Disclaimer – I do not own Harry Potter.

Warning – Unbetafied I'm afraid, swearing, teen angst and next chapter torture.

Deal With The Devil

It had started with Snape's victorious smirk when he came round in the hospital wing, the way he stood proudly in the entrance of the large ward. He was speaking to the minister in relatively hushed tones when he noticed that Harry was awake and so Fudge then realised too. Snape's face held contempt and a sliver of joy, as he gestured to Fudge to precede him.

Hermione watched the two warily but did not move from her bed and shot Harry a warning look to be careful – after all the law was involved now – they were really playing with the 'big boys'.

Fudge had smiled merrily, "Ah, Harry, my lad! The danger has passed!" He tucked his bowler hat under his arm. "Sirius Black has been dealt with all thanks to your professor here!" He slapped Snape on the back quite roughly, earning a glare missed entirely by the minister from the man in question. "If only," He smiled indulgently, plucking a clump of chocolate of the bedside table and popping in his mouth. "Yes, if only all professors were as caring about their students as much as this man!" He chuckled warmly, ignorant as Harry's rage simmered as he tried to burn holes through Snape with his eyes alone. "Front page news I believe! – you'll be hailed a hero saving our little saviour from one of the most notorious death eaters ever known."

How the minister had patted his arm and told him the danger had passed and cooed at him like a child.

"Ahh, It's alright now Mr Potter – the danger has passed." He said again, smiling with his hands clasped behind his back. He placed his hat on his head and seemed quite pleased with the overall events.

"Sirius?" He began, feeling a cool heavy weight settle in his stomach in contrast to his burning skin under the clammy sweat of his body.

"Yes, yes, he has been dealt with – all thanks to Professor Snape here." He smacked Snape on the shoulder brutishly – the greasy haired man didn't look like he appreciated the contact. Harry shook his head and blinked, everything seemed to be repeating itself but he could not piece it together – Sirius couldn't – he just couldn't, but something echoing in his mind told him yes. All he could hear was his own breathing and the wet beating of his heart in his chest; he could feel it thrumming through his veins the faint feeling under the pale thin skin on his inner wrist.

"Thanks to him you can sleep safe at night now – I'm sure you'll be at the awards ceremony?" Fudge continued, oblivious to the storm brewing in the young wizard staring blankly and yet oddly focussed on Snape. His head suddenly snapped back to Fudge lower jaw seemingly unhinged.

"Ceremony?" He choked out.

"Why the Order of Merlin of course! Second class! If I can pull a few strings – and trust me I will – it could be a First!" Fudge laughed, rocking on the balls of his feet. "He got Black kissed! Your average wizard can't do that." His cheeks became rosy with his amusement.

"W-What?" Harry whispered in shock, his face becoming slack.

"Oh – I forgot!" Fudge spoke in a stage whisper as though he truly wanted to appear shocked. "You've been confunded my dear boy!" He said sympathetically. "I can understand this must be confusing for you." Ruffling the boy's hair, he turned to Snape and commented rather offhandedly. "He did a good job, didn't he?" He seemed to be bubbling with mirth. "After so much time in Azkaban you wouldn't think he would be able to."

"No I haven't! Y- You've killed the wrong man!" He leapt from the bed, brushing the sheets off him irritably and with fever. "YOU'VE KILLED THE WRONG MAN!" He yelled starting forwards even though his legs felt weak and shaky.

"Honestly Potter-" Began the snide tones of Hogwarts most hated professor. However Harry dove towards him with a roar of incoherent fury, muggle upbringing rearing its ugly head as he slapped, hit and clawed at the ugly smug bastard whilst continually yelling obscenities at the man.

Harry batted Snape's wand straight from his hand as he hit at him, the wand landing and rolling under a bed a few feet away with a clatter. "BASTARD!" He yelled.

He heard Hermione's cry "Harry! A professor!", a squeal of shock, but it did not stop Harry at all.

"YOU FUCKING BASTARD!" He yowled at the man pushing him making him loose his balance. Snape snarled angrily, snatching the sleeve of Harry's robes and pulling Harry down with him. They landed loudly on the stone floor, flesh and bone making a deafening sound in the shocked wake of the fight.

His limbs though weak from the dementor attack continued to rain blows to Snapes face, raw throat still producing animalistic sounds of grief.

