Worthy

*~ Disclaimer ~* I do not own any of the characters, language, plots, or locations from Harry Potter.
J. K. Rowling, the writer, holds all rights to Harry Potter and this story is only created for pleasure, not profit.

Summary: Death, battle, pain, facing your fears, saving the world… the Wizarding World expected the Boy-Who-Lived to endure it all. But what if he can’t? Who will be there to save the boy-who-only-wanted-to-be-normal? … Post-HBP

Author’s Note: Not much to say. Please enjoy.


Worthy
Chapter Four

Snape’s skin was beginning to crawl.

It had been almost half an hour since he had sent Dot to Hogwarts and there was still no sign or word from Pomfrey or the blasted werewolf. Seemingly regardless of the fact that Snape’s note had made clear the urgency of its purpose. Since that time, Snape had only moved once to obtain some potions from his lab that he might need, should Potter choose to explode with magic before the arrival of the others. He may die, but that didn’t mean that he would go unprepared.

To his credit, Potter had somehow managed to remain silent during the wait. It seemed that even through the war, miracles still managed to exist. Of course, it could also be due to the fact that Potter was currently focusing on Occlumancy and nothing else. Snape wasn’t very quick to give Potter so much credit, however. It was just as likely that the boy was exhausted and unable to work up the spite and annoyance that he was prone to when in the company of his dreaded Potions Professor.

Snape shifted in his seat as his pessimistic tendencies began to speculate on the delay. It was entirely possible that the numerous Ministry officials had intercepted or discovered the fate of the Boy-Who-Lived and were working to ensure both his and Potter’s demise. Snape wasn’t a fool. He knew that the public would be overcome by the death of their savior and leave a wide opening for the Ministry to step in and take firm control. The opportunity would be too much for the Ministry to pass up. He wouldn’t be surprised if they’d been planning for such since the last fall of Voldemort.

Or perhaps the werewolf was dead. Snape could not help but mull over the possibility with some satisfaction. Granted, Lupin had been fine since he had last seen him, but there was always the chance of a fresh attack by the remaining Death Eaters. Or maybe the werewolf had sustained internal injuries… A tainted potion perhaps…

“Could you stop that, please?”

Snape fell out of his musings and looked over at Potter with irritation. “Stop what, exactly, Potter?”

Potter kept his eyes trained on the ceiling above him but his face turned towards Snape. “It’s rather difficult to concentrate when you have an evil grin on your face.”

“I do not grin, evilly or not,” Snape snapped back. He could see the corner of Potter’s lips twitch in a repressed smile and felt irritated. Pomfrey or that damn werewolf better get here soon or else he would not be held responsible for his actions.

Thankfully, Snape soon heard hurried footsteps coming down the corridor before Potter chose to make another irksome comment. He stood as Dot ushered in a worried looking Madame Pomfrey and a haggard werewolf. Lupin quickly spotted Potter and rushed over to him. Potter turned his head away and stopped the werewolf short before Lupin noticed the smile on the boy’s face. Potter moved his hand in a small wave and the ex-Defense Professor reached to take his hand.

“Don’t touch the boy,” Snape snapped. He nodded to Dot and she left the room, leaving the Potions Professor to usher in the Mediwitch. “You could risk engaging his magic and it could suck you dry.” He enjoyed the horrified look on Lupin’s face before noticing the dismayed look on Potter’s. His enjoyment fell away and he stood off to the side and waited for Pomfrey and the werewolf to look over Potter’s condition.

Lupin turned to Snape and spoke with some difficulty, “You said you would need to know something about Harry’s history?”

Snape nodded. “We need to know whether Potter had any magical outbursts before his initial encounter with the Dark Lord.” He could see Lupin’s confusion and added, “The additional magic may have been due to Voldemort’s presence, but we need to be sure before we attempt anything to stabilize him.”

Snape was impatient while the werewolf remained in thought. “I can remember Harry showing a lot of magical ability for his age,” Lupin smiled fondly. “But I don’t think he had any strong outbursts… except…”

“Except for what, Lupin? Time is of the essence,” Snape snapped.

Lupin looked down at Potter and Snape’s stomach turned at the sentimental glance. “On one of Lily’s birthdays we went over to celebrate, Padfoot and I, and Harry was in his chair at the table. It was his first party so James and Lily let him stay up later to have a little cake with us. When we shut out the lights and brought in the cake Harry got really excited…” the werewolf grinned at the memory and Snape wanted to roll his eyes but stopped himself, barely. “He waved his arms around and the candles started to spark and pop all over the place until there were lots of lights hanging over the table. Lily was so happy to see all that Harry could do and picked him up from his seat. Then the lights really went crazy and started spinning all around the room and popping. Sirius had quite a shock when one of them actually singed his hair.”

