Entry tags:

back to hogwarts, rating: r

Back to Hogwarts: FIC: A Bounty for Charon
Title: A Bounty for Charon
Author: lemondropseven
Rating: R
Word count: 2,308
Warning(s): (highlight for spoilers) *Violence, angst, dark!Harry, implied character death*
Summary: There's a new Dark Lord on the Rise. The only thing standing between him and taking over the United Kingdom is the Headmaster of Hogwarts, Severus Snape. The same man who turned his back on him, breaking his heart.
A/N: This is based on a Snarry-A-Thon prompt, which is quoted for you verbatim in the summary. Many thanks to whitecotton for the wonderful beta job, and to accioslash for being tolerant of my procrastinating ways.

A Bounty for Charon


The large doors of the Great Hall at Hogwarts flung open, and Harry Potter strode into the room just as the Leaving Feast was beginning. The professors and older students, having learned the hard way--two wars against Voldemort, and now, Harry's reign of terror--to be prepared at all times, instantly drew their wands. The younger children screamed, some ran. In a matter of seconds, the entire school was in terrified chaos, the happy celebration forgotten.

Harry grinned.

Severus Snape felt a chill work its way down his spine as the once-Savior of the Wizarding World strolled confidently up the long aisle towards the head table. He seemed not to notice the hexes and spells fired at him; brightly colored jets of light hit a transparent shield, effortlessly cast without words or wand, and dissolved in a shower of sparks. Half a dozen seventh years, the ones who had helped Harry breach Hogwarts' wards, trailed behind him, the expressions on their classmates' faces revealing their shock at the betrayal by friends, family, and lovers.

Harry, however, didn't acknowledge his accomplices in any way, his eyes instead locked on the Headmaster. He didn't even look at the bold students attacking him as he shot an array of binding spells and minor curses to keep them at bay; the professors held back, not wanting to injure any students in the crossfire. Apparently neither did the rogue Savior, as his retaliation wasn't harmful. The students slowly lowered their wands in confusion as Harry continued to stun his attackers instead of injuring or killing them, while the professors watched cautiously, wondering about his motivations.

Severus knew why Harry had finally come back to Hogwarts, and it wasn't for the students.

"Stop!"

The loud command rang through the building, affecting everyone but Harry. He continued forward unfazed, while students and teachers became silent and still.

Watching Harry carefully, Severus gave orders through his fear. "Miss Weasley, gather Potter's followers and send for the Aurors. Hold them in a classroom until they arrive." Harry smirked, looking unconcerned with his hapless acolytes' fate. Keeping an eye on him for any sudden movements, Severus continued, "All students will return to their dorms and stay there. Professors, stay with your houses or in your rooms until I say otherwise."

Harry shrugged carelessly as if the orders and precautions were of little importance to him, and Severus' fear transformed into a cold knot of dread. It lodged painfully in his stomach and throat. His teeth ground together as a hot rush of anger and insulted pride at Harry's unconcerned demeanor brought a flush to his normally pallid face.

Sorrow and shame followed quickly. It was his fault Harry had turned dark.

But anger was a much more useful emotion, so Severus ignored the shame and, determined to wipe the superior smirk from Harry's face, added with a confidence he didn't feel, "I will deal with Potter."

The Great Hall jolted to life again as everyone exited quickly and mostly quietly, except for a few professors who ignored their instructions and walked around the long table to join Severus. Like them, his words had no discernable effect on Harry. He simply couldn't be intimidated; Harry was the most powerful wizard since Dumbledore, and he knew it.

Finally reaching the dais, Harry stopped on the step below Severus and stared up at him with an unreadable expression. Ignoring the apparent threat posed by the other professors, he inclined his head mockingly. "Headmaster. You're still as arrogant as ever, thinking you can deal with me."

Not taking his eyes from Harry, Severus hissed at his colleagues, "I will deal with Potter. Get out. Now!" Reluctantly the professors backed away through the staff exit, leaving them alone.

"It's me he wants, anyway," Severus added quietly once the doors had shut.

