Bounty Hunter

Title: Bounty Hunter



Rating: R-ish



Author: Snippy



Pairing: H/D, Hr/SS (a little)



Disclaimer: Harry Potter and Co. do not belong to me. Sadly.



Summary: Warning: dark fic, character death and H/D slash. This story is not light and hope and puppies, people. The bounty hunter is going after the Death Eaters one by one, but at what price? This story is not about black and white, it's about shades of grey. Can people change? Can a hero become a villain? Can a villain save a hero? And which is which?



FYI:



(****) indicates a scene shift.



(*~*~*~*) indicates a flashback



(*word*) emphasis



A/N's: Forgive me, I'm in shock. It's finished. Yeah, no kidding. All done. The last chapter just sort of wrote itself. Well, I really loved writing this fic. Please, please, please don't hate me for the ending! I know it's slightly upsetting, and not what you were probably expecting, and I left a lot unresolved. But I stand by it, this was how it had to end. And yeah, I'll shut up now. lol. Please tell me what you think! And if anybody feels a sequel would be a good idea . . . I can't decide.



Love, peace and a couple of sarcastic snakes ~ Snippy.



****************************************************************************************************



"What are we doing here, Potter?"



"Don't you know?" Harry raised an eyebrow, as he hopped up onto a long table. "This is his headquarters."



"I know *that*." Draco hissed. His hair fell over his stormy eyes, and his lips were still bruised from the aching kiss he and Harry had just shared.



"We need to make a few things clear between us, Malfoy," Harry said calmly.



"Oh? And what's that, Potter?" Draco snarled softly.



"I don't like you."



"Could've fooled me," Draco smirked.



"I know." Harry's eyes were impassive stone. Draco felt his breath hitch in his throat.



"I don't like you, either, Potter."



"Yes, you do," Harry said grimly, standing once more. He crossed his arms over his chest. "You like me, because I'm a symbol of the light. And you hope that somehow, you can be redeemed. I don't like you, because you remind me of the dark, and how easy it is to get tempted, to get lost in the grey."



"Harry - " Draco was spinning. Harry was talking in a very matter of fact way, and the metaphors in combination with that brought a feeling of swift panic, like a hunch that maybe you should have gone the other way.



"No, just listen." Harry stopped him. "Last night was not about emotion, that's why I didn't let you - well, it was physical. I don't like you. I'm not in love with you. And I don't need you."



"Likewise, Potter." For a moment, Draco thought he saw a flash of hurt in Harry's eyes as they met, but it vanished.



"But I'm willing to use you, in this fight." Harry held the eye contact. "You'll probably die. You need to know that." Harry held out his hand. "What I need to know is, will you still come? Will you still fight? Will you follow me?"



Draco never hesitated. "Into hell and back."



"Good." Harry pretended the warmth spreading through him from his hand was anticipation. He almost believed himself. He held Draco's gaze for a moment, and then, with a wicked flash of his green eyes, he swept from the room, moving outside across grass, cold and wet with dew. Ahead of them, was a half circle of cloaked figures. One man stood in the middle.



Harry came within ten feet of the wizard, and swept into a deep, mocking bow.



"Draco, you've met my friend, Tom, haven't you?"





*********



Snape walked cautiously into the room where Hermione and Ginny were waiting for him. Ginny had forced him to carry Hermione into the building and set her on a couch, then leave the room while Ginny administered an Ennervate charm and a Pepper Up Potion. He stopped in front of Hermione, who was standing with her arms crossed, wondering how angry she would be.



Hermione stepped forward and without ceremony kicked him in the shin. "Dumbass."



"Sorry," he murmured, his lips twitching with laughter.



"We're going. All of us," she stated firmly.



"Alright," he acquiesced.



"Alright?" Her eyebrow raised.



"Of course, you two will stay behind me, and listen to me when I say things like 'Duck!' and 'Run!', but other than that, alright." Snape's eyes glittered. "After all, I want to see how it ends."



Hermione slid her hand in his, and leaned up to quickly kiss him. "Thank you."



"Your most welcome," He smiled gently at her. "But if you get hurt, I'm locking us back up in a cell for the rest of our lives."



"Promise?"



"Ew," Ginny said in a resigned tone.



"Miss Weasley?" Snape held out his other hand to her, and she felt a comforting warmth spread through her.



