[#] ~ [#]

THE BOY WHO LIVED AND THE DEATH EATER

[#] ~ [#]

Synopsis

Harry, Ron and Hermione decide to return to Hogwarts to complete their studies. Snape returns to be the Headmaster... what will happen between Harry and Snape? SLASH, HPSS, SSHP, Harry/Severus, Severus/Harry, SBRL, RLSB, Sirius/Remus, Remus/Sirius, MPREG, OOC, AU?

Notes

Set after Deathly Hallows.

Sirius is alive, he didn't die in OOTP, he was captured by a Ministry official and banged up in Azkaban again.

The Prologue undoes certain events in Deathly Hallows to make this story possible.

Story contains SLASH, HPSS, SSHP, Harry/Severus, Severus/Harry, SBRL, RLSB, Sirius/Remus, Remus/Sirius, MPREG, OOC, AU. Please no flames regarding any of these warnings as you have been forewarned.

Disclaimer

I do not own Harry Potter etc.

There will be actual wording from the book in the prologue, so it's not all my own work.

[#] ~ [#]

Chapter 1: Prologue

[#] ~ [#]

...The warm summer afternoon found Harry, Ron and Hermione sitting on the grass outside the Weasley's home, The Burrow. There was a light breeze and the trio were watching as the wedding guests of Bill and Fleur entered a great white marquee which had been erected in the Weasley's large garden. Harry was pulling up grass and then throwing it at nowhere in particular. He was uncomfortable in his suit, it was far too hot to be wearing trousers, shirt and a tie. He envied Hermione who was in a flowing sleeveless yellow dress.

"What's the matter?" Hermione asked him kindly. "You've been really down today."

"I know… sorry. I just can't get my head around celebrating a wedding when Sirius is still banged up in Azkaban. Does Scrimgeour really expect me to play the Ministry's pet when they've got my godfather wrongly holed up in jail… when I get my hands on Pettigrew, I'm going to ki-"

"Sirius will get out of Azkaban," Hermione tried to reassure him, interrupting his rant. "You have to think positively Harry, otherwise you'll drive yourself mad."

"I know, but… he's spent the last sixteen years of his life either in Azkaban or on the run. And it's my fault he's back in there again."

"No it's not mate," Ron said. "Stop blaming yourself. Sirius came to rescue you at the Ministry, just as you'd gone there in the first place to supposedly rescue him. There was no way he would have ever forgiven himself if he'd stayed behind. Sirius sees you as his only family just the same as you see him as yours."

"You know Ronald Weasley," Hermione said to him with a smile, "sometimes you amaze me."

"Don't sound too surprised" Ron answered, laughing.

They all lapsed into silence again as their attentions were again drawn to the guests arriving for the wedding. Remus and Tonks came into view as they joined the queue to wait to be seated. Tonks was patting Remus" arms and whispering into his ear. He didn't look very happy to be here. He looked as miserable as Harry felt and he was glad he wasn"t the only one that hadn't been affected by wedding fever.

"What do you thinks the matter with Remus?" Harry asked Ron and Hermione. He hadn't seen Remus much since that night at the Ministry when Sirius was caught, so couldn't presume whether this was a constant mood of his or if something had recently happened to upset him.

"Well I heard mum and dad talking about him the other night and…" Ron had begun to say, but stopped. Harry and Hermione could not mistake the flush that appeared on his cheeks.

"What is it? You have to tell us now," Hermione demanded.

"Well, mum said that Remus confided in her and Tonks that he was gay and that he… he was in love with Sirius. Has been since school apparently but he's never told anyone, not even Sirius himself."

"Oh my God," Hermione shrieked, her eyes widening in shock. "The poor guy, he must have gone through such a terrible time. Especially when it was thought that Sirius was in league with You-Know-Who. It must have been really confusing for him."

"Do you think Sirius is gay?" Harry mused.

"Don't know," Ron replied and Hermione shrugged. "My mum reckons Snape is gay you know."

"Don't mention that name to me," Harry spat. He could feel the hatred rising and tried hard to ignore it.

"I can't believe you used to fancy him," Ron remarked and Harry swiftly told him to "shut up." He couldn't believe it either. But there was nothing whatsoever he liked about Severus Snape anymore. He was nothing more than a lying, conniving, murdering arsehole. And if he ever saw him again he would be overjoyed as he would have the opportunity to kill him and get some sort of revenge for Dumbledore.

