Guilty as Sin

CHAPTER 54

Harry stared at the hall clock watching each agonizing tick of the hands as they twitched ever closer to Midnight. Why Draco had to be so dramatic as to dismantle the wards at such an ungodly hour of night was beyond Harry’s comprehension but he hadn’t argued with the blonde who’d been up for the past 48 hours drilling Snape into confessing his families secrets regarding the well protected house they currently resided in. The clock struck shaking Harry from his distant stare. The 12 chimes rang out through the darkened silent house, the 12th and final strike echoing and lingering ominously. The magic around the house gave a shudder before there was nothing, just a coldness that swept over the dusty old house like a whirlwind leaving Harry’s warm breath visible in front of his face. Even the paintings were hidden frozen in fear just as Harry’s heart currently was as he waited with baited breath. The door to his right creaked open and Harry drew his wand instantly. The killing curse faltered on his lips however when he saw Draco stride into the hall carrying his own wand and an expression of concern.

“It is done.” Draco whispered his voice sounding so loud in the deathly silence. Harry nodded and turned back to stare at the clock. There was little either of them could do now but wait, listen and watch.

The pair did not have to wait long Harry felt the stirring of air that rushed up from the dungeons, sweeping through the house tearing pictures from their nails and slamming open doors and windows. The rush of air hit the boy’s full on and Harry felt the very air ripped from his lungs as the wave of magic washed over him in an angry scream. Draco staggered backwards but Harry stood firm his wand drawn and aimed at the staircase leading to the lower floors of the house. Blood dripped down Harry’s face from his scar that had flared up the instant the rush of magic had hit him.

“We have company.” Harry breathed out calmly his voice deepening to match the changing shade of his eyes from the familiar green to the violet that marked his kind. Before either of the boy’s could move however there were several loud apparition cracks that echoed in the silence from somewhere close outside.

“Auror’s.” Draco whispered as Harry began walking slowly towards the stairs leading to the dungeons. Harry growled low in his throat unaware that his instincts had begun to take over his behavior.

“Stall them.” Harry bit out with a menacing snarl over his shoulder as he took hold of the chain around his neck and with a firm yank broke the golden amulet and dropped it carelessly to the floor. Draco winced when the gold chain hit the floor but said nothing as Harry took hold of the handrail and slowly descended into the darkness of the dungeons. Outside Draco could hear voices and with Harry’s figure gone took a hold of his own chain. With a slight hesitation Draco broke the chain he’d relied on to keep his identity hidden for most of his life and like Harry abandoned it on the floor as he turned and strode towards the front door. The three of them had lived within the restrictive powers of amulets around their necks it was time to see what they could achieve without them as protection.

Draco tightened his grip on his wand and with a deep breath in opened the door to face what lay beyond….

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Harry stood at the bottom of the stairs staring into the dusty, cluttered dungeons. Water ran between his feet from an unknown source and mould grew on the rocks of the walls, with years of neglect. Snape had forbidden them to go down into the dungeons saying that they hid a multitude of dark objects and ancient wizard artifacts, but the only dark item Harry was interested in at present was standing bold, and challenging at the far end of the darkened corridor in the midst of the shadows.

“Potter.” Voldemort’s voice hissed in irritation and disgust but clearly weakened by the current state of the war. “Why am I not surprised to see you here? They always said you were special but only I knew why until now that is…”

“Unlucky for you then, my parents might not have protected me against you had they known what I am.” Harry spat out calmly watching as the end of Voldemort’s wand sparked with red in irritation.

“You should have been terminated at birth, you and your kind are an abomination of inbreeding.” Voldemort hissed still not coming out of the shadows to reveal himself to Harry’s gaze.

“No more so than you Riddle, you should thank your filthy muggle father for saving you from a curse you yourself might have inherited, perhaps then we might have been equal.” Voldemort took instant offense and roared with anger as he stepped into the light of the torch, revealing himself to Harry who smiled smugly to himself. Harry watched as Voldemort looked him up and down with the beady red, snake like eyes.

