Chapter 26
In the horrified silence that followed, Severus was the first to speak. “Harry,” he said in steely tones, “Apparate back to the house. Now.”
Harry didn’t move. “The Dark Lord’s on his way to kill us all,” he said. “I’m staying right here.”
“You’re not of age,” Severus said, and there was now a note of controlled desperation in his voice. “Not for another few days, at least. Until the moment you turn seventeen, Lily’s blood ward will still be active. As long as you’re in the house owned by Petunia Dursley, the Dark Lord won’t be able to harm you.”
“No, Severus.” Slowly, Harry got to his feet. “I won’t run and hide.”
“Harry!” Now Severus’s desperation was out in the open. “This is not the time for heroics!”
“Severus.” Harry reached out to grasp Severus’s shoulder, as Severus had so often grasped his. “I’m not running. I’m not going back to hide in an empty house while you face the Dark Lord.” He paused. “Besides, he wants us both. Don’t you think he’s smart enough to wait for a few days until the blood ward dies out? What if he kills everyone else in the meantime? No, we’ll face him together. We have a better chance of surviving that way.”
Severus stared at him a moment, then let out an odd chuckle. “Look at you, lecturing me about survival tactics,” he murmured. He took a deep breath. “All right, fine. But you stay back and you do as I tell you. Understand?”
“Got it.” Harry nodded.
“You’re both mad!” muttered Bill Weasley, but he seemed disinclined to argue. Instead, he turned to Ginny, Hermione and Ron. “But you three are definitely going back home.”
“What!” Ron and Ginny both protested in one voice.
“You’re not of age,” Bill snapped. “And this house is about to become a combat zone. I’ll take you all back to the Burrow with Side-Along Apparition, one at a time.”
“But Bill, this is all my fault,” said Ron, white-faced. “If I hadn’t taken that Horcrux—”
“And you think I want you dying for that mistake?” Bill yelled.
Meanwhile, Dumbledore had pulled out a hand mirror and muttered a quick incantation. “Minerva!” he called into it.
“Yes, Albus?” came a female voice with a Scottish accent.
“The situation we discussed has just become much worse,” said Dumbledore calmly. “Can you Apparate here to San Benito with Godric Gryffindor’s sword? And we’ll call as many of the old Order as we can.”
“On my way, Albus,” said the woman’s voice.
“What’s Godric Gryffindor’s sword?” Harry asked.
For the first time, Dumbledore looked rather pained. “Good lord, Severus, didn’t you tell Harry anything?”
“Oddly enough, Dumbledore, the subject of the old school sword never really came up,” Severus snapped. “Godric Gryffindor was one of the four founders of Hogwarts, Harry. He left his sword in the possession of the school. Dumbledore’s been using it to destroy Horcruxes. Now come with me. If you’re going to insist on staying, you need to help cast some defense spells.”
“Just one second.” Harry stepped up to Ginny, who was still arguing with Bill. “Ginny,” he murmured, “I’m with Bill on this one. You should go home.”
“What!” Ginny gave him a white-faced look of betrayal. “But Harry, you’re staying!”
“It’s different for me. I’m almost of age, and the Dark Lord personally wants me dead. He doesn’t care about you.” Harry sent up a fervent prayer of thanksgiving that the Dark Lord did not know or care about Tomas and Maya, either. At least his Muggle friends were safe. “If you go home—back to England—you’ll be safe.”
Ginny stared at him a long moment before at last nodding reluctantly. “Fine. I’ll go.” She leaned in and kissed him, a long, soft kiss. “Be safe. Please.”
“I’ll do my best. I love you.”
“Love you too.” She stepped back.
“Go get your wand, Ginny,” said Bill.
Ginny disappeared down the hall back to her bedroom. A tap on Harry’s shoulder turned him around.
“Come on, Harry,” said Severus, his wand out.
Harry took out his own wand, then checked when he noticed Miguel on his smartphone, talking in fast-paced Spanish while Mike jittered with impatience at his side. “What are you doing?” Harry asked.