The form of Ginny pulled him away from his train of thought. She was walking towards the three of them, wearing a pretty lilac dress but seemed to have misplaced her shoes, as she was barefoot. "Mum says you have to take you seats now," she told the three of them once she reached them, and then she immediately turned around again,, running back to the marquee.

"Mate, when are you going to do the decent thing and tell her you're gay?" Ron asked Harry as they all stood up and began making their way to the marquee as slow as they could get away it.

"I know, I know. I'll do it later today. I promise."

"She's going to be devastated," Hermione said sounding genuinely upset.

"Girls," Harry thought wearily. He was so glad that he was gay. It confused him for a while and he fought with his feelings towards other men, but towards the end of his fourth year at Hogwarts he just knew. He came out to Ron and Hermione during their fifth year and they were brilliant about it. Then he had developed a rather unwanted crush on his Potions Professor during their private Occlumency lessons. The thought disgusted him now.

[#] ~ [#]

...Harry, Ron, Luna and Ollivander were trapped in the cellar of Malfoy Manor with the dead Peter Pettigrew lying on the floor, having been killed by his own hand. The room was dim and Harry could distinctly smell the vapours of wine and wood in the air, and assumed that this had once been a storage place for crates of the finest wine Lucius Malfoy could lay his hands on. But now was a completely different story.

The sounds of Hermione's torture at the hands of Bellatrix Lestrange drifted from above. Ron was beside himself, calling out Hermione's name and Harry did the only thing that he could think of doing. He didn't even know if it would work, but he had to do something. He pulled out the mirror fragment from the pouch Hagrid have given him and said "help," to the eye that was staring up at him. He saw a wink and the eye disappeared. He continued to look at the mirror and tap his foot impatiently. Then, something astonishing happened. There was a loud crack and Dobby the house-elf appeared into their midst.

"Dobby!" Harry shouted, not believing his eyes.

"Harry Potter," Dobby squeaked. "I have come to rescue you."

"But how did-?"

An awful scream from Hermione above put things into perspective for Harry. The time for questions was for later, not now. "Dobby, are you able to disapparate out of here with humans?" Dobby nodded. "Brilliant. Take Luna, Ron, Ollivander… and Pettigrew, put him somewhere safe, I have to get my godfather back. Then come back for the rest of us."

"Of course, Harry Potter," whispered the elf.

[#] ~ [#]

...From their hiding place at the mouth of the tunnel, Harry could clearly see Voldermort as he paced around the shrieking shack. Snape was also there, he had been pleading with Voldermort to allow him to go and find Harry and bring him to him. Harry couldn't believe the amount of hatred boiling up inside him, not knowing which of them he felt it for most. But one thing he knew for sure, if Snape did find him, he would regret doing so.

"It cannot be any other way," Voldermort said suddenly after a period of silence. He stopped pacing and pointed his wand directly at Snape.

"My… my Lord…" Snape pleaded, his eyes growing wide through fear. Voldermort considered Snape for a moment, he then said in parseltongue which Harry could fully understand, "kill him," to his snake Nagini.

Nagini slid over to Snape from the corner, where she had been hidden from Harry"s viewpoint. She raised herself and then pierced her poisonous fangs into Snape's neck. Snape hadn't done anything to prevent this happening or anything to defend himself. He let out a piercing scream which went straight through Harry like a knife and he momentarily wondered why Voldermort didn't just kill him with the Avada Kedavra curse and spare him of the pain. After all he had been his most faithful Death Eater. He had given up his life to spy on the Order Of The Phoenix and he had done what Voldermort had never managed to do himself, kill Albus Dumbledore.

"I regret it," Voldermort said coldly, as he watched Snape rolling around the floor in agony. "Come," he added to Nagini and he swept from the room without a backwards glance, Nagini at his heel.

Harry left it a few moments to make sure that Voldermort had gone, he then whispered to Ron and Hermione to stay put and crawled out of the tunnel and into the room. Rushing over to Snape, he looked down at him. Snape caught his eye and tried to speak, but couldn't get the words out. It sounded as though he was choking.

"It couldn't happen to a nicer person," Harry smirked. His voice was full of venom. "I'm only sorry I didn't get to do it myse-"

Harry stopped talking, he had just narrowly missed a collision with a huge bird than had come flying through the open window. As Harry looked at it in more detail, he saw that it was Fawkes, Dumbledore's phoenix. Fawkes swooped over Snape and dropped huge pearly tears onto the bite mark on Snape's neck.