A voice broke in next to them. “Really, Remus? I burned Sirius?”

Lupin laughed. “Oh, it was nothing, but Sirius whined about having to change his hairstyle for the next few days.” He paused to look at Potter and Snape interrupted him before he could continue.

“Do you know exactly what set off Potter before the lights sparked?”

“Well, everyone was so excited about what Harry could do,” Lupin mused, “I suppose it was Lily, when she picked him up.”

“Was Potter afraid or upset when she moved him?”

“No, not at all. He was grinning and laughing when she picked him up. Harry was probably as excited and happy as we were.”

“Then the outburst wasn’t fueled by the anger or pain that Voldemort would have used. That makes it probable that the additional magic from the violent outbursts were caused by Voldemort’s presence,” Snape stated clinically, reminding the werewolf that they were here for a reason, not to reminisce about old times. He turned to Madame Pomfrey, “Do you have any ideas on how to balance the magic from two people forced into one body?”

She shook her head. “I must say, we haven’t come across anything like this as far as I know. There have been some cases where a person’s signature magic has been divided or slightly increased by maturity, but not anywhere near the amount here.”

Snape thought for a moment, “When you have seen the magic divided, were you able to fully separate the magic from the individual?”

“Not entirely. The magic was put into other sources in very small amounts. There was one case where a young wizard’s magic was so erratic that he was a danger to himself, so some of his magic was portioned to his older sister and they shared the energy on a manageable level until the brother passed his maturity.” Madame Pomfrey paused for a moment and looked back towards Potter. “I don’t believe it would be advisable here. The magic is simply too much.”

There was a silence that hung about them while they tried to think of anything that might help. Snape began to pace while Madame Pomfrey conjured a chair and sat down. The werewolf stood by the table, deep in thought. Snape tossed out a couple more ideas that were rejected by the mediwitch as either too dangerous or impossible. They were so busy working out the possibilities that they were startled when Potter spoke up.

“I don’t think that I can control the magic much longer,” Potter said. His voice was low but it caught their attention immediately. Snape frowned; there was a despondent tone to Potter’s voice that was making him both angry and unnerved. He definitely didn’t like what Potter said next. “There isn’t anything that you can do now. You should leave and ward the room so that nothing bad happens to you…”

“Will you shut up, Potter!” Snape snapped. Potter turned his face away but Snape moved next to the table and leaned over the boy. “We’re working to save your unworthy life and we don’t need to hear you trying to be honorable and stupid.”

“Severus!” Pomfrey admonished and Snape turned away with a sneer.

Lupin took Snape’s place next to Potter and looked down at the averted face. “Harry, we’re here to help no matter what. We’ve been through tough and worse in this war and I’m not about to leave you now.”

Potter raised his hand as though to grasp at Lupin, but quickly clutched at the sheets instead. He had closed his eyes but Snape could see the pinched look on his face. “This is different, Remus,” Potter whispered and Snape wondered at the confidential tone in his voice. “We’re not fighting against another wizard or working against some difficult… spell. This magic is a part of me and I just… I just can’t control this on my own. It’s too much, Remus.”

The werewolf’s eyes were miserable, “Harry…”

Madame Pomfrey laid a hand on Lupin’s shoulder. “Mister Potter is right, Remus. We can only stay a little longer before it will be too late and the magic will overcome him.” She turned to Potter with a sorrowful expression. “Mister Potter… Harry. I’m sorry that there wasn’t anything more I could do for you.”

Potter turned back towards the werewolf and the mediwitch. “It’s alright, Madame Pomfrey. I…”

“Binding spells!”

“Severus?!” Madame Pomfrey and the werewolf turned towards Snape with surprise. Madame Pomfrey inquired, “What do you mean?”

Snape paced next to the table. “The Dark Lord had essentially bound his soul to Potter’s body and the magic had adjusted to that presence. Now that He’s gone the magic is unstable and unable to adjust quickly to the change, but what if another soul was bound to Potter’s?”

The mediwitch thought it over. “Most binding spells are used during marriage ceremonies to ensure a deep connection with their partner, but it’s never been attempted to correct an unstable plane.”

“From my knowledge of these spells, the bond helps keep the partners in balance with each other during times of trial,” Lupin offered, beginning to look hopeful.

“But never during the initial period,” Pomfrey insisted. “It would be dangerous…”

“But it’s the most likely chance of succeeding,” Snape stated.

