Proud of You

Sorry for taking so long to get the next chapter out guys! Life has been hectic and hasn't left me much time for writing, but I squeezed it in wherever I could so I could get this chapter out to you in a timely manner! The song I was listening to while writing this was You Haven't Told Me Anything by Keane. The next chapter is going to explain how Snape survived! Thanks for reading and please review!

Review responses:

Amethystique: *hands you box of Kleenex* Does it make me a cruel person if I say I'm glad you're an emotional wreck? Seriously though, it makes me happy to know I can evoke that kind of strong emotion in my readers. Thank you for your review!

MissKittySnape: *hands you a box of Kleenex too* Snape doesn't like me when I make him show emotion, but he'll get over it right? :) Your name is cute, if I may say so. I'm glad that I can make you feel things that strongly. And I know it's mean to say, but I'm glad I made you cry. Don't get mad please, I just like hearing how my writing has affected people. Thank you for reviewing!
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Hermione was on point with her assumption that Harry would go looking for answers. Saturday afternoon found the Golden Trio in the Headmaster's office politely declining all manner of Muggle sweets.

"Headmaster, forgive me for sounding rude, but it seems as though you're stalling," Hermione said, trying not to sound annoyed. The old man looked at her over his half-moon spectacles and smiled.

"I'm afraid it is I who should be asking for forgiveness, Miss Granger," he replied forlornly. "I'm sorry I had to keep myself hidden from you for so long." Hidden? They thought the man was dead!, Hermione thought angrily.

"Sir, we understand you're sorry. What we don't understand is how you survived at all," Harry said, leaning forward in his seat.

"Of course. Where shall I begin? I suppose I should give you a little bit of background information. As you all know, Professor Snape was my spy. However, in order for that to be beneficial to the Order, he had to remain in good standing with Tom. In the past half a year before my death, it seemed as though Severus was falling out of Tom's good graces. I simply could not let that happen. My original plan fell through." At this time, he paused and discreetly glanced at Hermione, something that was not lost on her. "I told Severus he needed to do something to ensure that his loyalty to Tom was never brought into question again. I came to the conclusion that if Severus killed me, that Tom would be far more trusting of him, not to mention pleased with his performance as a loyal Death Eater. Severus of course outright refused, but after not speaking to me for a number of days he came to me with a solution of his own. He told me of a spell he happened upon in his research. It is called the Illusory Death. Basically, it can mimic the killing curse and any witnesses to it will see the the person it was cast at die in whichever fashion the caster of the spell envisions. Obviously, given the location, Severus envisioned me falling from the tower and so that is what everyone present saw happen to me." He paused again to allow the three of them to absorb what he had said.

"But Sir, I saw you on the ground!" Harry exclaimed.

"It's part of the illusion, Harry. If you saw someone fall off a tower, you would expect them to be lying directly below the spot from which they fell," Hermione explained.

"So what happened to you then? Where were you all this time?" Ron asked.

"A very good question, Mr. Weasley. I must tell you that the Illusory Death originated from very old, very powerful, and very dark magic. Only someone of a sound mind should attempt to use it. Severus and I did several trial runs to make sure he would be able to cast the spell successfully. Since what the witnesses see is an illusion, the real person has to go somewhere. In order for this to be accomplished, the caster of the spell must be able to first cast the spell, envision the death, and then apparate the other person with their mind to a safe location." Harry and Hermione glanced at each other and shared a smile.

"If anyone could execute such a complex spell, it would be Professor Snape. He's brilliant," Harry explained to Dumbledore, after noticing the look of confusion on the old wizard's face regarding he and Hermione's interaction.

"Ah yes, Severus is quite a brilliant wizard," the Headmaster responded fondly. Ron cleared his throat.

"But Headmaster, where did you go? Where have you been all this time?"

"Excuse this old man for going off on a tangent, Mr. Weasley. To answer the other half of your question, Professor Snape owns an estate that he inherited from his mother's side of the family. It is unplottable and only he and I have knowledge of the property. He apparated me there after he 'killed' me."

"I understand you couldn't contact anyone while Voldemort was still alive, but after that why did you remain in hiding?" Harry asked quietly, brows furrowed. Let's see you talk your way out of this Headmaster, Hermione thought, crossing her arms over her chest and fixing him with an expectant look. Ron was interested in this explanation as well. Harry was his best mate and he watched him agonize over Dumbledore's death. To know that his friend suffered that much pain unnecessarily didn't sit well with him. He found himself growing angrier by the minute but reigned it in for Harry's sake. The Headmaster knew emotions were running high and he tried his best to choose his words carefully.

"Honestly, I thought it best to give everything time to settle down. I know you all fought valiantly during the final battle and that many lives were lost. I didn't believe it was the right time to make my presence known. Dealing with war and death are emotionally taxing enough, I wanted to give everyone time to try and get back to some semblance of normal. That is not to say I never checked on you. Several times I found myself here during the summer, hidden of course, watching all of you working so hard to rebuild the castle. Sometimes I wished I could reveal myself and help you." He was here...watching us... the whole time...Hermione fumed silently and then the floodgates opened and all of her anger came crashing down in torrents directed solely at Albus Dumbledore.

"What in the bloody hell is wrong with you?! Harry looked up to you, trusted you, and this is how you repay him?" She shot up from her seat. "He watched you die, saw it with his own eyes! Do you have any idea what that did to him, what it's still doing to him?! Then to find out it was all part of your grand master plan, and that you didn't really die at all. To add insult to injury, you came and watched us rebuilding the castle and struggling to get back to some semblance of normal. You must really get some perverse sense of pleasure out of watching people suffer." She leaned close, so she was right in Dumbledore's face. "Professor Snape was right when he said you were a master of manipulation. We were the puppets and you the puppeteer. Seeing you in this light, you're worse than any Slytherin I've ever known." She stood up straight and gave him one last scathing glance, spun on her heel, and exited his chambers with a slam of the door. Ron stood and looked Dumbledore square in the eye.

"What hurts more, the truth in Hermione's words or the fact that you quite possibly just lost the unwavering faith the three of us so willingly and blindly placed in you? It's like my brother Charlie said: 'People still use other people with a crooked smile.' I never thought that you would be someone that referred to." Ron turned and stalked out of the office, also letting the door slam behind him.

Dumbledore looked to Harry, almost afraid of what the young man was going to say. Harry said nothing as he calmly stood from his seat, nor did he spare the old man a glance as he headed for the door.

"Harry, you must believe me when I say I never meant to hurt you," Dumbledore pleaded.

The only response he received was the soft click of his door closing. This seemingly gentle acceptance of betrayal, of being hurt by the one person he looked up to the most, the look of absolute defeat on the face of the boy who took down Voldemort, is what haunted Albus Dumbledore the most.