Harry Potter and the Plan of Salvation

A month passed. Classes were becoming more and more grinding as the approach of the NEWTs drew near, but Harry hardly seemed to notice. His nights were spent in relative peace, sleeping in Severus’ rooms and planning when he couldn’t sleep. Tonight, all of his planning and scheming would be put to use, and one way or another this would end. Tonight, Tom Marvolo Riddle would die.

Albus pretended to not have a clue about what his favorite teacher and student were doing, but that twinkle gave him away. Harry paused by the doorway to Snape’s room; his invisibility cloak tucked under one arm. It would be left at the Shrieking Shack at the end of the apparition bounds. Severus had fallen asleep on the couch grading papers, and Harry had transfigured it into a duplicate of his bed, moving the essays elsewhere. A half smile touched his face as he watched the man sleep for a moment. Somehow during the past month, Harry had fallen in love with this man.

He sighed and waved his hand, causing a small blue envelope to appear, and he floated it over to the sleeping form, reg itg it on his chest. Severus would notice it first thing he awoke. His whispered words seemed to echo in the silence. “Goodbye, my dark prince.”

*~*~*

No one noticed the black anaconda as he edged his way along the darkened walls. Truthfully, they all looked to be sleeping. The fact was proven by a couple of snores. Here and there however there were a few who were awake and watchful. They didn’t seem to pay much attention to the snake though, and could he have given voice he would have laughed at their idiocy. Of course, no one ever expected the boy who lived to be an animagis, but then again, no one had expected him to be a parseltongue either.

The racer paused in his track and flicked his tongue out rapidly tasting the air from the two different paths ahead. The sound of a soft hiss to his right distracted him slightly and he turned his head, seeing the familiar and near giant form of Nagini close by. “Hello, Lady Nagini.” There was another hiss, though no words came with it for a moment.

Then, “What business do you have here, Harry Potter?”

“You know my business, Lady, or you would not have stopped me.”

Another pause. “Then why should I not stop you?”

“Because you are not happy with the master you serve. You do not like the pain he causes to your brothers and sisters; you’ve seen what he does to the other snakes that are brought in, and to the other animals. He hurts them needlessly. Not for safety, or food, but simply to harvest them.”

“If I let you pass, will you swear to end him this night?”

“Upon my soul, heart, and wand.”

A very strange conversation, indeed. Nagini bobs her head slightly in a snakish nod and then slithers deeper into the shadows, vanishing.

*~*~*

I wake slowly, yawning and stretching. I just barely remember falling asleep on the couch, but this is not the couch. I stretch again and move to sit up and it transfigures back into the couch. Oh. Sitting up is when I notice the blue envelope and I frown lifting it to the light. My candles and fire have grown dim, and I wonder why Harry hasn’t asked Dobby to rekindle the fire. He freezes more easily than I.

I refocus my attention on the envelope, frowning slightly as I see there is no writing on the outside. Cautiously I prize the top fold open and withdraw the letter. The handwriting is instantly familiar, but instead of relaxing I become tense. Something about this doesn’t feel right and as soon as I read the first sentences I feel my blood run cold.

Dear Severus,

I don’t know when you’ll wake up, but when you do I’ll be gone. I don’t know when or if I’ll be back. I left tonight, and have gone to Riddle’s. Maybe it’s Gryffindor stupidity, or just my own, I don’t know. But, I have to do this, and I’m sick of waiting for his next move always wondering who’s next; who will be the next person I lose?

Sev, I… I don’t think I’ll make it back from this. Whether I do or not, I want you to know that Voldemort will be dead.

*~*~*

Harry smirked to himself as he entered the darkened room, slithering right up to the edge of Voldemort’s throne before changing back into his usual form. His smirk grew darker, and he leaned forward whispering, “Hello, Tom.”

The dark wizard whirled, his red eyes narrowing to slits. His wand was already clasped in his hand. “Well, well, well, Mr. Potter. I thought we’d never meet again one on one.”