"No, he killed Dumbledore!" Harry shouted at the bird, but Fawkes had already taken flight again and was heading for the window. Harry bent down, grabbing Snape's wand from the floor and then pointed his own directly at Snape's heart. He was going to do it, he was going to kill him.

"No, please," Snape spoke from the floor, weakly pushing himself up into a sitting position.

"I'm going to kill you," Harry said, and their eyes met. Harry didn't know what expression he had expected from Snape, but sadness certainly wasn't one of them. He was momentarily taken aback. "Do you have any departing words you fucking little coward?"

"Harry," Snape whispered. "I know you won't believe me, but… I have always been faithful to Dumbledore, to the Order Of The Phoenix… to… to you."

Harry couldn't help it, he laughed. Did Snape really think that he could be that gullible? He had watched the bastard kill Dumbledore almost a year earlier. He had just witnessed him telling Voldermort that he would find him and take him to him. Before Harry could answer with a sarcastic retort, Snape spoke again.

"I have proof, memories. Please, watch them and then if you still want to kill me, you may go ahead. I won't protest."

"I think you should watch the memories Harry," said Hermione's quiet voice from where she and Ron were still hiding. "It wouldn't hurt would it? Ron and I can keep him here, I'll put a body bind curse on him, and he won't be able to try anything funny. If… if he is lying then… I fully support your decision to kill him."

[#] ~ [#]

...Harry dived into Dumbledore's pensieve, not knowing what he was going to find. Was this Snape's idea of a joke? Was he about to witness more embarrassing memories of his father taunting Snape? Or would they be memories of Snape effectively licking Voldermorts behind and telling him what a wonderful Master he was?

He had landed in a park. The grass was a rich green and he guessed it must be summer. Looking around, he immediately spotted Snape sitting down on the grass by a tree with… with his mother! They looked around ten years old. Hurrying over to him with his heart thumping, he got near enough to hear their conversation.

"…and the Ministry can punish you if you do magic outside of school," Snape was telling an awestruck Lily.

"Really? Oh but… I have done magic."

"Well we haven't got our wands yet Lil, and they let you off when you're a kid because sometimes you just can't help it."

"This… this is all real isn't it? Tuney says you're lying to me, that it's all a joke."

"I wouldn't lie to you," Snape reassured her. "We'll both be getting our letter soon, you'll see. I knew from watching you the other week that you were a witch. That was some really cool stuff you were doing. Even I can't do that."

They smiled at each other. Harry couldn't believe it. His mother had known Snape before she even went to Hogwarts. And a young Snape, he looked… normal. He wasn't wearing black or a scowl. He looked like a regular happy kid.

"And the letter will definitely come by owl?" Lily asked.

"Usually, yes. And because you're muggle-born somebody from the school will probably arrive to explain it all to your parents."

"Does it make a difference being muggle-born?" Lily asked uncertainly.

"No, none at all," Snape replied smiling. "My mum's best friend was a muggle-born and she said that she was the best in the school, got the top marks and everything."

"I hope I won't be too rubbish… hey, how's things at home?"

"Fine," Snape replied rather abruptly, and then he smiled. "Sorry, it's just… home life isn't that great. Dad, well you know he's a muggle, and he doesn't like magic… doesn't like anything really. Keeps telling mum he won't let me go to Hogwarts, but he can't stop me if at least one parent agrees I can go."

"Oh you have to come," Lily demanded. "I'd miss you if you didn't."

… The scene dissolved, Harry found himself on platform nine and three quarters this time, amongst a crowd of excited students. Snape was standing there looking up and down the platform and then suddenly he could see his mum running towards him.

"Sev! Sev!" she shouted and Snape's face beamed at the sight of her.

"Hi Lil," he said as she came to a stop by him.

"Shall we find a seat?" she asked Snape. "I've got so much to tell you, and you were right about that Ollivander guy in Diagon Alley, he is odd."

… And the scene dissolved again. This time Harry was standing in the castle courtyard. Snape and his mum were walking together and a couple of years had passed since the scene by the Hogwarts Express.

"It's so cool we're both invited to Slughorn's Slug Club," Snape was saying happily. "We get to spend even more time together."

