draco and Angus and repressed a shudder. "It's why you and Mr. Malfoy taking trips on your own is quite foolish."

He'd heard? Oh, hell. Word was spreading? "I--it had to be done. He was the only one who knew how to get to the stones and...well, we don't have much time and..." Why, exactly, was he babbling his defense to Severus Snape?

"Never mind you are the only hope our world has," Snape replied softly, "Draco is a wanted runaway. Do you have any idea what could have happened to either of you? Or both? Then, tell me, what good were all those lost lives before you? Before either of you?" Snape found himself growing angry and fought against showing that.

"But you know as well as I do that if this portion's not done, no one can kill him. Not me, not Malfoy, no one. I... There's not much left, really, and he's got to be stopped..." Harry's voice trailed off slightly. Unless Snape didn't think he did need to be stopped? But that was impossible. Harry knew he wouldn't have handed over the locket so willingly otherwise.

"But why do you have to do it alone, hm?" Snape knew the conversation was coming and he nearly wanted to blech. Opening up to Potter was a fate worse than death. Well, actually, death would be welcome if his misery could end. As long as the boys were safe...

"Harry..." He let the first name slip again. "You can't do it alone. Professor Dumbledore..." He considered his words carefully. "He might not have realized it, but while you need to commit the act, you need not do it alone. You can't do it alone. Sometimes...sometimes others need to pick up slack. Isn't that why Miss Granger and Mr. Weasley have been by your side all these years? Why risk yourself now when only you can save the world from...from him."

Biting his lip to the point of pain, Harry let the words sink in. He considered them carefully, far more carefully than he wanted to, considering who was saying them. No, he couldn't do it alone. It was the reason he'd confessed to Teddy about Horcruxes to begin with. It was the reason he'd accepted Malfoy's help the other night. And yes, it was the reason he'd kept Hermione and Ron so close. Even Dumbledore had known he'd need them, telling him up front that he could inform them of his findings, even if no one else could.

"And if I lose them?" he found himself asking. The fight had drained from his voice, though. Now, he just wanted answers from anyone willing to give them. "If something were to happen to them, in my care? How am I supposed to live with that kind of guilt? I already have to live knowing my parents died for me, and my godfather and Professor Dumbledore? They could've been saved, too. And they weren't, and it was all for this stupid battle that all comes back to me. I just...don't want to lose anyone else."

"It's difficult." Snape felt his heart clench, but he didn't show it. "I will not lie to you, Harry. I never have. Your task is huge and those who support you realize there is danger. It is a risk we take because the alternative is far worse." He had done it. He had admitted his allegiance. He had done so to Dumbledore countless time and even to Minerva in Dumbledore's absence, but saying it to Harry felt far different. "You will lose everyone if He wins, you understand. This way...your loved ones stand a chance."

Harry was still stunned that he sat, letting Snape listen to him pour his heart out. And, possibly, vice versa. Still. He needed it. He needed it from someone who would give it to him straight. Though Remus was a wonderful mentor, Harry knew sometimes he protected him rather than let him know what was really going on. This was different on an entirely other level. "I'm... I'm scared," Harry admitted hesitantly. "I know they knew what they were getting into. It doesn't make it easier knowing it could happen."

Snape nearly started at that confession. "Why, I do think Salazar just rolled in his grave. You're frightened?" Despite the words, Snape's words held no malice. "You'd be a fool not to be scared, do you understand me? Anyone in your position...your age.." Snape felt dangerously close to a rant and so he reigned himself in. He had perfected that art. "You must believe that you can do this, but understand all the risks involved. Rushing into the night on a hunch..." He gestured around his home. "Not the best idea."

Giving a half-hearted shrug, Harry nodded. "I know, I do. It was stupid, we knew when we did it that it was stupid. I just want it over!" His voice rose on the last word, and he paused, breathing and taking a long sip from the cup in his hands. "I just... Everyone expects so much. And what if I can't do this? What if something goes wrong? They'll blame me for the fall of the wizarding world no matter who's at my side when it happens. I didn't mean to risk anything or to put Malfoy in danger. It just...had to be done." He finished his miniature rant lamely and looked down into his cup.