“Really? Why is it that I don’t believe that?” Harry doesn’t give him time to respond. “Tell me something, Tom – ”

“Don’t call me that! I am VOLDEMORT!”

Harry just blinked. “Right, as I was saying, TOM, tell me, did you ever find out all of the prophecy?”

“You were in the ministry that night fool, you know it was smashed.”

“Oh yes, it was. But you see, I just happened to know the person that the prophecy was foretold to. I’ll give you one guess. Albus Dumbledore. I’ll even tell you the gist of it. It’s quite simple. It said that neither of us can live while the other does, but one of us will die by the other. I’ve done a lot of thinking about it and decided something.”

“And pray tell what have you decided in that moronic half blood Gryffindor brain?”

“That tonight this ends. You see, there are only two ways this will end, and both of them come out with you dead.”

“Oh, my my, the little boy grew a spine. Tell me, did all those years of listening to your mothers screams affect you?”

Sev, I know this is going to make you angry, but I have to tell you. You have to know. If I die tonight and you neveund und out, I would never be able to rest. I love you. Please don’t hate me even more for that. I know you could never love someone like me, but you just had to know.

“Yes, I would say they did. Made me strong enough to face you evidently.”

Harry had no warning for the first curse that was thrown, but he had expected it. “Crucio!” To Tom’s rage Harry only sank to the floor for a moment. He didn’t scream he didn’t writhe, and he didn’t beg.

‘That wasn’t very nice Tom, but then, my Muggle uncle does worse than that.”

Oh, but Tommy didn’t like that comment. His face just went awfully red. “You look like him too when you go that color. Oh, by the way, Crucio!” And it worked on Tom. He fell to his knees absolutely shrieking in pain and Harry’s smirk darkened again. “What’s wrong, Riddle, don’t you like your own potion? No, I suppose not.” The spells released.

“You stupid little mudblood. Do you think you can get away with this? Do you honestly think you can beat me?”

“Yes.”

Riddle stared. He hadn’t expected that one worded answer filled with so much confidence. He sneered horribly. “Why?”

“Because I have something that you don’t have a clue about.”

Those flat lips curl. “And what’s that?”

“Love, Tom. As simple as that. You see, love is a very powerful thing, it feeds all the other emotions, even hatred. Do you know why you hate others so much? Because you never got to be loved, did you? You think you’re so damned special because you had a miserable childhood, and that’s really what this was all about from the beginning isn’t it? Your revenge. Well let me tell you something…”

I hate that I love you this much, but couldn’t do anything. I hate that I never got to truly make love with you. I hate that I let the past win, and it hurts so much Sev. This confusion of what’s right and wrong of whether or not to be afraid with you. I know what I want but I can’t reach for it. But, I love you. If I make it out of this alive, I understand if you don’t want to see me. If I don’t make it back though… give them all my love and… if I die… my will should arrive in Dumbledore’s office an hour after my final breath.

Until we meet again

“…I’m stronger than you are, because I have people to protect. I have family who stand behind me, and friends who would die for me.”

“Like Cedric and Black?”

“Yes. What, did you expect me to be hurt? Well guess what, I’m not because I know they didn’t die for nothing. Even if I die here tonight you will die with me. I lived long enough to destroy ymindmind, body, and soul, and I will succeed!” A low humming was starting and Harry looked straight up into Voldemort’s eyes. “Mom and Dad were yoirstirst that mattered to me. Then you stupefied my friends and I thought they would die. My godfather was taken away from me because of your filthy vermin servant, I went through Hell because of your tricks and plans and Cedric died because you hadn’t expected two people to show up that night. Then there was Sirius, and did you think they wouldn’t still be with me? Did you think I would let you win? Yes, I lost them all, yes it was because of you but I still have family left alive and I will not let you hurt anyone else!” The last word was roared and the humming shot up to a shrill buzzing as energy rebounded around the room, and Harry began to hiss in parseltongue. “Sssehlothhhhh Wessha Abanduas Lesssshtigau!”