"I'm glad too," Lily replied. "It'll be so much fun and we can talk without snide comments from idiots like James Potter and his silly friends."

"Yeah, he's so arrogant," Snape agreed and they both fell about laughing.

… And the scene dissolved again. The Entrance Hall was the location. Harry watched as hordes of students walked out of the Great Hall. Glancing in, he could see that they had just completed their Charms OWL exam. Then he spotted his mum walking towards the stairs and Snape catching up with her. He hurried after him.

"…thought we were supposed to be friends?" he was saying to Lily once Harry managed to get directly behind them.

"We are Sev, but… I don't like some of the people you're hanging around with. I mean, Avery and Mulciber? They're creepy!"

"But they're in my house," Snape explained. "Who else am I suppose to talk to when you're not around. I can hardly spend every evening in Gryffindor Tower."

"I know it's hard for you Sev, but… they bully people and-"

"Bully? What would you call James Potter and Sirius Black? They're the biggest bullies in the whole school!"

"What's Potter got to do with anything?" Lily asked angrily, her ears turning slightly pink.

"He fancies you. Everyone knows it! And he's an arrogant little toe rag."

"Stop changing the subject," Lily said. "Those people you're hanging around with, there's rumours their parents are part of a group called Death Eaters."

… And the scene dissolved again. Harry was standing opposite the portrait of The Fat Lady. He was outside the entrance to Gryffindor Tower and Snape was there pacing up and down. Then Lily came crawling out from behind the fat lady's portrait. She was wearing a dressing gown.

"I'm only here because Mary said you were threatening to sleep out here all night," she said sternly and folded her arms.

"I'm sorry," Snape said quietly.

"I'm not interested!"

"I'm sorry!" Snape said louder.

"Save your breath."

Please, I never meant to call you a mudblood, it just-"

"Slipped out? Well there's no excuse for it. You were obviously harbouring your true feelings for muggle-borns. I"ve been sticking up for you for years Sev. None of my friends can understand why I talk to you. You and your little Death Eater friends can fuck off as far as I'm concerned. Join You-Know-Who, we both know that's what your friends are planning to do."

"No, Lil, listen please, I-"

But Lily had already climbed back through the portrait hole. Harry saw tears well up in Snape's eyes and felt incredibly awkward, as though he were really there when it had happened. He looked away, not wanting to invade this private moment. When he chanced a glance back, Snape had already begun walking down the corridor towards the staircase.

… And the scene dissolved again. Harry and Snape were on a hill top. The sky was dimming and nightfall was fast approaching. An adult Snape had his wand gripped tightly in his hand and looked to be waiting for somebody. He looked extremely anxious and nervous. And then, Dumbledore appeared in front of Snape, who dropped to his knees and threw his wand aside.

"Please don't kill me," he said.

"That was not my intention," Dumbledore replied, looking down at Snape with pure loathing in his eyes. "Well? What message from Tom are you here to give me?"

"No message, I'm here on my own account. I need to, to warn you. To tell you that because of the prophecy the Dark Lord is going after Lily Evans."

"Lily Potter? The prophecy did not refer to a woman."

"Well her son then. But… he's going to go after them, he's going to kill them all."

"Have you not tried to ask Tom to spare Lily… if she really means so much to you?"

"I have asked, but-"

"You disgust me," Dumbledore said and Harry had never heard so much contempt in his voice before. It scared him. Snape seemed to shrink a little. "You do not care about the deaths of her husband and their child? They can die as long as she survives?"

"I… of course, the child… of course, I'm sorry, I didn't mean… but you must hide them."

"And what will you give me in return Severus?"

"In… in return?" Snape gaped at Dumbledore. Harry expected him to protest, but a few seconds later he looked into Dumbledore's eyes and said "anything."

"And you would be willing to make an unbreakable vow?"

"Yes," Snape replied without hesitation.

… And the scene dissolved again. Harry immediately registered that some seventeen years must have passed since the meeting on the hill top. Dumbledore and Snape were in the Headmasters office. Dumbledore was showing Snape his blackened hand.

"How long do you think I have left Severus?" Dumbledore asked Snape with the same air of someone asking what the weather would be like the following day.

Snape hesitated before answering quietly "maybe a year."

"I am extremely fortune to have you Severus. Thank you for stopping the curse form spreading any further."