“Equality? In that state you are no more a match for me than the traitor above stairs will be.” Voldemort went to advance on Harry but the boy flicked his wand at Voldemort easily whispering the ancient curse that sent Voldemort backwards into the wall with a sickening thud. Harry’s eyes were barely visible beneath the indigo gaze as he easily switched between his own magic and Lucius Malfoy’s.

“Lucius!” Voldemort growled as he swept to his feet again blocking another of Harry’s own curses.

“Indeed, I’ve been busy since we last met.” Harry whispered dodging a curse that sailed past him and exploded in the rocks of the wall showering him with dust.

“It will take more than Lucius Malfoy’s magic for you to defeat me Potter, we are equal remember.” Voldemort seemed to regain his self-control and instead of back away advanced on Harry who’d stopped half way down the corridor. Harry didn’t flinch as Voldemort approached him and instead stared into the beady red eyes of the wizard whose figure towered over him.

“No we are not Tom Riddle, you and I are not equal and it is that inequality you discovered the night you killed my parents and then tried to kill me. Yes you took from me something great, but I also took from you and I will do it again and this time I’m old enough to finish the job.” Harry’s eyes flashed dangerously and for a moment Harry saw an expression of fear wash over Voldemort’s features, the fully restored body of the teenaged Tom Riddle not so well at disguising it’s masters inner emotions like the snake creature he’d been for so long previously. “Do you fear me Tom?” Harry whispered remembering all the times he’d spent shaking at the nightmares in his bed, afraid of the very wizard who now stood before him.

“I fear nothing and no one, I am the dark lord!” Voldemort screamed at Harry the killing curse heading the boy’s way. Harry was quicker though and lifted his hand stopping the curse in its tracks so that it fizzled out and popped like a faulty firecracker. Voldemort seemed shocked that the boy had stopped the curse but didn’t seem to flinch as Harry readjusted his grip on his wand and aimed it back in reply. The killing curse the boy had intended to use never left Harry’s lips though, instead his instincts began to take over again and without the chain around his neck restricting him the ancient dialect of the 16th Century Vampires began to spill from his mouth with seemingly practiced ease. There was no escape from the wave of magic that left Harry’s body egged on by the boy’s chants, so that by the time it hit Voldemort in the chest it was rushing like a freight train. Just as it had happened in the courtyard with Lucius the magical wave ensnared Voldemort’s body, invisible ropes pinning him to the wall. Unlike Lucius though Voldemort put up a better fight, the elder wizards power far superior to the elder Malfoy. Harry doubled his concentration as Voldemort threatened to break free of the magical hold, the boy now screaming the ancient chant that lit up the entire dungeon illuminating all the dusty dark objects and ancient implements Snape had been babbling about. There were a few more disturbing items in the dungeon, that had Harry seen them might have questioned their existence in the Snape’s home but the boy was far to focused on Voldemort. Somewhere above them there was a shattering of glass as Voldemort began to hiss out a counter curse in Parseltongue but Harry had the power and with his wand still clutched in his left unoccupied hand he flicked a curse at Voldemort sewing the man’s mouth shut with some ugly looking stitches, a curse no doubt sourced from Lucius’ repertoire. Voldemort was not done though and Harry had to step out of the way of the killing curse Tom let fly with as he dragged one of his arms free of the hold.

Harry wasn’t sure how long they fought together each pushing and giving with no discernable winner or looser. Perhaps it was just as Tom had said, they were equally matched. Yet Harry had been so sure, so sure he had the upper hand being an Elith-Furatu. As his instincts began to tire, so to did Harry’s confidence. Voldemort looked positively delighted when Harry’s hold of him weakened enough for the dark lord to shake free of its clutches. Harry swallowed uselessly his hand still held out in front of him as Voldemort shook off the linger traces of Harry’s magic and began advancing on him. Harry shuddered in revulsion as Voldemort tugged out the stitches on his mouth brutally tearing his own thin skin, so that blood poured from his mouth like a rabid wolf after killing it’s prey.