White ripped through the room, taking great chunks of rock from the walls and ceiling as it ricocheted everywhere before colliding into Riddle. The look on his face would forever be etched into Harry’s mind as his eyes and mouth snapped wide open. Harry’s own legs gave way as he heard Riddle shriek even louder than when the cruciatus had been used, and he could see him, the flesh rapidly falling away as he continued to scream until all that was left was a skeleton and a heart and then slowly the heart was torn open, ripped asunder, and Harry Potter slnto nto the world of dark, knowing that he had completed his task.

*~*~*

Ice cascaded into Severus stomach as he felt the surge of power and the slow burning that felt like it was eating his Mark from the inside out. He jerked his sleeve back to stare at the Mark, and almost passed out. It was like watching acid eating his arm from within, but it concentrated purely on the Mark. He trembled as fear shot through him. The Dark Lord was clearly dead, but what of Harry? He never noticed the tears running down his face as he bolted from his dungeons and ran as fast as he could to the apparition bounds. He even pushed over a rather startled Ronald Weasley as he sprinted the distance and then disappeared.

He reappeared instantly within none other than Voldemort’s chambers, something that would have earned him certain death once upon a time. He looked around cautiously, first spying the rapidly dissolving skeleton that could only have been Voldemort from the blackness of the bones. He turned slightly and felt all of his insides vanish. “Harry,” came out as a hoarse whisper as he moved to his side carefully kneeling next to the fallen hero.

Tentatively he placed his fingers to Harry’s neck, finding an extremely weak and almost imperceptible pulse. He leaned over brushing a soft kiss across the darkened scar as he lifted Harry into his arms. “Just stay with me long enough to get help, please just hang with me Harry.” Another loud crack later, and instead of appearing at the boundary lines they’re actually in the hospital wing.

“POPPY! ALBUS!” He bellowed at the top of his lungs, drawing the harried looking nurse from her cubicle.

“Severus what on – What happened!”

“Just help him! I have to find Albus,” and he was gone, leaving a wide-eyed mediwitch behind to try to tend Harry.

Severus tore through the halls, grateful that no students were out to see their feared teacher in such a state. The gargoyle jumped aside at his glare and he hurried up the stairs trying to put his robes into some semblance of order. The door opened for him and he rushed in. “Albus – What the hell oingoing on?”

Several people were staring at him; most with frightened and tear stained expressions. Remus was in a corner all but hunched over his legs, Draco and Ginny on the floor, Draco apparently trying to soothe the girl while hiding his own tears, Molly and Arthur Weasley were in tears and sobbing into each others robes and the rest of the Weasleyldreldren just looked shocked. Ron and Hermione were in another corner pale and devoid of all color and Hermione was trembling was anger; Ron looked like he’d just seen a ghost and was fighting the guilt that came with it. Minerva was of all places sitting in Albus’ lap, her head against his shoulder, refusing to cry.

Albus looked up to meet his gaze and sighed. “I was just telling everyone that I’m afraid Mr. Potter went off to face Tom on his own tonight. I do not think he is strong enough yet to make it back alive, and the power surge we felt earlier…”

Severus nearly choked. “You think he’s dead?”

There was a long pause and then Albus shifted his gaze to the floor. “Yes.”

“Well I hate to be the one to tell you, but he’s not! Tom is dead not Harry though if you don’t get down to the infirmary and help Poppy figure out what he did I don’t know how much longer he’ll be alive!”

“He… he’s alive?” Molly looked up startled as Albus stared at him, then abruptly stood, almost dumping Minerva in the floor.

“Yes! I went looking for him found a note felt the power surge and took off after him. I’ll explain it later, Albus for God’s sake do something!”

His harsh words seemed to snap the man out of his trance and he walked from the room with that ever calm and cool stride. Severus wondered how far down the steps Albus would befobefore he broke into a run. He blinked, realizing that all eyes were now trained on him. “What?”

“Severus, is… is he going to be okay?” Molly asked softly, taking an almost pleading step forward.

He sighed and moved towards both her and Arthur, squeezing their shoulders. “I truly hope so, Molly. Harry is a very strong young man, and I know how much he means to you and Arthur.”