“Miguel’s calling his folks down in Mexico,” Mike explained. “Asking them to send reinforcements. Then we’re going to pick up Maya and get out of town.” He grimaced apologetically. “We hate abandoning you like this. But we’re not magic. We’d just get in the way. And we have to protect Maya.”
Harry nodded. “Of course.” He turned to Ellen and Geoffrey, who were hovering close to their daughter. “Maybe you two should leave with Lost Dos.” In the background, Dumbledore was still talking into his mirror, giving what sounded like a long warning to the other person.
Geoffrey shook his head. “We’ll head back to Britain with Hermione. We’re not leaving our daughter.”
“I will take you back to the Burrow now.” Fleur held out her arm.
“No. Hermione first.” Geoffrey stood back.
Hermione looked anguished. “Dad…I can’t just leave…”
“Hermione.” Geoffrey placed a hand on her shoulder. “I know you’re used to managing without us. I know you’re used to making your own decisions. But you’re sixteen. And you’re our only daughter. Please. Let us protect you.”
After a moment, Hermione nodded. “Okay, Dad. Let me get my wand.” She headed down the hallway, crossing paths with Ginny, even now returning with her wand.
Harry watched as Ginny reached her brother’s side. She hooked her arm into Bill’s, as if they were off to a gala ball. She had time to give Harry one last look of love and urgent fear before she and Bill both disappeared in a great crack.
Only then did Harry turn away.
He met Dumbledore’s bright blue eyes. “Excuse me, Mr. Potter,” he said politely, “but I need to borrow Severus for a minute. He and I must go get the Muggle beachgoers out of here.”
“How?” Harry asked.
“I believe the plan is to cast an illusion that a large, disgusting garbage patch is washing up on the beach. Add that to a gentle persuasion spell, and I’m sure we can get all the beachgoers out of here before it becomes a magical battlefield.”
Harry swallowed. He really hated spells like this, that coerced or tricked Muggles for the convenience of wizards. But he had to admit that this was probably the safest course. “Okay.”
“While we’re gone,” Dumbledore said, “I’d like you to work with Remus Lupin and Sirius to cast spells of protection on this house. I believe Severus has taught you defense spells, but ask Remus if you need guidance. He knows a lot about that field.”
“Thanks. I will.” Harry stood back and watched while Dumbledore led Severus out. “Be careful,” Harry said when Severus passed by.
Severus shot him a grim smile. “I will. Be careful yourself.” He headed out into the blinding sunlight.
“Harry, Sirius,” called Remus Lupin. “With me.” Harry joined Remus and Sirius in the living room, where they put their wands together in a spell formation.
It was exceedingly odd to be working magic with anyone but Severus. Harry felt almost dizzy when he thought about it: just this morning, he’d nearly been convinced that all wizards were his enemies, servants and followers of the Dark Lord. Now everything he knew was turned upside down: he was casting spells with wizards against the Dark Lord, Severus was a former Death Eater, the Dark Lord had been in hiding all these years, everything was a lie…Harry pushed back the bitter wave of emotion this provoked and concentrated on the spells.
An umbra of golden light rose from their conjoined wands, spreading out over the house, soaking into the walls. Remus nodded. “Good. Let’s go outside and cast some exterior defense spells.”
“Landmines,” said Harry, following Remus out. “There’re landmine spells that can be set to detonate when someone steps on them.”
“I suppose Severus taught you those?” growled Sirius.
Harry stopped to glare at him. “Yeah, actually,” he said, “he did. Severus taught me everything I know about magic. He raised me. Got a problem with that?”
“Yeah, I do,” Sirius retorted. “I don’t care what he says, he was a Death Eater and he kidnapped you when you were a baby!”
“Well, what do you think you can do about that now?” Harry found he was yelling. “Look, I don’t know what happened between you and Severus and my dad at school. But right now the Dark Lord is on his way to fucking kill us all and if we don’t work together, we are all going to die! Let’s concentrate on surviving this, okay? If we do, then we can all fight about it. Sound good?”
Sirius’s mouth actually twitched. “Damn,” he muttered. “You sound just like Lily.” He took a deep breath. “You’re right. I’m sorry. Let’s concentrate on surviving this.”
