Sacrifice

Hi everyone :)

A huge thank you to everyone who reviewed last chapter and offered their sympathies; you all made me feel much better :) And now, to thank you all properly, I have the review replies for the last chapter and the chapter before that XD

qwerty
30 - I didn't really think Ron and Draco pulled together; more like they just ignored the other and concentrated on Harry XD
31 - Thank you for the sympathy and I'm glad you enjoyed the update :)

TAB
31 - That's good to hear :)

Kuromei
30 - Harry ask for help? Can't see that happening XD There are plenty who will thrust their help upon him though. *hugs Kuromei-chan*
31 - Ooo, so many hugs from my lovely Kuromei-chan :) Thank you for the sympathy, it means a lot to me, and I'm glad you enjoyed the chapter :) *hugs Kuromei-chan*

LALA
31 - I'm glad you liked everything in the last chapter and I hope the week-long wait wasn't too long for you ^_^

AngelMary89
31 - No idea where you are in the story so don't even know if you're reading this right now O.o However, if you are reading this, then you've obviously, somehow, missed the huge scene where Harry takes away Sev's Dark Mark.

Spiros
31 - Thank you for the symapthy, and thank you even more for the compliment on my writing skills :)

mithrilandtj
30 - I'm gonna say that she busted in. How you ask? That would be telling :D

BloodLust777
30 - Glad to hear it and I hope this doesn't disappoint :D

kati-chan
30 - I sometimes find it necessary for some bits to be elaborated on rather than glossed over. Harry interacting with the diary, that was majorly glossed over. The forest scene, however, I felt that was something that needed to be explored in more detail. Also, I think it's a matter of taste. A lot of my reviewers say that they really like how I weave canon and my original ideas together and they especially enjoy it when I just slightly tweak scenes, where it's something they recognise but it's my own take on it.
Perhaps I misjudged that forest bit though *shrugs* Can't get it right every time, can I? XD

darkpyroangel06
30 - Ah, tiredness, I can sympathise completely ^_^;
I'm glad everything was to your liking in the last chapter :) And Harry actually telling people about things, well, that would be too easy, wouldn't it? XD

Whew, that was a lot XD But that's over with now so we can get on with the story :D

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After all the danger and stress Harry had just endured, he wasn't really in the best frame of mind to sit and listen. First, he'd had to listen to the explanation of how Draco had come across Ron's stunned form, seen the open entrance into the Chamber of Secrets, jumped to the right conclusion and so quickly ran to fetch Severus who in turn fetched Dumbledore. That had been relatively easy to understand however. Now, the topic of conversation had moved onto something far more complex; magical objects. After being saved from the Chamber of Secrets, the teenager had been taken straight to the headmaster's office, provided a cup of tea and now a whole pile of information about things called Horcruxes had been dictated to him, information he was only half sure he had grasped.

"So Voldemort has these Hor-thingies?" The teenager checked unsurely.

"Horcruxes; yes, that's right." Dumbledore confirmed.

"And that's why he's never died, because bits of his soul are inside seven objects?"

"Well, six objects and the piece still inside himself." The headmaster corrected before he held up the familiar form of Tom Riddle's diary. "This book is a Horcrux," he revealed. "And is what controlled Ginerva Weasley, manipulating her mind and possessing her body to carry out Voldemort's bidding. I believe his initial plan was to simply release the basilisk into the school which is why he allowed Miss Weasley to dispose of the book for some time. However, when he discovered who you are...

"But that no longer matters now. We have the diary back in our possession and when it's destroyed there'll be but five Horcruxes left."

"So where are these five other objects?" Harry asked curiously.

"Unforunately, for the most part, we don't know where they are or even what they are. We have theories, of course, but nothing certain...On all but one."

"Well then, why haven't you destroyed this one you already know about?" The teenager demanded somewhat impatiently, annoyed that such a significant item for the defeat of Voldemort had been allowed to exist when it was known of.

Dumbledore was quiet for a long time and looked the saddest Harry had ever seen him. He looked trully regretful and unhappy as he spoke the worst few words Harry had ever heard in his life. "Because the Horcrux we know about is you."

Harry felt his blood run cold and his heart freeze over. "Me?" He echoed fearfully as one thought began to swirl around his head; he to be destroyed, he had to die.

"Yes." The headmaster confirmed sadly. "When Voldemort tried to kill you, he didn't just scar you; he gave you some of himself, though quite by accident I imagine. It's the reason you can speak Parseltongue; a part of Voldemort is inside you, existing as a Horcrux."

"I have to die..." Harry murmured numbly as though he hadn't even heard what Dumbledore had told him.