At one stage whilst Snape was try to retrieve his wand Harry was just yelling at him, a pained gormless wail of emotions, the boy grabbed his greasy hair in two handfuls and used it as leverage to continually smack the man's head against the floor. Each yell was formed like a word, each yell short or long like there should have been context but there wasn't. Suddenly Fudge seemed to realise that he should stop the violence in front of him, so he grabbed Harry around the torso and pulled him up and away from the heavily bleeding and slightly concussed potions professor who scrambled to grab his wand as it rolled towards his hand as the man's magic desperately called for it.

Fudge, thinking that the trouble had passed let go of the mad hellion, and no sooner had his hands left Harry's arms had the boy leapt back intent on lashing out again.

Snape pointed the wand between Harry's eyes, beginning to incant a spell, before Fudge attempted to get between the two of them.

"NOW SNAPE!" Fudge cut in, his bowler hat tumbling of his head and onto the floor where it rolled in circles until it landed by the feet of Madam Pomfrey. "The boy's confunded! You said so yourself!"

"EXCUSE ME? IN MY HOSPITAL WING?" The healer snarled, a harpy in the guise of the nurse stepped into the scuffle angrily, slapping the two men harshly and repetitively until they backed away before she turned to Harry and patted him over concernedly.

Harry stilled under her ministrations, but the acidic glare focused on Snape unwaveringly his eyes narrow slits set heavily in his skull, his left cheek was starting to swell and acquire a bit of colour.

Snape glared back and flounced off, pivoting on his heels and cloak flaring dramatically he wiped his hand under his bleeding nose.

The nurse glared at his retreating back for a few more moments until it was out of site before herding Harry back to his bed gently, discreetly ignoring the streaming tears. She perched him at the end of the bed and went to have a word with the minister. Hermione ran forward and hugged him fiercely muttering in his ear "Don't you ever do that again, oh Harry! I'm so glad you're okay – I was so worried." She pressed her face into the crook of his neck murmuring nonsense into his flesh, which made his throat feel like it was vibrating. She sat back suddenly and looked at him carefully, but his eyes had caught a gleam of gold on a chain.

"What's that?" He asked, for a distraction, in a scratchy voice.

"What...Oh this?" She held it up slightly, before continuing, "It's a time turner, I have had it from the beginning of the year. Do you remember McGonagall pulled me away before the feast at the beginning of the year?" She held the little thing gently in her hands. "Yes? Well she gave it to me then – I have so many classes you see?" She scrubbed at her face and the red eyes and attempted to smile bravely at Harry, but the corners of her lips only trembled.

"Oh – so it what turns back time?" Harry asked without spirit as he picked at the hem of a robe to avoid poking at the swelling on the side of his face.

"Yes!" Hermione said for the first time with enthusiasm, sitting a little straighter and beaming at him.

"...Can we go back...?" Harry asked the idea occurring all of a sudden to him, and he jumped up of the bed. "We can go back...an-and we can save Sirius!" He pulled Hermione up as he almost bounced in glee his dewy eyes drying in his hope.

"Uh..Harry I don't think that...we can...save him. I think it is all too close together for us to be able..to. Apparently Snape got to us just as we hit the ground..." She watched as Harry seemed to deflate and shudder under her crushing blow before saying. "Oh alright! It has to be worth a try!" She nodded her bushy hair swaying with her vigorous movements. "He is an innocent man after all!" She swung the chain over Harry's head. "Should we go for Pettigrew too?" She asked, as she readied herself to turn the dial.

Harry shook his head vehemently, body vibrating with energy "No. No, just Sirius – better him alive than what he is now. Pettigrew..." He clenched his fists in hate. "I can't risk getting him and losing Sirius – there is no way I would even have to think about that."

Hermione nodded and turned the dial once, shutting her eyes against the dizzying backwards events of time. Finally when the world seemed to stop moving the both of them ran, Harry nearly choking himself when he forgot about the chain about his throat. The ward was empty and there was more sunlight coming through the large bay windows than there had been an hour in the future at dusk.

It was when they approached the lake and saw themselves start fall unconscious, their feet unable to support their weight that they realised that no one had cast the Patronus that they had both seen through their tunnel vision.

Harry ran forward possessed by his determination to stop the inevitable and cast the spell, the giant stag cantering and clearing the area of the multitude of dementors. Harry barely paused in his run to go over to the trio's prone forms when Hermione snatched the back of his robes and pulled him into the bushes obscuring them from view. Not a second later did Snape emerge from the trees near the bodies, dust billowing under his feet as he hurried towards them.