“Glad someone can make you concentrate, Sirius,” said Remus dryly, and led them both outside.
In the parking lot, beachgoers were piling into their cars with haste. Every face wore an expression of disgust and indignation. Harry caught fragments of their mutters and indignant cries: “…Disgusting…Going to complain!...” Cars and vans were pulling out at speed. Apparently, Dumbledore’s and Severus’s spells had worked.
Dumbledore and Severus themselves came up the beach path, wands still out. “Area is all clear!” Dumbledore said. “Severus, could you help Harry, Sirius and Remus with the defense spells? Perhaps you could teach Sirius and Remus those excellent landmine curses you invented…”
“Right,” said Severus tersely, and took up his place with the other three while Dumbledore returned inside. He and Harry exchanged a speaking glance but said nothing. They started casting defense spells.
Harry was midway through his third landmine incantation when a loud crack rang out like gunfire. He looked up to see a tall, severe-looking woman in emerald-green robes come gliding up, a long, cloth-wrapped package in her hand. She flicked a somewhat dubious gaze over the foursome, but said only, “Where is Albus?”
“Inside,” said Severus, jerking his head back.
“Thank you,” said the woman. “Don’t cast too many defense spells just yet. There should be several more of us arriving soon.” And with that she swept into the house.
The woman was absolutely right. No sooner had she disappeared into the house than several more Apparition cracks rang out. Witches and wizards appeared out of nowhere: a tall Black man, a short woman with purple hair, a grizzled man with a false eye that rolled in his head sickeningly. This particular wizard stumped up to Severus on a wooden leg, scowling at him. “Severus Snape,” he growled. “What a pleasant surprise. I hear you’re supposedly on our side now?”
“Go to Dumbledore, Mad-Eye,” Severus said without emotion. “He has a better chance of convincing you than I have.”
“Just remember, Snape.” Mad-Eye’s electric-blue magical eye rolled right up into the back of his head. “I’ll be watching you.” He fixed Harry with an intensely suspicious stare. “And the boy. Any kid raised by a Death Eater is halfway to being one himself, no matter who his parents were.”
And with that he limped off into the house. Harry watched him go. “Nice guy.”
“His real name’s Alastair Moody,” said Severus. “He was an Auror once. A wizard who hunted down Dark wizards and criminals,” he explained to Harry’s blank look. “Magical law enforcement officer. Mad-Eye hates the Dark Lord and anyone who ever worked for him.”
“Including you,” Sirius said, casting yet another spell.
Severus turned to him, anger sparking in his eyes. “It’s a good thing for you I was here, Black, or he might have arrested you. You’re still a convict, remember?”
Sirius growled, looking rather canine again. “Harry, are you sure you want to keep hanging out with this—”
“Shut up!” Harry yelled. Both Severus and Sirius broke off, peering at him in surprise. “I’ve already told Sirius,” Harry snarled. “If we don’t work together, we’re all going to die today. So get to work!”
Both Severus and Sirius looked rather shamefaced. They exchanged glances. “He’s right,” said Severus at last. “Let’s get back to work. My apologies, Harry.” Turning away from one another, he and Sirius recommenced casting spells.
Remus was looking on with a thoughtful smile. “Well done,” he murmured to Harry.
At that moment, an unearthly scream rang out from inside the Ghost Rental. Everyone startled and turned around to stare. “What was that?” Harry asked. His grip was sweaty on his wand.
“Dumbledore destroying the Horcrux,” said Severus. He looked both grim and relieved. “They scream like that when you kill them. He must have used Gryffindor’s sword to skewer it.”
Remus looked startled. “Is Gryffindor’s sword capable of such a thing? Horcruxes are powerful magic.”
“Dumbledore used the sword to kill a basilisk, years ago,” Severus explained. “Ever since, it’s been impregnated with basilisk venom. The deadliest magical poison on Earth.” He smiled thinly. “That’s one less Horcrux to worry about.”