"Ok, but just for the record, I'm not included in that locked up in a cell part." She tucked her hand in his. "Understood?"



"Understood," They both repeated, amusement evident in their tone.



They headed out to the rose garden once more.



"So, one thing I don't understand," Hermione's face twisted in confusion. "Why did Harry send *you* a letter." She looked stricken. "Not that there's anything wrong with that or - or -"



"I get it, Hermione. It's ok," Ginny said calmly. "No offense taken. Harry didn't send you a letter because he knew you'd come after him, alone. He sent me the letter because he knows that I would show it to you, and insist on going with you."



"So, he wants us there?"



"Stupid boy," Snape snapped. "He just doesn't think - "



"It's not about thinking," Ginny cut him off. "It's about knowing. And he knows that he's going to win."



"You still think he's a hero," Snape accused.



"I do. That's the other reason he sent me the letter. I still believe," Ginny smiled. "And Professor Snape?"



"Yes," He scowled, though the effect was lost by the fact that he was holding her and Hermione's hands gently as they walked.



"He is."





**********



"Harry Potter . . . " Voldemort hissed. "We meet again."



"So we do. Nice place you got here," Harry said flippantly, gesturing at the Forest. "Dark. Cold. Ugly. Vaguely creepy. Suits you."



Voldemort ignored the sarcasm. "And young Mr. Malfoy."



Draco raised his chin but said nothing.



"I suppose you're going to tell me you're his prisoner?" Voldemort's red eyes flashed angrily, venom dripping from his voice at this betrayal. "Do not bother. I can smell you all over him."



"Well, that's just . . . gross," Draco commented.



Behind the Dark Lord, the Death Eaters were bristling in indignation, but were reluctant to step towards Malfoy while he stood next to the Bounty Hunter, even in their Dark Lord's presence.



"Silence!" Voldemort snapped. "You, my cowering Death Eaters, will not fight today." His eyes settled on Harry. "I will kill the boy myself, and you will see for yourselves the power that I hold."



"Boy?" Harry scoffed. "You couldn't kill me when I *was* a boy. You couldn't kill me when I was a *baby*."



Voldemort opened his mouth to reply, but Harry was done talking. Pulling out his wand, he cast Cruciatus at the Dark Lord. Spurred into action, Voldemort pulled his own wand, casting Avada Kedavra. As before, their wands locked, but this time Harry let his go. As Harry's wand drifted toward Voldemort's outstretched hand, he smiled in triumph. Then, he was hit with by Cruciatus. Harry smirked, but his eyes showed no amusement.



His practice with wandles magic had paid off. Of course, Voldemort was proficient with it as well, but he had not expected Harry to be. Voldemort recovered from the curse more quickly than Harry had anticipated, but he betrayed no surprise.



"That was very foolish. When I'm done, you'll wish you had never been born," the Dark Lord hissed.



"Too late. I already do," Harry smiled grimly. "Is that all you got?"



And the dueling began. Curses flew through the like razor sharp darts with lethal accuracy. Draco watched Harry in something akin to awe as he deflected hex after hex with an easy wave of his hand. Gone was the boy who had trembled before the Dark Lord next to the body of Cedric Diggory. Voldemort cast Cruciatus, and Draco remembered Harry's words to him the day before.



//Something else - Crucio doesn't hurt you?//



//It can, if I'm alone when I'm hit.//



//And if you're not alone?//



//Then it doesn't hit me.//



//It doesn't -//



//It hits someone else. Whoever's closest.//



Draco winced, preparing for the pain, but Harry snapped his fingers and a shield appeared around Draco. For a moment, Draco just stared at Harry, a wave of unexpected emotion filling him. Harry had saved him. The Death Eaters watched with morbid fascination as the curse deflected off of Harry, hit the shield and came full force back at the Bounty Hunter.



As the curse hit Harry, he felt the pain spread through his body. He let it touch every nerve, let it sharpen his sense, ground him in reality and spark the deep well of tightly leashed fury that had kept him alive all these years. The Dark Lord paused in his assault to gloat over his imminent victory as Harry's body shook and his eyes closed. Then as if in slow motion, Harry stilled. He raised his head slowly.



Draco's heart stopped, then restarted, each single beat echoed fiercely in his chest, thundering like a war drum one beat at a time in his ears as he watched the Boy-Who-Lived.



Harry's eyes opened.