The calm, easy-going façade slipped briefly as Harry heard the whispered words, his face contorted with scorn and rage. "Not...anymore," he gritted through his teeth, his voice filled with bitterness. As quickly as it appeared, Harry's anger vanished behind an insincere smile. "But I do like the white in your hair," his eyes drifted flirtatiously over Severus, "it suits you."

Severus didn't want to rehash an extremely old argument, though he knew it was unavoidable. It was why Harry was here, after all. Bringing his wand up unexpectedly, Severus shouted, "Expelliarmus!"

At such close range, the impact of the spell threw Harry halfway across the Great Hall. Severus watched as he calmly stood up and brushed himself off. He knew he wouldn't get an easy shot like that again.

"I know what you're doing, and it won't work, Snape," he spit the name from his mouth, and Severus remembered how softly and reverently Harry had said his given name the day he'd come to him. "You're not going to ignore the issue. And you're not going to convince me to change my ways and come to the Light side," Harry said, smiling mockingly. "My greatest weapon in the last war was love, remember?" Severus' stomach twisted as contempt washed away Harry's smile, leaving his face almost unrecognizable in its cruelty. "Now all I have is my hate."

Harry saluted with his wand in a mockery of a Wizard's Duel. "If you want to stop me, you're going to have to kill me."

Severus immediately dropped to the ground. A sizzling red spell flew through the air right where his heart had been less than a second ago. At least he could still predict some of Harry's actions; that should keep him alive for a bit. He'd taught Potter the strategy of a pre-emptive attack when Potter, Miss Granger, and Mr. Weasley had returned to finish their schooling. Potter had thought it dastardly unfair and never used it in practice duels, or, as far as Severus knew, at all until now.

Severus had expected Granger to come back, but Weasley and Potter had surprised him. Even more surprising was Harry's sudden attachment to him, but he'd dismissed it as a lingering fascination from viewing his memories. He'd honestly had no idea why Harry had followed him around, asking for extra assignments and training sessions in both Potions and Defense Against the Dark Arts. Apparently Harry had been seeking any excuse to be near him, and Severus had been blind.

Harry's genuinely delighted laughter rang out, reminding Severus that a fight for his life deserved his whole attention. "Oh, good. You're going to make this a challenge," he crowed, as Severus sought shelter, rolling under the head table while grimly amending his earlier thought: nothing could keep him alive if Harry wanted him dead.

"Reducto!"

The table exploded, wood shards slicing Severus' hands and face. One particularly sharp spike penetrated his robe and pants easily, stabbing into his upper thigh. Blindly, he flung his wand up to ward off the next attack and vivid blue flames slammed into his hastily made shield, the force rattling his teeth. Almost immediately, the flames started to eat through his shield and with a sharp movement of his wand and a muttered spell, he threw the fire back in the direction it'd come from.

He'd never survive an outright attack by Harry; he had to buy some time.

Scrambling to his feet, Severus pointed his wand at Harry and shouted his counter attack, "I was mistaken when I said you were unworthy of love!" Harry froze as if Severus had cast petrificus totalis. "I do not, and will not pretend to love you, but I did not handle your...declaration well. That was wrong of me."

Severus paused, judging Harry's response, but there was none and so his wand remained poised. "You surprised me. I do not like surprises and so did not react well. I am sorry for the things I said and did, Harry."

Severus used his name deliberately, hoping to bring back memories when they were allies, and almost friends. That, however, was obviously something Harry didn't want to remember and he finally moved--fast and hard, a gust of wind shooting from his hands and wand, picking up Severus like a rag doll.

"Do you really think a simple apology will fix this? That it will stop me?" The scream of bitter rage was loud and clear over the deafening roar of wind, wiping out any hope Severus had been harboring of a peaceful end to this fight. Flailing in the air, near the illusioned rafters, Severus resigned himself to death; there was, as Harry had warned, no way to talk him out of this. Before he had even completed this thought, Harry dropped Severus like a puppet with its strings cut, and panic seized his heart as the floor seemed to rush towards him. An inch from the unforgiving stone, he jolted to a stop, and hung there, suspended, staring at the ground.