"Not necessarily."

The teenager's gaze was immediately on the adult when he heard that, his eyes wide and anxious. Not necessarily? He didn't have to die? There was another way?

Dumbledore stood then. Harry watched the old wizard intently as he moved from behind his desk, over to the phoenix sat perched just beside an ornate cage. Silence lingered. Dumbledore stroked his fingers across the bright orange feathers of the phoenix and the only reason the teenager didn't hurry him was because he was afraid of what was eventually going to be said.

"There is a very old ritual," the headmaster began. "A ritual very rarely practiced, that no one currently alive has ever performed before to my knowledge. For it, you need the freely given flame of a phoenix."

The first thing that came to Harry's mind was that they had a phoenix, so this ritual was possible (no doubt that was the reason the old wizard was mentioning it). The next thing that came to his mind made itself known as a question; "What does the ritual do?"

"It will destroy the Horcrux by destroying your body. However, because of the regenerative qualities of phoenix fire, you will be reborn from the ashes, exactly as you are now."

Well that was great in Harry's mind. It sounded like the perfect solution! But when Dumbledore continued to talk, the teenager's hope began to fade more and more.

"There are risks. Your survival is not guaranteed, though the possibility of fatality is very slim. And also, the Horcrux isn't the only thing that will be destroyed. The lycanthropy you have in your blood will also be cured."

Harry felt a little peeved at that but it was nothing that couldn't be fixed. After all, he'd simply have to have Fenrir bite him during the next full moon. It meant that he would lose the part of Isaac that was inside him, but that was a sacrifice he was willing to make. Unfortunately, Dumbledore once again continued to talk.

"Another affect of using the phoenix fire is that it grants the one it revives with a phoenix's healing abilities, causing their tears to possess healing properties, and also making the body immune to all poisons and to all magical infections and diseases."

The teenager's blood ran cold; immune?

"It means, Harry," the headmaster said softly, with no end of sympathy in his tone. "That you won't be able to be re-infected with lycanthropy. All the werewolf in you will be gone and there will be no way of retrieving it."

Harry felt suddenly sick and for a long moment he simply sat completely still, his mouth slightly open and he breathed heavily. His eyes stared at the ground, unseeing, as his horrified mind began to sort out all the information he had just heard. He had to give up his lycanthropy, he had to give up the way he had spent most of his life, the way he had spent the good part of his life. A part of himself and his adopted culture, he had to let it be destroyed...

"Are..." Harry began but his voice came out hoarse so he had to clear his throat and start again. "Are you sure there isn't any other way?"

Dumbledore shook his head solemly. "No other way that wouldn't result in your irreversable death."

"Have you always known it would come to this?" Harry asked very quietly.

"It has always been a possibility, yes."

The teenager swallowed heavily, trying not to allow himself to simply crumble into despair. He was going to lose such a significant part of himself and Dumbledore had always had at least a suspicion, perhaps even more than that. What else did the old man know that he hadn't told Harry?

Something suddenly occured to Harry, a memory of many years ago when he had received letters from Hogwarts, and he looked to the headmaster somewhat warily. "Before I came here, you knew where I was, didn't you?" He murmured. "When Hagrid found my Alpha, you knew I was with him."

"Yes, I did." Dumbledore confirmed.

"Why did you let me stay with him then?"

"I thought it would be better for you to stay with the one you viewed as your family."

"And you didn't want me to blame you for taking me away from it." Harry guessed, shaking his head sadly. "And because of that, you've made this so much harder."

"Very few can predict the future; we can only act as we see best at the time."

"Best for who?" The teenager challenged bitterly. He swallowed thickly then and glared off to the side. "You're telling me all this now because my Alpha isn't around, aren't you? You know he wouldn't let you say the things you're saying if he were here."

"This is a decision that only you can make, Harry." Was all Dumbledore said in reply to that.

It seemed like everyone who mattered had said that to him at some point. Fenrir, Severus, and now Dumbledore. Harry really should've been used to making his own decisions, but this...This was far too big. This was deciding an irreversable course that the rest of his life would have to follow. He would either die completely, or his lycanthropy (as small an amount it was that lived in him) would be destroyed and he would simply be a wizard...

"If I don't do this, Voldemort will always come back, won't he? This war will never end and I'll never be safe." Harry murmured.

"He will always be able to come back, yes."

"What choice do I have then?" The teenager whispered heart-brokenly. He took in a deep breath, perhaps to hold back tears or maybe to smother anger, before he spoke again. "How soon can we do it?"

"Whenever you feel ready."