He looked at Riddle through lowered lashes.



A feral grin crossed his face.



Green eyes glinted wickedly.



*Bring it on.*



Harry moved forward, his spells now coming effortlessly with precision, while Voldemort defended himself with a wild desperation, enraged that the Cruciatus had not worked. Harry turned slightly to the side, reaching one hand back towards Draco. Instinctively, Draco sensed what he wanted and grabbed Harry's hand readily. As before, Draco felt his magic being pulled out of his body. Harry's voice carried over the grounds. "Lex Talionis!"



Every curse Voldemort has cast in the past hour hit him at once, and he fell heavily against a tree for support. In a stunning display of speed and finesse, Harry pinned the Dark Lord to the tree in a full body bind. There was fear in Riddle's eyes.





***********



Hermione held her breath, clutching Snape's hand tightly in both of her own, and slowly opened her eyes. They had waited for Snape's Dark Mark to activate, then used it to find Voldemort. Looking around, she realized they had Apparated into the Forbidden Forest behind Hogwarts.



"What are we doing here?"



"Surely, you knew," Ginny gaped at her from where she stood on the other side of Snape, still grasping his hand as well.



"Knew what?"



"This is where his base of operations is," Snape answered darkly. "This is where he has been hiding."



Hermione's eyes narrowed with anger, her expression saying clearly, without words, "How dare he!"



"Makes sense," Ginny whispered absently, letting go of Snape's hand as she looked around. "Hogwarts was once his home, too. Just like Harry."



"*Not* like Harry," Hermione said sharply, a feeling of dread settling heavy in her stomach.



Ginny just stared back at her, obliquely.



"Come on, this way," Snape whispered, tugging Hermione forth as Ginny followed.



He cast an camouflaging spell on them, taking them further into the woods. Up ahead, they spotted a circle of people, some standing within the treeline. In the center of the circle stood Harry and Draco. Voldemort appeared to be bound against a tree. Hermione covered her mouth with her hands to stop any sound of surprise. Ginny indicated a fallen tree that would provide them with a little more cover besides the spell. Quickly, they all knelt behind the tree, peeking over it through sparse branches. Hermione cast a silencing charm on them to be safe. Looking over at Ginny, she saw that the younger witch was shaking. She wrapped an arm around her, pulling her close to her chest. Ginny set one hand on top of Hermione's, balancing on the other.



"So, tell me one more time, Miss Granger, just why we are here?" Snape hissed fiercely.





"Because," She hissed back, remembering Harry's promise. "I'm supposed to be."



"And I want to see how it ends," Ginny added, grimly.



"Then what am *I* doing here?" Snape questioned wryly.



"Because you go where I go, and I go where you go," Hermione answered simply.



Severus stared at her for a moment, expression inscrutable. Then, careful not to dislodge her hold on Ginny, he wrapped an arm around her waist, pulling her firmly into his side and adjusted his cloak to cover her shoulders. He rested his chin on the top of her head and whispered, "Always."



Moving away slightly, she twisted around, pressing her lips to his. He kissed her back fiercely. Then a sharp sound from Ginny drew their attention.



"What? What is it?" Hermione demanded, eyes frantically scanning the fight.



"He's losing," Ginny breathed.



"Harry?"



"Tom."





**********



Voldemort started to struggle but before he could escape, Harry released him. Voldemort eyed Harry warily. "What are you about, boy?"



"Wouldn't you like to know?" Harry grinned in satisfaction.



"Harry - what are you doing?" Draco asked softly behind him.



"Shut up, Draco," he hissed.



"Could it be you've come to your senses? We could be great together, you know," the Dark Lord promised.



"Sorry, I'm taken," Harry smirked, turning to grab Draco by his shirt collar and tug him to a brief, fierce kiss, before turning back to Voldemort. "Besides, the snake look really doesn't do a lot for me."



"Don't be foolish. You could have power beyond your wildest dreams. I could help you." He now stood a mere few feet from Harry, his stance pleading instead of threatening.



"Tom, Tom, Tom . . ." Harry sighed. "I already do. More power than you can ever tap into."



Riddle seemed taken aback, incredulous. Perhaps Harry didn't understand what he was talking about. It was impossible that Harry didn't want more power, impossible that he could be more powerful without the Dark Lord's help. A thought occurred to him, and his eyes lit up shrewdly. "You don't believe me."