"If only you'd summoned me earlier, I might have been able to do more, to buy you more time!" Snape said furiously. Dumbledore merely smiled.

"Well this makes matters more straight forward. You need to kill me."

"Now?" Snape replied sarcastically. "Only I"ve just eaten dinner, and would rather not if you don't mind."

"No, not now," Dumbledore said chuckling. "When Draco fails to kill me, you shall be the one to do it instead."

"What? No way, I am not a murderer Albus!" Snape spat, his fury at boiling point.

"I know you're not, but, you won't be murdering me, it'll be quite consensual I assure you."

"No!"

"Severus… it's the only way to help Harry… to help defeat Tom," Dumbledore said quietly. Almost a minute past whilst Snape was staring at one of the many portraits on the wall. He then turned to Dumbledore and nodded his head.

"Excellent. Thank you Severus."

… And the scene dissolved again to find Harry in exactly the same place he had just been, Dumbledore's office.

"What are you doing with Harry in all these evening lessons?" Snape asked Dumbledore abruptly.

"Why, are you planning on giving him daily detentions Severus?"

"Are you going to tell me?" Snape spat impatiently.

"I prefer not to Severus, I'm sorry."

"Don't you trust me?" Snape demanded.

"It's not a question of trust."

"I made an unbreakable vow against Harry to do everything in my power to protect him, and you're keeping secrets from me!"

"You will, I hope, know one day why I chose not to relay the information of our lessons to you Severus. I ask you to trust me."

…Harry rose out of the pensieve and back into the present day Headmasters office. He stared down into the pensieve. He felt… shocked? That was an understatement. He couldn't believe what he had seen. He'd never in a million years have guessed that Snape of all people had made an unbreakable vow against him?

And all this time Snape had been a faithful spy for The Order, even to the point of killing on Dumbledore's order. And he had been friends with his mum, had even known her before Hogwarts. Why didn't he know this, surely their friendship must have been noticed by the Marauders. Why hadn't Sirius, Remus, or even Dumbledore ever mentioned it? Why had Dumbledore never bothered to tell him that Snape had made an unbreakable vow? Of all the times Harry had said to Dumbledore that he didn't trust Snape, and Dumbledore could have easily told him all of this so Harry would have stopped doubting.

[#] ~ [#]

…Harry returned to the shrieking shack. He crawled through the tunnel and pulled himself up as he looked around to see Ron and Hermione standing over Snape, who Hermione had inflicted with the body bind curse.

"Let him free," Harry instructed Hermione as he threw Snape's wand back down on the floor beside his rigid body. Ron and Hermione looked at him as though he had gone mad.

"Harry are you… are you sure?" Hermione asked.

"Yes," he replied, nodding his head. Hermione lifted the body bind curse from Snape. He lifted himself up with his hands and sat leaning against the wall. His eyes met with Harry's in mutual understanding.

"You… you've been protecting me all this time?" Harry whispered.

"Yes," Snape replied. "Your mother was the best fri… the only true friend I ever had. I would have done anything for her."

"I want to return the favour," Harry said. "I want you to stay here, keep yourself safe until this is all over. You've done more than enough already, I'm not prepared to have you risk you life any furth-"

"No! I want to fight and nothing you say will change my mind Harry."

[#] ~ [#]

… Harry and Voldermort were stood facing each other in the Great Hall. All around them anxious and frightened faces were staring, not believing their eyes, some of them injured from the battle. They were dying to intervene but Harry had demanded they all stay back. Voldermort was his now. He knew what he had to do.

"You're not the true master of the elder wand Tom," Harry said. "I am."

"It doesn't matter," Voldermort shouted. "Once I have used it to kill you… then it will be mine."

"You won't be killing anyone tonight," said a loud voice from behind Harry. He didn't dare move, but kept his eyes fixed on Voldermorts. Harry saw Voldermorts eyes widen and he let out a "no," raised his wand but was too slow. The Avada Kedavra curse had been cast upon him. He fell backwards with a thud as he hit the floor. He was dead. Harry whipped around and saw Snape standing just behind him.

"I couldn't let you become a killer Harry. I'm sorry."

"You have nothing to apologise for," Harry replied as the room erupted into shouts of joy. It was over. Voldermort was dead. Harry put a hand up to his forehead, the pain in his scar had ceased and he was willing to bet money that it would never ever pain him ever again.

[#] ~ [#]