A Living Secret ~ COMPLETED

Chapter 40 ~ Resurrection

Severus, Hermione and Harry dangled as Fawkes flew toward Hogwarts castle.

“Where are we going? To Hogwarts?” Hermione called to Severus over the rushing wind.

“Not exactly,” he replied, “You will see when we get to our destination.”

They all felt the magical wards wash over them as they entered Hogwarts airspace. Instead of flying towards the castle, Fawkes turned toward the Forbidden Forest.

Harry’s eyes widened as Fawkes dropped lower. He knew this part of the forest. He and Ron had almost been spider food here in their second year.

Fawkes lowered them to the ground, Harry and Hermione falling to the ground as Severus landed neatly on his feet. They got up and brushed themselves off, Harry’s eyes wide as he eyed the mouth of the cave.

“That’s the cave of the Acromantula,” he said in a whisper, “This is not a good place to be.”

”It is the best place to be,” Severus replied, striding toward the cave mouth.

Hermione followed excitedly. She had never seen Aragog or the other spiders.

Harry hesitated. They had just killed Voldemort and now no one would know because they were about to be eaten by giant spiders.

They followed Snape into the cave, so close Hermione was stepping on his robes as the spiders clicked and scuttled around them.

“They come! They come!” the spiders hissed.

“They really do talk!” Hermione exclaimed.

“That’s not all they do,” Harry replied, jumping as a hairy leg touched his buttock in passing.

All three stopped. An enormous stone cauldron, large enough to hold two grown wizards stood in front of the mouth of a large internal cave. The spiders all gave it a large berth. Around the cauldron was piled a small amount of glowing wood. It was Firewood, a special wood treated with magic to burn white hot and heat ten times quicker than ordinary wood once ignited. A small bowl, a large knife and what appeared to be a skeleton’s arm rested on a boulder next to the cauldron. Something made a loud scraping noise in the cave behind it.

Hermione grabbed Severus’ arm as the largest spider she had ever seen moved toward the mouth of the cave. It’s fur was slightly gray and it’s eight eyes glazed as it worked its large mandibles.

“You have returned,” Aragog said, “With the chosen two.”

”Yes,” Severus said.

”Then be done with it then. We are tired of wizards,” Aragog said gruffly, settling himself on the earth.

“Be done with what?” Hermione asked.

Harry looked at the large cauldron.

”It’s time to bring back Dumbledore,” he breathed.

Severus walked over to the stone and picked up the bowl, carrying it over to Harry.

”Place your memory of the ritual Peter Pettigrew performed to restore Voldemort in this bowl. I believe Miss Granger will be the one to perform it, since your magical skill is not as powerful as hers,” Severus said with a slight smirk.

“I do all right,” Harry said defensively, drawing his wand and pulling the memory of Peter restoring Voldemort from his head and dropping the silvery strands into the pensieve. Severus passed it to Hermione, who stuck a finger into it.

Both Harry and Severus watched her as she viewed it. After a couple of minutes Hermione looked at Harry and Severus, a slight frown on her face.

”There are three problems. The first is, Dumbledore doesn’t have a rudimentary body. The second is, who is going to give the flesh of the servant? And third we don’t have the blood of an enemy,” Hermione said, looking thoughtful, “But there has to be a way to do this, otherwise the Headmaster would have prepared us better.”

She looked down at her necklace thoughtfully at the glowing blue stone, then started. There was still a tiny glow to Voldemort’s stone. She looked at Harry.

”You still have a touch of Voldemort’s signature,” she said to him, “Maybe your blood will do since it holds a bit of his signature. That’s all we need.”

Harry looked at her. Another blood sacrifice out of him for a resurrection. Well, at least it was Dumbledore this time and not some raving wizard with delusions of grandeur who wanted to kill him.

“All right,” he said.

Then Hermione looked at Severus.

“I guess you’re going to have to get in the cauldron, Professor…since your body holds Dumbledore’s fragment,” the witch said.

Severus sighed and pulled out his wand, checking the contents of the cauldron. It appeared to be purified water. Well, that was a relief. Albus might have stayed a soul fragment otherwise.

“Very well,” Severus said, looking as if he had smelled something disgusting.

Hermione drew a deep breath.

“I guess I will have to add my own flesh, since Harry is giving the blood and you are serving as the form,” Hermione said.

Harry’s eyes widened with horror.

“But Hermione, Peter Pettigrew sacrificed his entire hand,” he said to her.

Hermione blinked at him.

”I know Harry, but there’s no other way. I’ll…I’ll give my left hand. I do everything with my right anyway,” Hermione said, “And I can use magic to carry things if I need to.”