"Could be the dark, scary voice that's throwing him off," Draco speculated.



"I can give you anything you want - everything!" Riddle promised, trying to convince himself he had a chance of swaying Harry.



"Anything?" Harry drawled.



"Yessss," Tom hissed. "There must be something you want."



Harry's eyes flashed, his mind replaying the last 22 years. I want Moody, Remus, and Sirius, alive and well and arguing with each other at the Shrieking Shack. I want Neville, Cho, Seamus, Terry and Dennis, sharing coffee at the Ministry together. I want Hermione's eyes to never be haunted by curses she's cast or red from tears again. I want to back to the Burrow, with Ron laughing at my side. I want Ginny not to fear me. I want my innocence back. "Yes, there's something I want."



"Yesss?" Voldemort mockingly hissed, glaring at Harry with the kind of hatred so powerful it can only come from fear. Harry looked into those red eyes, and knew why Voldemort hated him. Because when he looked into Harry's verdant eyes, he saw what his fellow aurors had seen. The end. Tom jerked at the anger in Harry's voice, realizing what was about to happen. His silken persuasion turned to a cold sneer. "Let me guess. You want your parents back."



"No." Harry's smirk turned sinister. "I want your slow, painful death - you mudblood bastard."



In one fluid movement, Harry drew his sword, set his hand on Voldemort's shoulder and slid the blade into his stomach until he felt it push through his back. Harry felt blood pool hotly between them as Tom made an anguished choking sound, falling heavily against Harry's chest. Harry bared his teeth in a satisfied facsimile of a smile. Then with a sharp twist of his wrist, he turned the sword before wrenching it from Riddle's body. Harry stepped back, letting the other Wizard fall to the ground.



Tom panted heavily, trying to speak, to scream at Harry in rage and pain and fear, but he kept choking on the blood rising in his throat. Harry watched him bleed out into the ground with grim satisfaction. Tom was ashy and pale, shaking. Harry knelt by him, meeting his eyes.



"You see, Tom?" Harry's voice was gentle. "It was all for nothing - all your planning, the power you gained, the lives you took. It changes nothing." He smiled viciously. "You're still worthless. And all the power in the world can't make you a pureblood. The only reason you were *allowed* in Slytherin was because you're his heir. Imagine his shame, if he knew his only heir was a mudblood." Harry leaned back on his heels for a moment. "I almost forgot. Ginny sends her regards." Voldemort looked at him blankly. "Of course, you don't remember her. Do you remember the diary you preserved your sixteen year old self in? Well, she's the girl that helped me destroy it." Harry's smirk widened as the last twinge of hope faded from Voldemort's eyes. "That's right, it's gone. And now, what's worst of all?" Harry asked softly. He leaned in close to Voldemort's face again. "You're going to die, Tom."



Harry got to his feet, taking a few steps back, to grasp Draco's hand tightly. Draco noticed idly, that Harry's hand was wet with blood, and now it was on his hand, too. Harry stretched his free hand out. "Accio wand!"



"P-p-potter!" Tom spat, finally managing to choke out words. "You kill me - you become me."



"So be it," Harry whispered. Squeezing Draco's hand, Harry said steadily, "Avada Kedavra."



And the red eyes closed, never to open again. Tom Riddle, Lord Voldemort was dead.



One by one, the Death Eaters came forward until they surrounded their fallen leader, The Last Malfoy, and Harry Potter, the Bounty Hunter, in a wide circle. Harry gripped his sword tighter, tugging Draco behind him protectively. Then, as one, they dropped to their knees and bowed. Their message was clear. Harry turned to Draco, reaching out, tangling his red-stained hands in the fine blond hair, and pulled him into a hungry kiss, full of victory and satisfaction. Pulling back, panting slightly, Harry touched his forehead to Draco's. "Did you mean what you said? Do you still mean to follow me?"



"Into hell and back," Draco swore once more, allowing himself one more kiss before letting Harry go.



Harry turned back to the circle of Death Eaters kneeling in subjugation. Resting the tip of his blade on the ground and leaning on it, Harry drawled,"Well. This leaves me with quite a dilemma."



"Whether or not to kill them?" Draco asked darkly.



"No," Harry smirked, his eyes turning a venomous shade of deep green. He raise his blade in a mocking salute, letting the edge touch his scar. "Whether or not to lead them."