And he saw the proceeding event happen from the bush. How the dementor clasped Sirius's face and lowered that decaying mouth and took a rattling breath before making a seal over Sirius's nose and mouth... and the wail. The wail as Sirius's soul as it was ripped cruelly from its body, how the body jerked in those rotten hands, the legs kicking wildly, all the muscles twisting apart from the head which was held in a vice grip and finally...finally the body went still. The dementor let go of the body, it landed with a bone rattling thud, the body bouncing up slightly before falling back down again, the dust curling around it in small puffs.

And Harry could swear that from his place across the lake he could see Snape's beady little eyes alight in joy.

Snape conjured the stretchers and dumped Harry and Hermione on them ignoring how they had fallen on their arms and the painful angles their legs were at. Then using magic to send them away he walked with a swagger and skip to his step casually after them.

He had only just disappeared into the trees when the two hidden jumped up and ran around the still waters to the one body left behind, and Harry stood looking at the ...thing.

Harry had never felt so empty and hollow. He stared at the shell of his newly found godfather and couldn't feel any emotion. He almost didn't want to; in the few minutes he had known this man he had formed a bond with him. He had clung to him as the only relative who truly wanted him, they both so desperate and alone in the world had finally found each other. Then Snape came along and ruined it.

Snape the vicious bastard had come in, and in all his vindictive smug glory had burst Harry's bubble and had Sirius kissed.

And Harry had been unable to do nothing.

Fudge, the useless minister was awarding the greasy bastard an Order of Merlin – second class but the bloody prick could get a first class. For first degree murder.

The horrid vicious fucking git had had this done to his godfather. Harry looked down at the body, it's chest rattling as it drew in large gulps of air to feed the abused body and it stared at Harry through empty gormless, soulless eyes. He turned away in disgust.

Hermione pulled on his arm frantically at his arm "Harry! Come on! We have to go!" She pulled again, her voice tight in her hysteria. "Please Harry! I'm sorry, but please, we are running out of time!" He reluctantly turned his body and let Hermione pull him further into the Forbidden Forest away from the glacial lake.

He hadn't known until now... how it had happened, but he did now and he wanted to howl in his anger and wanted to rip out Snape's throat with his nails. He had hoped that Snape was only taking the victory for what the swamp of dementors did, but to do something so...evil. Then again, Harry thought with a snort – this was Snape – was he looking for something to redeem the man?

The dementors has swamped Sirius, Hermione and himself, and all had fallen unconscious even though his own Patronus had sent most of them anyway Snape summoned one back. How could he do something so...so ...how can you describe the act of removing someone's soul? He summoned back a violation of nature, something that disrupted the natural order of the world!

And it did what dementors had been bred to do. So, Harry Potter was once again alone in the world. He had watched Snape put the two of them on floating stretchers none to gently and took them up to the castle and just leave the still breathing warm body behind to rot.

Wizards were truly disgusting beings. Muggles could be bad – but wizards were worse. The both of them were made of the same matter really, both humans, and therefore capable of being just as malicious as each other. But wizards... they just had to will it... Harry had never thought he would view his world like this, but it was changing and distorting becoming as much hell as the muggle world. He decided then, that he would have to deal with this, he refused to allow himself to be removed from the world he so loved because of one man – perhaps, he thought the magical world was too small for the both of them. He didn't mean to kill him necessarily, that was morally wrong and Harry would never consider himself physically capable of it, but he could never be anywhere near that man again.

"Harry!" Hermione hissed desperately, noticing his lagging. She grabbed his hand and ran a bit faster helping to direct him. Fortunately they avoided Lupin and any disturbance in the vast hallways as Hermione glancing around frantically, nibbling worriedly at her lower lip.

They arrived back at the hospital wing with Dumbledore standing by the closed doors with a grave expression on his face. Hermione gasped stopping suddenly and Harry bumping into her causing him to snap out of autopilot mode. He felt the blood drain from his face causing a cold chill to seep into him, though there was a constant warmth under the swelling near his eye, and realised even without Hermione's shaking grip around his hand that they were in a lot of trouble.

"I am afraid, Mr Potter, Miss Granger you will have to follow me." Was all he said as he walked ahead of them and lead them to his office.

~ Deal With The Devil~

Dumbledore gave them a look of disappointment "I had hoped Miss Granger, that you of all people would have had more sense." His blue eyes radiated displeasure in an oddly kind way.

Hermione seemed bedside herself with the amount of trouble she was in. She nodded, biting her lip as her eyes watered and fixed her vision on her shoes. "I'm sorry, sir, I really am – I just...wanted to do the right thing." She wrung her hands together nervously and continually changed the leg she put her weight on.