Severus stared at the witch. He would have willingly given his hand for Albus, but his role in this was already ordained. It was a shame she’d be disfigured, but her bravery was admirable. He could deal with a one-handed witch.

Aragog listened to the young witch speak of cutting off her hand. He usually didn’t care for humans due to the treatment he received from them in his youth when it was thought he had murdered a student at Hogwarts. Later it was found out a basilisk was responsible. But she seemed so young to make such a sacrifice and she had much courage. The spider spoke.

“What is it you need, witch?” the monstrous creature said.

“The flesh of a loyal servant,” Hermione replied.

“I have served Dumbledore,” Aragog said, "and one of my legs is useless and feels no pain. I will give that if it is suitable."

“Are you sure?” Hermione asked the spider.

“If I were not sure, witch, I would not have offered,” the spider answered rather snarkily.

“Thank you, Aragog,” Hermione said warmly as the spider shifted it’s bulk a bit closer.

Hermione entered the pensieve once more to make sure she knew the ritual.

“All right,” she said, taking a deep breath and igniting the wood beneath the cauldron. The Firewood went into action, the water boiling, sparks flying out of the surface as it rolled.

Severus had to get into that?

The Potions Master looked at the cauldron. He had to trust Albus knew what he was doing and he wouldn’t be scalded to death. He looked at Harry.

”I am giving you the opportunity to perform a spell your father once performed on me, Mr. Potter. Do you know the spell of which I speak?” he asked Harry quietly as Hermione looked on terrified.

She didn’t want the Professor to do this, but she couldn’t very well say it. They had to bring back Dumbledore, and in her deepest heart of hearts, she knew the Headmaster wouldn’t have saved Severus to bring him to his end in this manner.

Harry nodded, drawing his wand as the spiders and Fawkes looked on.

”Do it then, and quickly,” Severus said, straightening before Harry and looking him in his eyes.

Harry hesitated. As much as he had despised the Potions Master, the idea of dropping him headfirst into a stone cauldron full of scalding potion didn’t appeal to him. Now, if he were Ron...

“Go on boy! Don’t be a coward now!” Severus hissed at him.

”Levicorpus!” Harry cried, flipping Snape into the air, directing him over the cauldron and releasing him so he fell in headfirst with a splash. They heard a thump and winced.

”I hope he’s not dead,” Harry said, his face as ashen as Hermione’s was.

Actually, Severus wasn’t hurt at all, and could breathe below the surface, the potion around him pleasantly warm. He knew Harry and Hermione must be scared to death, thinking he was boiling like a lobster.

The surface of the cauldron’s contents stilled, becoming like glass. No pieces of boiled flesh floated up to the surface to Hermione’s relief. She couldn’t see the Potions Master however.

Hermione gingerly picked up the arm bone and raised her wand.

”Bone of the father unknowingly given, you will renew your son,” she said, dropping the arm in. It floated past Severus then disappeared in a brilliant flash then the liquid around him turned a brilliant blue and cooled somewhat. Above him sparks flew from the cauldron as Hermione beckoned to Aragog.

”Help me, the second leg on my right,” the spider said to Harry, who quickly ran over and grasped the hairy thick leg, and backed up, stretching it over the cauldron as Hermione picked up the knife. She held it under Aragog’s limb, blade up.

Around her the spiders clicked and scuttled nervously at seeing their sire’s foreleg about to be amputated.

“Silence!” Aragog roared.

The scuttling ceased.

Hermione drew a deep breath.

“Flesh of the servant freely given, you will revive your master!” she cried, slicing upward closing her eyes and hearing the splash as the severed limb fell into the cauldron. Green ichor spilled from the wound. Harry quickly removed his robe and wrapped it around Aragog’s leg.

“Thank you,” the spider said as Fawkes walked up and hopped on Harry’s shoulder, letting her tears drip on the open wound, healing Aragog’s limb.

The simmering liquid turned a vibrant violet color, bathing all of them in its light.

”Come on, Harry,” Hermione urged looking at the cauldron, wiping the knife blade on her robes.

Harry ran up to Hermione and yanked his sleeve up, holding his arm over the cauldron.

Hermione looked at him apologetically, praying that Harry’s blood held enough of Voldemort’s signature to pass as the blood of an enemy.

“The blood of the enemy forcibly taken, you will resurrect your foe!” Hermione cried, slicing Harry’s arm and letting the blood fall into the cauldron, the contents of which turned a blinding white. Both Harry and Hermione squinted, Harry pale with pain.

Since Voldemort didn’t willingly give Harry his signature, hopefully the blood would qualify as blood “forcibly taken.”