"Tomorrow night." The first night of the full moon of March seemed a suitable time for him to say goodbye to the werewolf part of himself.

"So soon?" Dumbledore asked, surprised and concern shining out in his voice. "Are you sure you'll be ready?"

"It's the only option, right?" Harry asked and to which he got a nod in reply. "Then what's the point in waiting? It's only delaying the inevitable. If I have to lose my life, I'd prefer not to linger on the thought too long beforehand."

"You will survive the ritual." The old wizard reassured gently.

The teenager shook his head sadly. "Only part of me will. The other part will die along with Voldemort's soul."

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It was later that very same day that Harry sat on a bed in the Infirmary, allowing Madam Pomfrey to take a sample of his blood. What with not having full lycanthropy, the medi-witch wanted a blood sample to test to determine why he only had the disease partially. Harry hadn't been bothered to fight against the request, he hadn't really cared all that much, and he couldn't deny a slight curiosity he'd always had about why he had never contracted full lycanthropy.

He wasn't alone as the woman took the blood out of his arm; Severus and Draco were with him, each stood either side of his bed. They spoke of the up-coming ritual, of what would happen and what would change. Or, more accurately, Draco ranted his fears while Severus attempted to be the voice of reason and Harry barely listened.

"It's too much of a risk!" The blond insisted heatedly as Madam Pomfrey carefully inserted the needle of a syringe into Harry's arm.

"It is a very slight risk, Draco," Severus reminded with a surprising amount of patience.

"Any amount of risk is too much! Why are you standing there and supporting this? I thought you were Harry's friend! I thought you cared about him!"

"You will lower your voice at once, Mr Malfoy," the professor said then, having enough of his pupil obviously forgetting who he was talking to. "My feelings towards Harry are not an issue here. The fact is, the ritual is the best chance we have of destroying the piece of the Dark Lord's soul in Harry without killing him."

"But there has to be another way!" Draco tried to insist desperately.

"There is no other way!"

"Then can you both please shut up about it?" Harry sighed then, pressing a cotton wool ball to the spot where his blood had been taken. "It's something that has to be done, I know and accept that. Everybody's made so many sacrifices on my behalf, it's about time I did something selfless as well. Besides, as long as a piece of his soul is inside me, Voldemort will keep coming back and I'll never be safe."

"I'll send the blood off for testing immediately, Mr Potter." Madam Pomfrey said then, speaking during the lull while she could. "I'll pass on the results to you once I recieve them."

"Thank you Madam Pomfrey." Harry said with a light, slightly forced, smile.

The woman gave him a prim nod before turning and leaving, the sharp clicks of her shoes on the hard floor gradually fading with her. With his reason to be in the Infirmary completed, Harry rolled his sleeve back into its proper position and shuffled off of the bed. It was as he stood that a small frown crossed his face and he turned to look at Severus.

"What time is it?"

"About four o'clock." The professor answered.

"Hmm, I should probably go see Sirius before dinner, especially if Dumbledore's told him what's going to happen." The teenager mused. "I'll be back by dinner though, so make sure the house-elf saves me something please."

"Of course."

Harry gave a gentle smile then. "Thank you Severus." He said sweetly before starting to leave the room. "I'll see you this evening then."

No reply came to that but Harry knew one wasn't really needed. He would still be staying in Severus' rooms, even though the danger was gone. Not only was he already used to the company, he also didn't want to be alone during such a scary time. After all, dying and then being ressurected would freak anyone out, let alone a fifteen year old boy.

"Harry!" The voice of Draco came from behind.

The dark haired boy stopped accordingly and waited for the blond to catch him up. It took only a few seconds and the moment Draco was close enough, he took hold of one of Harry's hands. The shorter teenager passed no comment nor even showed any surprise on his face as he was pulled a little closer and Draco used his free hand to cup the side of his face.

"I still love you, you know." Draco murmured with the utmost seriousness.

"I know." Harry assured sadly.

"If, after the ritual, he doesn't want you anymore, then I'll gladly take you."

The part-werewolf smiled gently at that, genuingly touched by his friend's words. Leaning forward, he placed a very light kiss to Draco's cheek, one that lasted for barely a moment but still seemed to scorch the blond's skin. When Harry drew back, he was still smiling gently, but he gave a small shake of his head, a non-verbal decline to return the other teenager's feelings. Harry didn't wait for a reply to that and instead turned and left without further word.