"Oh for Merlin's sake!" Snape's annoyance manifested clearly as he stood and swept toward Harry. Kneeling in front of the boy, he gripped Harry's shoulders roughly. "You don't appreciate your own gifts? Your mother died for you! You should be dead, but she believed in you! You defeated Him as a bloody infant and you can't do it again? What sort of hogwash is that?" Growling, Snape's eyes fell into Harry's again. Damn. Relaxing his grip, Snape took several deep breaths. "You can do this. You've escaped so much already and you have the support of some of the greatest wizards out there. Who cares what anyone else thinks?"

To say Harry was stunned was an understatement. He'd been hit with stunning spells and never felt so frozen. Was there actual concern in Snape's voice? Worry, maybe? And his mother... Oh, Godric, did he have to bring up his mother? This fight was for her in the end, wasn't it? "If it hadn't been for her, we'd have all been dead," Harry reminded quietly, his eyes searching the older man's carefully. He knew Snape was Remus' age, or just about, and it was sort of strange to consider. They both looked older than their years, but for entirely different reasons. How long? How long had Snape been doing this, the playing both sides? "Why did you do it?" he questioned suddenly, knowing he was probably overstepping his boundaries. "Go to the Order, I mean."

It was Snape's turn to be surprised. He released Harry and moved backward, but didn't stand. "Dumbledore truly never gave a reason?" He found it hard to believe. Dumbledore had tolerated Snape, but...had he ever truly cared? Even in the end, Draco had been 'our Slytherin friend' but...were they more than toys to the fallen Headmaster? Snape had only ever wanted the man to care...

"He said...he said he trusted you," Harry supplied. "And that you had your reasons. That you felt... That you felt guilty for...for what happened to my parents. The Prophecy. I... I just wondered if..." Why? Why was he even asking? "I wondered why. I mean...don't get me wrong here, but most...of their kind...they don't feel guilty afterwards."

"I'm not 'their kind,'"Snape reminded Harry. Resentment tinged his voice as he considered his time with the Death Eaters. "Not all join for such...such disnoble intent, you know. They...we can be foolish in our beliefs, but it is not always about killing a muggle-born for sport."

"I know you're not now," Harry commented quickly, surprised to find he truly did know that. If Snape wanted him dead, he'd have done so already, and delivered Voldemort the ultimate prize. "But that's what it's all about, isn't it? Following him? And his beliefs in purebloods only? No muggles or muggleborns or anything? That's why he targets them, isn't it?"

"No..." Snape paused. "Harry..." He rubbed his forehead. "Many are...lost in some way or the other. Bullied or alone or...he feeds on it and makes them feel powerful. Not all even believe in purity, but in...a world where they are superior no matter the blood." He laughed coldly. "The only problem? His only motive is to be supreme and that leaves no room for any others. Even his supporters are...they are easily disposed of. Look at Lucius Malfoy. They fall and they fall hard. Eventually, Regulus realized that, but..."

Bullied. Alone. That was what had happened to Snape. Harry knew that now. He'd seen into the man's memories in more ways than one. "I'm sorry, you know," he said carefully, hedging around the subject. "I didn't trust you. And I should have, I suppose. I'm--I'm not saying you were always in the right. But I should have just the same."

"You can't take everyone at their word." Snape's face was serious as he spoke. "If I taught you anything, I wish that to be it. Things are not always…easy or fair." Still, the boy's apology meant something to Snape even if he didn't care to admit it.

"No," Harry admitted, sighing and shaking his head. "I think I learned that the world isn't easy or fair ages ago. I wish it were. But it's never going to be. Even once all this is over."

"Well, that's an improvement on your prior beliefs." Snape allowed Harry a genuine smile albeit another small one. "I think you need to go n---"

Snape's words were cut off as his door was blown in. In the flesh, stood the very beast they had been discussing. Wasting no time, Snape jumped up, casting an unforgivable that failed to land. Voldemort zeroed in on Harry, ignoring Snape for the moment.

"You blasted ---"

Snape pushed in front of Harry, much like Lily had all those years ago. "Give me the locket!" Voldemort screeched.

"So you get the locket? What about the others? He's sent his minions ---"

"Where are they?" Shaking in anger, Voldemort brandished his wand in Harry's direction, but Snape kept blocking him. "Get out of the way!"

Snape, ever so quickly, pushed Harry down and, before the boy knew it, he was engulfed in a cloud of smoke. When he would open his eyes, he'd find himself within a dungeon Snape had specially constructed years ago 'just in case.' Remus would know where to find the boy if Harry couldn't mange to find the way out himself.

"WHERE IS HE?" Incensed, Voldemort let the killing curse fly, landing square against the man he once trusted more than any other.