“You see boy, you can not win…” Harry backed up automatically towards the stairs, his hand that had been pulsing with magic just before falling to protectively clutch at his stomach. Harry jumped and looked hastily over his shoulder as he backed into a soft warm body. Half expecting it to be Auror’s Harry went to curse them but when he looked up into the indigo eyes of his pale, sickly looking Superei the curse died on his lips. “Ah, the traitor I had wondered where they had hidden you.” Harry stared up at Snape angrily, wondering what on earth the man was doing out of the tower when he wasn’t well. “Are you enjoying my gift Severus, I made it just for you.” Voldemort hissed angrily a sick smile of delight on his face. Severus ignored him though his eyes staring through the wizard like he wasn’t even there. Harry wanted to turn and run but Severus blocked his path. With a firm hand clutched around his waist Severus spun Harry around and pulled him up flush against his chest, so that the boy was facing Voldemort and Snape’s face rested in the crook of Harry’s neck.

“Try again Potter and this time use me.” Harry shook as Snape grabbed hold of his wand hand and brought it up to point and Voldemort along side his own wand. “Concentrate.” Snape whispered his dark voice echoing in Harry’s mind as the boy felt a renewed sense of life wash through him at the close contact of Severus. Like before Harry’s instincts kicked in, the same chant beginning but this time in harmony with Snape’s own voice. Voldemort sent killing curse after killing curse at them, each of the green flames striking the couple at the bottom of the stairs. Yet the curses seemed to just be absorbed into Harry’s body only to be returned via the ancient curse streaming from the end of Harry and Snape’s conjoined wands. Harry wasn’t sure why he closed his eyes but it seemed an automatic reaction as Voldemort began to scream as the curse pinned him again to the wall this time unbreakable. Harry had seen enough deaths to imagine what Voldemort must have looked like but when the wave of magic hit him he certainly hadn’t been expecting it. Tossed like a leaves in the wind Harry and Snape were thrown backwards onto the stairs as the magical wave hit Harry square in the chest. Voldemort’s squeals had died leaving a silence and darkness in the dungeons. Harry’s veins thrummed with an enormous pulse of magic far stronger than Lucius’s magic. Weakened by the force of the magic Harry collapsed onto the stairs unaware that Snape had rose to his feet and was slowly walking towards a shaking, whimpering bundle by the far end of the dungeon. Harry could just see through the darkness as Snape bent down beside the afraid boy, who waved his wand uselessly at the elder wizard.

“Goodbye Thomas Riddle.” Harry heard Snape whisper before the man drew the knife from within his robes and drew his hand up to thrust the silver home into the boy’s chest but before the knife could strike there was an enormous thunderous crack and fifty or so Auror’s appeared in the dungeon, torches and wand’s drawn. Harry froze to the spot as he watched four Auror’s haul Snape up by his arms slamming his struggling body against the wall as four more Auror’s restrained Tom Riddle. Harry didn’t have time to sit up before a shadow fell over him and he looked up into the haunted eyes of Albus Dumbledore.

“A prophecy fulfilled. Voldemort has been defeated and only a powerless Tom Riddle remains.” The headmaster looked old, tired and weary as he looked over Harry’s appearance with sadness. Harry protectively placed a hand over his stomach his fingers tightening automatically around the grip of his wand. “Peace Mr. Potter, we are not here to cause you harm.” Harry looked skeptically around at the Auror’s who were all still aiming their wands at the foursome and had both Draco and Severus held captive. Dumbledore glanced around at the Minister for magic who had apperated into the dungeon a few moments after the initial party. “Cornelius release them, they are no threat to us.” Harry watched as the Minister went to argue the point but Dumbledore silenced him with a wave of his hand. Obediently the Minister nodded at the Auror’s who allowed both Severus and Draco to go, although Riddle they kept on his knees face to the floor and hands tied behind his back.

“What do you want Albus.” Severus muttered as he approached Harry and the headmaster on the stairs, nudging the elder wizard out of the way so he could get at Harry. Snape looked terrible although Harry didn’t fail to notice that the line that had been growing across his chest and up his arm was already beginning to fade. Draco kept close to Snape hiding behind the Superei’s taller frame as Snape helped Harry up from the stairs.

“It is the Ministry’s wish to devise a treaty that will protect you and others like you from being outcasts. It was prejudice against certain minorities that led to this war in the first place and so to avoid a repeat the Ministry wish to better accommodate you in society.” Snape snorted in disgust practically spitting in Fudge’s direction.