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To Harry's relief, he hadn't needed to explain the situation to Sirius or Remus; they had already spoken to Dumbledore. Both men had extremely conflicting feelings about the entire thing. They were pleased that Harry's lycanthropy would be destroyed, they were pleased that it was a step towards destroying Voldemort and avenging the death of their best friends. However, they were also reluctant and somewhat scared. There was a risk after all, however slight, that Harry might not make it through the ritual and that was a constant issue for both Sirius and Remus. Their other worry was, of course, whether it was really what Harry wanted or whether he was doing it because of some sort of duty or perhaps because he'd even been pressured into it.

"Are you really sure you want to go through it so soon?" Sirius asked from where he sat beside his godson on the sofa in his rooms. Remus sat just to the side, in a nearby armchair.

"I don't see any point in putting it off." Harry said with a shrug.

"But it's such a massive decision."

"It's not much of a decision when there's only one choice." The teenager pointed out. "It's the only way, I'm well aware of that, and I'm willing to go through it because it has to be done or Voldemort will never go away."

"Harry," Remus said very gently, as though he was about to break some very bad, unknown news to the teenager. "Have you thought about the reaction Greyback's going to have to this? You have to know that there's a very good chance he isn't going to be interested in you after the ritual. I think it's very likely that he'll simply turn his back on you and leave."

Harry couldn't deny that such a thought had occured to him as well, though only briefly. It wasn't something he really believed, he was sure that Fenrir loved him for him rather than for his lycanthropy, but hearing someone else say it...It turned it into something more than just anxious paranoia. If someone else thought it, then surely the opinion was being based on something; the doubt was there for a reason.

Deep down, Harry was fairly confident in his lover's affection for him. There was a small part, however, the part that kept whispering a reminder that Fenrir had never said a certain three words, that was full of doubt. What if Remus was right? What if Fenrir wouldn't be interested anymore?

"If that's true," Harry murmured eventually, "then he isn't the man I thought he was, and I deserve better."

Although the words were spoken bravely, both Sirius and Remus could tell they weren't true. If Greyback left Harry then the teenager would surely be heartbroken.

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It was the day of the ritual, but since it was going to happen at night, when the full moon was out and shining, Harry had the day to himself to prepare, or freak out depending how much he lingered on all the undesirable possible outcomes. To try and distract himself, he had decided on doing something he had never done before; visit Ron. He hadn't seen the Weasley since the drama with the Chamber of Secrets and he wanted to see how the boy was doing just in case things went wrong. So he went to Gryffindor Tower to find his friend and as he waited for an answer after he had knocked on the portrait, he hoped that Ron wasn't somewhere else in the school.

When the portrait swung open and Harry was greeted by two identical, ginger haired older teenagers, his first thought was that there seemed to be a lot of ginger haired students in Gryffindor. His next thought was that the two young men were obviously twin brothers. That was as far as his thoughts got before he was opening his mouth to enquire about his friend.

"Um, hi, can I speak to Ron Weasley, please?"

"Merlin's beard..." The older boy on the left gasped through a delighted grin.

"...It's Harry Potter!" The other young man finished the sentence, his expression and tone exactly the same as his brother's.

"Don't just stand there,"

"Get in here."

They each grabbed one of Harry's arms each then and pulled him through the portrait hole and into the Gryffindor common room. Harry staggered a little at the abrupt pull but did well not to fall over completely, though that was thanks to the steadying arms of the two pulling him.

"I'm Fred," the first twin introduced himself almost immediately after Harry had regained his composure.

"And I'm George." The other revealed.

"We're Weasleys,"

"Ron's older brothers."

Harry's eyes widened in realisation then. "Oh, of course, it's obvious now, you look a lot alike and Ron did mention he has a couple of older brothers."

The twins seemed to find that amusing for some reason and shared a huge grin. "Oh yeah, he's got a couple." The one called Fred chuckled.

"And a younger sister of course." George said.

"Thanks for what you did for her by the way,"

"Jolly decent of you."

"It was nothing; anyone else would've done the same." Harry murmured quietly.

"Modest little thing, ain't he?" George noted happily.

"I think he's adorable." Fred declared as he ruffled the head of dark hair. "Merlin knows what he sees in our hot-headed little brother."

"Oi, shut up!" Ron's voice suddenly ordered from the other side of the room.

Harry and the two Weasley twins glanced over to the stairs to see that Ron had just reached the bottom step and wasn't hesitating in heading straight over to them. Harry had to admit that he was rather relieved; the twins were a little hard to take in.

Upon reaching them, Ron glared at his older brothers. They were apparently completely unphased by it. They puckered their lips and made kissy noises in reply before heading up the stairs their brother had just come down, laughing merrily on their way. It was only when their laughter and foot-steps faded into nothing did the two fifteen year olds turn to look at each other.