An odd silence fell over the group, almost like a pause for respectful mourning. For a piece of a person’s soul, however evil, had just been destroyed, and that was no light thing. Harry bowed his head.
Crack! Crack! Crack!
Harry was almost relieved when veritable cascade of wizards Apparated in the front yard, breaking the moment of silence. Harry recognized Mr. and Mrs. Weasley, Fred and George but not the fat white man mopping his brow, nor the large group of Latinos. After a moment’s worth of looking around in confusion, they all converged on Severus, Sirius and Remus, shouting questions in a confused mix of Spanish and English.
“¡Silencio!” Miguel appeared in the doorway. He stepped out, still holding his phone in one hand. “Gracias a todos por venir. Voldemort está en camino…”
“Hey! Fred! George!” Harry fought his way through the crowd to the twins. “Did Ginny make it back all right? How about Ron and Hermione and her parents?”
“They’re all back at the Burrow,” Fred assured him. “Mum and Dad left them with extra protections.” His eyes devoured Harry, grinning. “So! I hear you’re Harry Potter!” His gaze shifted to Severus, the grin fading. “And you’re Severus Snape. How’d that happen, exactly?”
“We’ll explain everything if we survive,” Severus said. “You should get inside to Dumbledore and McGonagall.” Miguel was already leading the majority of the wizards indoors, leaving only a few outside on watch.
A figure squeezed out the door, fighting against the current, and ran to Severus. “Severus!” Mike had his phone in hand, face a mask of urgency. “Severus, I can’t get hold of Maya!”
Harry’s heart gave an uncomfortable thump. Severus looked rather worried himself. “Maybe the enchantments are interfering with reception,” he said. “Too much magic can do that.”
Mike shook his head. “My calls are going through. She’s just not picking up!” He showed Harry and Severus his phone history. “And—look—she sent me a bunch of texts and a missed call, asking where I was. But I just get her voicemail when I call her back. Something’s wrong.”
“Let me try.” Harry took out his own phone. He called up Maya’s number from his contacts. The phone rang several times before going to voicemail.
Frowning, Harry tried Tomas—maybe he’d know where Maya was—but got the same result.
He looked up to Mike and Severus’s equally anxious faces. “I’m not getting her. Or Tomas, either.”
“¡Cuidado!” One of the Mexican sentries pointed down the road. Everyone turned and squinted into the glare.
A group of people was walking down the road, unconcerned about potential cars. A large group, all dressed in black robes. Harry peered through the heat haze. Even at this distance, he could see almost everyone in the group was wearing a silver mask, everyone except—
He reeled back. His scar burned like a brand. The figure in front—the tall, thin figure with a bald head and fish-white skin—was Voldemort. Harry knew this, as completely as though he’d seen the other wizard many times before. For he had—he had seen—
Then he saw the two thin figures stumbling along before the Dark Lord, and he forgot all about his unexplained recognition, or his burning scar.
They were Tomas and Maya. Both of them staggering along before Voldemort’s outstretched wand. Even from this distance, Harry could tell they’d both been beaten up, blood staining their clothes—
He didn’t even realize he was charging forward, wand raised. He only became aware when he was yanked back by a hand on his collar. Severus held him like a disobedient dog. “Inside. Now.” He turned and hustled Harry indoors, along with everyone else in the front yard.
The cool shadows of the Ghost Rental fell on Harry, but did nothing to soothe his sense of shock, rage and terror. He felt like he was falling down an abyss. Tomas. Maya. The Dark Lord held them prisoner.
“Dumbledore!” Severus yelled. He still hadn’t let go of Harry. “Dumbledore!”
The sound of scuffling, and a man yelling. Sirius and Remus dragged in Mike, the comics shop owner struggling against them tooth and nail. “Let me go! Let me go! That’s my daughter!”
“What?” Miguel fought his way through the crowd to the window. All the blood drained from his face. “Maya…!”
“What is going on?” Dumbledore arrived, sailing through the tightly-packed crowd.
“The Dark Lord has arrived,” Severus said grimly. “He holding Tomas and Maya hostage.”