“A publicity stunt to ensure you keep the famous Harry Potter on your side. And what if we don’t agree to any such treaty.” Snape snapped irritably as he eyed the Auror’s suspiciously.

“Then you condemn your kind to the hate they have lived with since their very conception.” The Minister butted in quickly before Dumbledore could reply, causing the headmaster to frown at him pointedly. Snape narrowed his still indigo gaze at the Auror’s before snarling in irritation.

“We hunt.” Severus snapped bluntly watching as some of the Auror’s shuddered a little at the very suggestion. Albus nodded in agreement but dug from his cloak a familiar broken chain and amulet.

“Indeed at times such as pregnancy it is vital to your kind, but you can live without it can you not?” Albus handed Snape the chain that was undoubtedly Harry’s judging from the blue glowing orb in the claw footed amulet.

“True but then we have your assurance to be able to hunt when necessary?” Snape looked cautiously from the headmaster to the Minister of Magic who despite looking extremely adverse to the entire idea dutifully nodded.

“Yes, in exchange for providing us with information and allowing formal studies of your kind you will be permitted to hunt but only when necessary, just as the werewolves, and other magical beasts are allowed to do.” The Minister supplied as if the clauses in the paperwork had already been written. Harry watched as Snape deliberated for a while silently turning the chain around in his hand deep in thought.

“I need time to think about this. Harry is due this month and we have other issues to deal with before I consider your offer.” Snape declared pointedly almost daring anyone to disagree with him. Dumbledore nodded in understanding as he glanced from Harry to Snape and back again.

“Take all the time you require Severus I trust you will make the right decision.” Snape snorted coldly at Dumbledore’s attempt at pleasing him the Superei in Snape still thrumming through his veins making him edgy, snappy and demanding.

“Good, may I ask what you intend to do with Riddle? He is still” Snape inquired changing the subject slightly as he focused his attention on the shell of a man who was still crumpled on the floor in custody.

“Not what you intended to do Professor.” The Minister mumbled, as he looked sideways at Riddle before back at Snape. Snape growled low in his throat his gaze narrowing dangerously at the short, stocky minister.

“He will be tried and most likely join his followers in Azkaban.” Albus replied calmly watching carefully as Snape sniffed a little indignantly at the punishment.

“Do what you will, now if you’ll excuse us I believe you’ve overstayed your welcome.” Snape glared at the headmaster and the Minister both wizards noting the way Snape’s gaze flickered with indigo.

“We apologies for trespassing on your time, we will wait with anticipation for you decision regarding the previous matter after Christmas.” With a smile Dumbledore was gone apperating away and taking the Auror’s, Tom Riddle and the Minister of Magic along with him. Harry looked tiredly up at Snape who slumped exhausted against the banister finally showing just how ill he still was.

“Fucking arseholes, the audacity they have in coming here and asking for that and not a word of thanks…” Snape snapped half heartedly as Draco wrapped his arm around his waist as the three of them began walking up the stairs to see the damage that had been sustained when Draco had tired and failed to hold the Auror’s at bay. Draco muttered his agreement neither the blonde nor the potion master noticing that Harry had stopped in the hall, a hand over his stomach and a silent gasp leaving his lips.

“Ow.” Harry gasped again and this time Draco and Snape paused on the bottom step of the main entrance hall intending to go upstairs to their rooms.

“Harry?” Draco went to go to help his friend but Snape held him firmly by his side in support and merely shook his head silently at Harry.

“Not yet Potter, so can the dramatics.” With an irritated growl Snape continued on upstairs pulling Draco along with him, leaving Harry to waddle after them sore, tired and feeling strangely full to the brim with magic. The war was over with a lot less fuss than Harry might have ever imagined…

TBC>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

A/N I'm Back and seriously displeased...... how the hell can chapters just disappear, unless they too are horrified by the turn this stories taken and have abandoned me for a better writer....Anyway I hope I've fixed the problem and I'm sorry it's been a while since I update my holiday was just what I needed.

Cheers and I hope I haven't lost you all again.

Thanks for all the reviews

RIFFRAFF