"Sorry about them, they're idiots." Ron sighed in a long-suffering manner.

"Don't worry about it."

The red head smiled suddenly. "I'm glad you're here; I never got the chance to thank you for what you did for Ginny and me."

"Your brothers have already thanked me, but you're welcome." Harry replied with a smile of his own.

"So, what are you doing here?" Ron enquired, sounding only curious. "First time you've ever been in here."

The memory of why Harry had decided to visit Ron suddenly came flooding back into his mind and his stomach sank with the rememberance. "I just...Wanted to see you." The slight teenager said, feeling suddenly choked up and struggling not to show it.

Ron actually seemed to notice as well and he frowned in concern. "You all right, mate?"

Harry swallowed thickly and nodded, not wanting to burden his friend with the knowledge of what was going to happen to him that night. "Yeah, I'm fine." He assured with a few nods. He put on a brave smile then. "Now that I know you and your sister are safe, everything's fine."

Whether Ron was actually satisfied with that answer was unclear but he didn't challenge Harry on it anymore. It was something the dark haired teenager was glad for. He had sought out Ron in an attempt to distract himself and that wasn't possible if the Gryffindor was demanding a full explanation. It was a relief when their conversation moved on, and Harry was even introduced to some of Ron's other friends. For a few hours, he forgot his worries and his troubles and he was allowed to just be what he was; Harry.

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The night of the ritual had arrived. Everything had been set up as much as it could be and it was finally time to begin. Outside, on the edge of the forest and underneath the glow of the full moon, Harry stood with Severus and Remus and Sirius and Dumbledore. The teenager had a long cloak draped over his shoulders but was completely naked underneath; it wouldn't do to have one of his only two robes burnt to cinders after all. There was only one more thing to do before the ritual could begin and Harry and Severus walked out towards the pile of wood that would be the part-werewolf's death and rebirth.

"The potion will knock you out completely; you won't be aware of or be able to feel anything." Severus assured his young friend as he handed over a small vial of white, creamy liquid.

"Will it have worn off by the time the ritual's over?" Harry asked curiously even as he pulled out the cork and gave the liquid a sniff; it had no scent but even the fumes made him feel slightly woozy and numb.

"It'll burn up with your body, there won't be any left by the time your body has reincarnated."

"Ah." Was all Harry said to that before he brought the rim of the vial to his lips and poured the contents into his mouth. Just as the potion had no scent, it also had no taste and so the teenager didn't even grimace as he swallowed it. He did, however, waver rather dramatically and Severus had to quickly dip forward to steady the boy.

"Careful now," he murmured gently.

"Wow, this stuff works fast," Harry mumbled, his words coming out very slurred, as he was carefully lowered to the ground. "Sev'rus," he whispered as he was laid to rest. "'M scared."

"Ssh, I know you are, but when you wake up, it'll all be over." Severus reassured him gently, running an affectionate hand through the strands of dark hair.

"If I wake up." Were the last, barely audiable, sound that passed the boy's lips before his eyes slid shut completely and his head lulled to the side as he fell into a deep unconsciousness.

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Warmth was the first thing that occured to him. Not heat, it wasn't intense enough to be called heat. It was more like a soothing heat, like that of a big rock when the sun had been shining on it for several hours. Then there was the weight on top of him; heavier than a duvet but not uncomfortable. Finally, there was the fact he couldn't breath. That caused him to sit up quickly and he felt something powdery fall from him as he did that. At the back of his mind, it occured to him that it was most probably the ash from the fire that must have engulfed him at some point.

Opening his eyes, the first thing he saw was the brightness of the full moon. Without his glasses, everything else melded into a fuzzy blanket of darkness, so the moon was really the only thing he had to focus on. Even as he stared up at it though, he felt no relief that he had survived or hope now that Voldemort was one step closer to being killed. No, all he could focus on was the absence of the usual pull he felt to the moon. He felt no real need to stare up at it, he felt no need to be in its light, he just couldn't feel it in anyway.

Soft foot-steps on the grass approached him from his right but he didn't turn to look. "Harry?" Severus' voice said gently, tentatively.

Harry felt tears fill his eyes and it wasn't a reaction to the brightness of the moon above him. "I can't feel the moon anymore." He murmured heart-brokenly before he buried his face in his hands and allowed his tears to fall.

"Oh Harry," the adult murmured sympathetically as he knelt down and brought his arms around the sobbing boy.

Harry clung to his friend for dear life, weeping in earnest, mourning the part of him that had died and fearing what would become of the rest of his life.