A sudden explosion rang out outside. It was one of the landmine spells going off. Harry thought he heard Tomas give a shout of pain, and he prayed desperately that the exploding spell hadn’t harmed his friend.
Silence, then. A hiatus. Tense stillness reigned, inside and outside the house.
Then a cold voice rang out, magically amplified: “I commend your preparations against me.” The voice seemed hardly human, slithering and emotionless. “I surmise that you are fully aware of who I am and what I want. Send out Severus Snape and Harry Potter, without wands or weapons, and I will let these Muggle children go.” Voldemort paused. “We found them driving up the road and questioned them. We know they are precious to you both, Snape and Potter. Come out now, alone, without weapons, or I swear I will torture them both to death right here in front of the house.”
Miguel let out a choked cry. Mike fought harder than ever against Sirius and Remus. Harry felt almost separated from his own body, floating in a hollow sea of shock. He turned and met Severus’s gaze.
“Harry,” Severus spoke quickly and quietly, “I know what you said. But you must Apparate back to Mesquite Drive now.”
Harry didn’t move. “What about you?”
“I’m going out there.” Severus handed his wand to Dumbledore. “I’m going to buy us time.”
“He’ll kill you!” Harry’s heart squeezed.
“He’ll torture me first,” said Severus dispassionately. “He always did love a sideshow, the Dark Lord. Always a great one for drama. Like I said, it will buy us time.”
Harry’s heart froze. “No!”
Severus ignored him. He turned to Dumbledore. “Do we have further reinforcements coming?”
Dumbledore nodded. “I informed the American magical government. They should be arriving soon.”
“Good.” Severus leaned in to kiss Harry on the forehead. It burned almost as much as his scar. “I love you, Harry.”
And with that Severus opened the door and stepped out.
“No!” Harry lunged, only to be dragged back by several of Miguel’s relatives. Harry hung helpless in their grasp, watching through the window as Severus paced out down the dusty path, to where Voldemort waited.
Severus stopped some distance from the Death Eaters and their hostages. Voldemort’s eyes narrowed. This close, Harry could see the full, revolting details: Voldemort had eyes as red as blood and no nose, just a pair of nostrils. Over his head, a great snake twisted and turned in a cage of stars.
At his feet knelt Tomas and Maya. Both of Harry’s friends were bruised and bloodied, staring up at Severus in terror and desperate pleading.
Voldemort spoke first. “Why, Severus?” He sounded almost plaintive. “Why did you betray me?”
“You killed Lily.” Severus’s voice was clear and defiant against the distant roar of the waves. “That’s why.”
“She chose her death!” Voldemort snarled back. “I gave her the chance to step aside!”
“You killed her,” said Severus, and there was a world of hatred in his voice. “You killed the only woman I had ever loved. You sent that great, beautiful soul from this world. There can be no revenge great enough.”
“Oh, I’ll teach you the meaning of revenge, Severus,” Voldemort promised savagely. “Where is the boy?”
“Gone,” said Severus. “I sent him away. Let those children go.”
“The bargain was for both of you,” hissed Voldemort. “Fetch Harry Potter here, or I’ll make you choose which of these filthy Muggles I kill in his place.” He moved his wand toward Tomas and Maya, who flinched back.
Harry could take no more. He twisted in his captors’ hands, ignoring their shouts. He Disapparated…
…And Apparated again. Right in front of the Ghost Rental. Standing beside Severus.
“Harry?” Severus blinked at him. “What are you doing?”
Harry did not look at him. He held his wand in attack position, aimed at Voldemort, and met his gaze unflinching. Up close, Voldemort was even more repulsive than before: his dead-white skin that did not quite look like human skin, his over-long hands with claw-like nails, the madness and evil that burned in his cruel red eyes. But oddly, Harry felt no fear at this ultimate moment. Only a vast, burning disgust and hatred.
“Let Tomas and Maya go,” Harry said, “or I will duel you, Voldemort.”
A jeering snigger ran through the Death Eaters. Voldemort himself grinned in cruel amusement. “You? Duel me? Some miserable boy in shorts against the greatest sorcerer in the world?”