“Then this is it, we can do this,” Lupin said excitedly. “Harry, I will bond with you and we can sort this out.”

Potter’s eyes flew open, surprised or stricken, Snape couldn’t tell. “Remus…”

“Actually, Lupin,” Snape drawled. “That probably won’t work.”

“Why not? You just said it could!” the mangy werewolf demanded, turning on Snape with an angry expression.

Madame Pomfrey nodded. “Remus, Severus is right. Being a werewolf could make the bond even more unstable than it already is. The magical energies are different.”

“Then what do you propose we do?” Lupin snapped. “There’s not enough time to find someone else.”

“That’s correct,” Pomfrey agreed. “The only possibility here is Severus.”

“What?” both Snape and Lupin asked.

“If anything happens to either Mister Potter or you, Severus, then you will need me to help with any medical effects from the binding. Also, Severus has more magical energy than myself and will be able to better stabilize Mister Potter’s magic. It would be foolish to risk anything less in this situation.”

“No,” the denial came from all three wizards in various tones of horror, fear, and aversion. Lupin and Snape turned towards Potter, who was now struggling to sit up on the table. The werewolf cautioned Potter to keep still while Snape crossed his arms and glared.

“No,” Potter repeated with determination. His face was flushed from trying to sit up but he managed to push himself onto his elbows. “I can’t have any of you bonded to me. You could be killed.”

“And you will be killed without it,” Lupin countered. “But I can do it… or Poppy. It’s worth the risk, rather than attaching you to…”

“What? A former Death Eater?” Snape sneered. “Exactly. Do I need to mention that I hate the boy?”

“Hate seems a little strong for someone who is working to save his life,” Madame Pomfrey said dryly. Speaking to Potter and Lupin, she said, “Remus and I are ineligible. Our only choice now is Severus and while we have this possibility, Mister Potter, we will make use of it rather than leave you to die.” Seeing them about to protest once more Pomfrey became exasperated. “We don’t have any more time, gentlemen. If at all possible, we can come up with another solution later but we must act now!”

“No… no, I won’t,” Potter muttered and lay back down. He closed his eyes and they could see his face contort in concentration.

“Mister Potter…” Madame Pomfrey began, warningly, but Potter ignored her and began to mutter to himself. The Mediwitch turned to Snape. “Severus, please. Whatever Mister Potter is attempting will not save him, he needs your help!”

“You mean he needs my soul,” Snape muttered. He looked down at Potter, who was beginning to look flushed once more. His face was twisted except for the swollen area around his eye and a cut on his forehead was oozing blood once more. Snape looked away. “Very well.”

“Excellent. Severus, you stand next to him and be ready to take his hands,” the Mediwitch promptly clipped out. “Remus, you stand by Mister Potter’s feet, and make certain you don’t touch him. If you do, you will interfere with the connection and the spell will be ruined.” She hesitated a moment before cautioning, “Just be ready for anything in case something goes wrong.”

Snape hovered over the table and keep his gaze off of Potter. “What will I have to do?”

The Mediwitch bustled to the head of the table. “I will recite the incantation and the magic should pull you to connect with Mister Potter. As soon as you feel that connection, take him by the hands. I’m uncertain as to what the next step entails, but there should be some form of assent from both parties at this time.”

“And how do you intend to make Potter cooperate with this? He has already refused.”

“During the connection is the most important part and I believe there is some mental communication between the partners. You must insist during this time or the spell will fail.”

“Wonderful,” Snape growled.

“I’m beginning,” Madame Pomfrey warned and began to whisper the incantation.

Before she had proceeded very far, they could all feel a force repelling them away from the table. Potter’s face was sweating and he was still muttering. Lupin and Pomfrey tried to plant their feet but they were pushed backward, inch by inch. Snape fought against the pressure and managed to stay in place, growing angrier at each increase in the force.

“Damn it, Potter, you just had to make this harder than it has to be,” Snape growled low. Madame Pomfrey was still speaking but Snape couldn’t hear her words anymore. His vision began to dim around the edges and his world began to narrow to focus on only Potter. He could feel the crackle of energy pooling over his skin and a responding effect on Potter’s skin. Vague impressions began to emerge in Snape’s thoughts. The magic was confused. The sparks on the skin wanted to merge and erase all the difference between them, while another force was trying to repel them. The repelling force was strong, but its intent was stressed and confused. Snape could feel the turmoil behind it and began to put pressure on it with his magic. There was a snap, and the world turned as Snape fell into darkness.

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