Scuffed and faded sneakers edged into his vision, and Severus could feel Harry's trouser leg brush against his hair. He looked up as much as he was able when one knee came to rest on the floor right in front of his nose. A hand gently grasped his chin, turning his head to the side as far as it would go while the rest of his body remained immobile.

He could see Harry's face now and suddenly wished he couldn't. The green eyes were dead, flat, behind the black-rimmed glasses, his mouth twisting up in a sneer. Sharp and precise, the tip of a wand pressed against his temple. "You didn't think I was going to kill you, did you? Oh, no. That would be far too easy. Think, Headmaster, what did I say to you as we began our duel?"

Severus felt everything in him rebel as he recalled the words. Obviously, he appeared as sick as he felt, because Harry smiled as he watched the realization hit Severus. He'd spent a lifetime protecting Lily's son and there was no way in hell he was going to kill him now. He'd rather die.

"No. I won't do it."

His refusal didn't dim Harry's smile. If anything, it grew brighter. "I think you will, actually. Deep down, you're a good man, and you don't want innocents to suffer because of you. And it would be because of you. It's them or me, Severus. Who dies? You choose."

Abruptly, Harry released him from his grip, his wand, and his magic all at once, and stood up. Severus hit the ground with a crack of bone that meant his nose had been broken yet again. As blood dripped down his lips and chin, pooling under his face, he wondered if there was any way out of this nightmare. The only way provided was not something he wanted to contemplate.

He was yanked to his feet roughly--barely managing to hang on to his wand--and caught a glimpse of Harry's grin just as he doubled over from the punch to the gut.

Harry's taunt was almost drowned out by his noisy gasps for air. "I said I wasn't going to kill you and I won't. But this?" Another breath-stealing punch. "This, I am definitely going to do."

"Levicorpus!" Severus choked out, and Harry was turned upside down, hauled into the air by his ankle.

Desperately taking in a lungful of air, Severus swung left-handed and somewhat awkwardly, but connected with Harry's face. The crunch of glass was satisfying; the red drops splashing on the floor were horrifying.

"Damn it, Potter, I don't want to do this!" He couldn't keep up with the conflicting emotions swirling inside him. Slashing the air sharply with his wand, Severus released Harry from the spell.

Harry gained his feet and charged immediately, both bodily and magically.

"Protego!"

The shield repelled the stunning spell, but it wasn't meant to stop anything not propelled by magic and Harry crashed right through it, slamming into Severus and bowling them to the ground in a flurry of elbows and knees and grunts. Severus saw stars as his head cracked against stone, but he managed to ignore it, shoving a hand hard into Harry's chest and bringing his wand up to Harry's throat. It sank slightly into the soft flesh and they both froze. Harry smiled. Sad. Hateful. Lost.

"Do it, Severus. Just do it. Please."

Regret, fear, and the disgusting truth that he was going to have to kill a man he'd both hated and protected with his life, a man he'd come to respect, and then ruined in a careless, unthinking, heartless moment, overwhelmed Severus. "I don't...think I can." His voice broke and trailed off, but Harry heard him.

"Crucio!"

Pain exploded in Severus, and he twisted and writhed uncontrollably, gritting his teeth, bucking under Harry's weight, then falling completely limp when the curse was lifted suddenly, his wand rolling out of his hand. Struggling to open his eyes, he flinched when they finally obeyed. Harry's face was mere inches from his, sweat and blood running down his face, dripping off his nose and chin and mixing with the blood on Severus' face.

"You knew it had to end this way," Harry whispered, breathing heavily. "Don't make me hurt you anymore, and stop me from hurting anyone else. You're the only one who can. The only one I'll let stop me."

Harry picked up Severus' right hand and closed the still trembling fingers around his own wand. Then, slowly wrapping his hand around Severus', he positioned the tip against his heart. "Look at me."

Severus reluctantly raised his eyes, blinking hard, and frantically trying to come up with any way to defeat Harry without killing him.

"Please, Severus," Harry whispered.

Cold to his soul, cursing fate and himself, Severus squeezed the wand tightly and nodded, knowing this was the only way.


-end-