“I defeated you once, didn’t I?” said Harry savagely. “When I was only a baby. And since then, I’ve been trained by Severus Snape. Would you like to see all the dirty tricks he taught me? Because I bet he didn’t teach them to you.”
“Severus Snape could never defeat me,” sneered Voldemort, but Harry thought the Dark Lord looked slightly worried. “And neither can you!”
“Maybe not,” said Harry evenly, “but I bet I can make you look hella stupid in front of your followers, not to mention Dumbledore. And I don’t think you want that.”
At this, a titter actually rose from one the Death Eaters in back. Voldemort whipped around, and it was cut off hastily.
The Dark Lord turned back to Harry. “Throw down your wand at my feet,” he commanded, “and I will release the Muggles.”
“Unharmed?” Harry specified.
“Unharmed,” Voldemort confirmed. “It’s not them I want, after all.” Over his head, the snake coiled in her cage and flicked her forked tongue.
Harry still didn’t move. “If you kill them,” he said, “there are over thirty wizards inside that house who will come out to fight you. Even if you think you can take them all on, it’ll still be a bloodbath for your Death Eaters.”
“I understand,” said Voldemort. “Throw down your wand.”
Harry threw his wand in the dust at Voldemort’s feet. Voldemort bent immediately to pick it up, and Harry resisted the urge to tell him to get his filthy hands off it.
Voldemort straightened. He flicked his own wand at Tomas and Maya, who let out twin gasps as their magical leashes lifted away. They looked around, scared and uncertain. Harry fixed them with a desperate gaze and mouthed, Get away!
Slowly, Tomas and Maya stood up. They took a few tentative steps away from Voldemort. When no one tried to stop them, they broke into a limping, shambling run, hands linked, hurrying toward the Ghost Rental. The door slammed shut behind them.
Voldemort didn’t watch them go. His eyes fixed on Harry and Severus, he raised his wand again. “Now—”
Crack, crack, crack, crack!
Dozens of witches and wizards were Apparating around them, all of them wearing distinctive blue jackets, all of them with their wands out and firing spells at the Death Eaters. Voldemort turned with a snarl of surprise and anger, and the Ghost Rental suddenly boiled over.
The British and Mexican wizards came charging out to join the Americans in the attack, all of them firing spells and curses. The Weasley twins were there with their parents, all of them with their wands out. Mad-Eye Moody sent spells flying lethally. The two armies converged on each other.
Severus grabbed Harry, forcing him down. They crouched on the ground together, below the level of most of the flying curses. “Harry! We need to get out of here! We don’t have wands!”
“I know, but—” Harry broke off when Sirius Black leapt over his head, snarling like the dog he sometimes was.
Sirius paid no heed to either Harry or Severus. He fired a bolt at a small, plump Death Eater, who fell back, screaming, his mask flying off to reveal a terrified, rat-like face. “Hi, Peter,” said Sirius with savage hatred. “Remember me?”
Peter gibbered, and Harry felt a twinge that was nearly memory.
But Harry had no time to think on it. Even now Dumbledore was running up, surprisingly spry for a man his age. He held in one hand his wand, in the other a magnificent, ruby-hilted sword. All his attention was fixed on Voldemort, who was surveying the chaos with a snarl of rage.
“Surrender, Tom!” Dumbledore yelled above the tumult. “You’re outnumbered, and you have only one Horcrux left. It’s over.”
Voldemort let out a mad, high-pitched laugh. “It’s never over until you’re dead, Dumbledore!” He pointed his wand at the crouching Severus. “And if I must die, then I will take the traitor with me!”
“NO!” Harry screamed. He leapt up, positioning himself between Voldemort and Severus. “If you have to kill someone,” he shouted, “kill me!”
“No, Harry!” yelled Severus, jumping to his feet and seizing him.
Voldemort let out his mad laugh again. “Very well,” he sneered. “Both of you together!” He aimed his wand. “Avada Kedavra!”
Harry could only close his eyes as the green bolt streaked toward him and Severus both.
Then it hit, with an impact like a planet smashing into him, and he knew nothing more.