The cauldron’s contents stilled. Nothing happened for several minutes. Fawkes healed Harry’s gash in the interim. A phoenix was quite handy to have around in a situation like this.

“Do you think it worked?” Hermione asked Harry.

“I don’t know. It took a little while to…” he began.

Suddenly thick white vapor rolled out of the cauldron filling the cavern. Hermione and Harry could just make out the shape of the vessel through the thick mist. Suddenly the silhouette of a man appeared, rising out of the cauldron. It was in profile, and there was no mistaking that nose. It was Professor Snape.

Hermione’s heart sunk. He was alone. Then suddenly another shape emerged, tall, thin and apparently…naked.

”My word,” Albus said, looking down at himself as the vapor thinned, “I have to admit, I had forgotten about this part. Turn your head, Miss Granger.”

”Unless you want to be scarred for life,” Severus thought with a slight smile as he looked at his beloved Headmaster.

”Ah Severus, I see you have successfully completed your mission. Well done, my boy, well done,” the old wizard said, making as if to embrace the wizard.

Severus leaned back.

“I would rather you be fully dressed before you come in contact with me, Headmaster,” the wizard said silkily as Albus chuckled.

“Quite right, Severus. I forgot myself,” the Headmaster said with a smile, waving his hand over his body and creating a robe apparently out of thin air. It was bright orange with blue stars. A pointed matching hat appeared on his head.

”Ah, much better,” the wizard said jovially as the vapor cleared completely.

Albus climbed out of the cauldron, followed by Severus. Both were completely dry. Harry stood staring at the old wizard. Every bit of anger that was inside of him drained completely out and all he could feel was a surge of joy at seeing Albus alive and strong again. His green eyes glistened and he was unable to speak.

“Harry,” the Headmaster said, extending his arms.

Harry launched himself into to them, grasping the wizard tightly as if trying to make sure he was real. He wept openly on his shoulder as Albus patted his back gently.

”There, there, my boy. It’s over now. You’ve done it. You’ve destroyed Voldemort and preserved our way of life,” the wizard said, his twinkling blue eyes cutting toward Hermione and Severus, “With quite a bit of help I imagine.”

”Yes sir,” Harry murmured against his shoulder as Hermione smiled at them.

She was happy to see the Headmaster too, but wasn’t as close to him as Harry was.

Aragog looked on the scene.

“Welcome back, Headmaster,” the spider said as Albus released Harry, who wiped his eyes.

Fawkes landed on Albus’ shoulder, preened his hair a bit and trilled a welcome back. Albus caressed the bird’s crested head.

“Ah Fawkes. It is good to see you again too my friend,” Albus said as the bird rubbed his face against his, then took off through the cave in full song, flying towards the castle.

“Thank you, Aragog,” the wizard said, smiling benignly, “I take it you are well.”

Aragog sighed.

“I am tired, very tired. I will stop taking the unicorn blood now and move out of this life. I am weary of it. It is time for the children now,” the spider said, “Please go. This has all been a bit too much for me. Our treaty ends when you leave this cave. My children will not pursue…this time,” the spider said, slowly withdrawing back into his cave.

“Let us depart,” Albus said, “We have many, many people to shock and I for one am looking forward to walking into Hogwarts with Severus by my side,” the Headmaster said, looking at the wizard fondly.

“Thank you Severus, for housing me during my…absence,” the wizard said.

The Potions Master narrowed his eyes at him.

“We will be ‘discussing’ your housing shortly, Headmaster,” he said silkily, “and in private.”

Albus’ eyes clouded a bit. He should have known Severus planned to take him to task. The two wizards walked abreast of each other, heading toward the cave entrance, Hermione and Harry following behind.

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On the grounds of Hogwarts, a powerful quake shook the earth, rousing Hagrid out of his sleep. The half-giant squinted out his window and saw a bright light coming from the direction of Albus’ tomb. He hurriedly pulled on his robes and ran to the area, the light dying before he got there.

“Oh no. Who'd do somethin' like this?” the giant groaned looking at Albus’ tomb.

It had been turned to rubble.

Overhead, Fawkes flew by, singing loud and strong, a feeling of great joy washing over Hagrid.

“He’s back. Fawkes is back,” the giant breathed, great tears rolling down his face and into his unkempt beard.

Hagrid knew that Fawkes' reappearance and the destroyed tomb could only mean one thing.

He was back.

Albus Dumbledore had returned.

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A/N: The return of Albus Dumbledore. Harry just couldn’t yell at him. Seems Severus isn't going to let Albus get away with making him a Horcrux without his knowledge. Thanks for reading all.