"Very well," Albus said, though his voice did not seem to recognise the distress Hermione was in. "However I shall be needing your time turner back. I'm afraid I cannot allow you to keep that, when tonight you casually disregarded the rules about time itself – knowing full well the possible consequences." Dumbledore did not raise his voice nor did he express any emotion but Hermione let out a sob of shame and pulled the chain over her head and held it out wrapped around her fingers to the headmaster.

He took it gently from her shaking hand and slipped it into his purple robes pocket. "Miss Granger, I do know that your actions held the best intentions so I think we shall say that you decided that you wanted a normal timetable and therefore the time turner is surplus to your requirements." The slightest sign of a smile was on his face and his words were spoken with a warmer quality. "I wouldn't wish the events of this night to put a permanent blemish on your records."

She nodded gratefully and managed a constricted "Thank you, sir." Before bowing her head and wiping her inflamed eyes removing the hot tears that clung to her eyelashes.

"Due to the circumstances I don't believe a detention will be necessary, you do seem to have learned your lesson." Dumbledore smiled, clasping his hand over Hermione's shoulder and steering her to the door. "I will send Harry down later – I suggest you go back to the hospital wing, Madam Pomfrey will be on the war path if you don't."

She nodded and sent Harry once last scared glance before hurrying out of the office and down the spiral stairs.

Dumbledore, shut the door softly though the sound was loud and awkward in the silence of the grand office, even the portraits watched in a macabre fascination. Albus walked back to his seat the sound of his heavy robes dragging on the floor the only sound for a few seconds, how the headmaster longed for sound! The silence was... scary, it was unlike the boy he knew, and he sat in his seat tensely as he pulled at his sleeves distractedly. He saw Harry also take a seat, as his legs seemed collapse from under him as the shock seemed to seep into his system, into his very bones.

"Why? Sir, why did you let him do it?" Harry broke the awkward silence that had fallen, his voice sounded hoarse and broken to his own ears. He watched as Dumbledore shifted uncomfortably in his seat.

"My boy, I do believe he was innocent – but not in the eyes of the law and ... I do not have the authority to rule against a court of law." He spoke earnestly, feeling the need to try and pull the boy back from the dark place he was falling into.

"You knew Sirius was innocent! WHY?" It suddenly ripped from him in an almost painful force as he stood up so fast the chair fell backwards crashing to the stone floor, the heavy wood audibly vibrating in the silent office as the legs shuddered.

"Harry," Dumbledore held up a placating hand, "Calm down, please." He spoke infuriatingly calm and it grated on Harry's frayed nerves and temper.

"NO! NO! Why should I? WHY ISN'T SNAPE BEING PUNISHED?" He yelled leaning forward, a couple of globules of spit flying from his mouth on to the desk from his overly dry throat. He smacked his hand down on the ornately carved wood punctuating every word as best as he could. "WHY. IS. SNAPE. NOT. BEING. PUNISHED?" He looked at Dumbledore through wild, angry and hollow eyes. "Why?" A tiny and lost whisper in a nonexistent breeze of the headmaster's office finished the Light Lord off.

"Harry, have a seat. There are things you need to know which under better circumstances would have been told to you at a later date, but now I believe you should hear them presently." Dumbledore began rather gravely, rubbing his wrinkled forehead tiredly. He watched with gentle eyes as Harry picked up the chair he had knocked over and sat cautiously in it.

It was there Dumbledore told the boy everything, things he doubted he would have told the boy at all but looking into the brightest green eyes – albeit one slightly closed under the swelling of his cheek - he had ever seen and having seen them red rimmed, bloodshot and so sorrowful he found he could not even stop himself. Something told him he had to do this, a part that remembered the loss of a loved one and would never know who ended her life with a spell. Forever his sister's death would be a mystery, and he felt that Harry, the sweetest boy he had come across, deserved to know what he couldn't. So every known detail spilled from his mouth, little things that might not have mattered to others – but to Harry it would at least mean something.

The emerald eyed boy's eyes became wet throughout the telling of history and his eyes became more hard and cold, yet still hollow and angry.

The fury that sparked in those eyes at the mention of Snape's role in the events frightened even Dumbledore, who remembered another angry little boy who could speak to snakes, but Harry, he assured himself was good and kind, even in the worst case scenario – he was justified.

Harry mostly sat there, with not even a sound passing his lips, not even his uneven breathing could be heard.

"Harry?" Dumbledore asked softly with concern deeply laced in his voice. "I know this is a lot, and I'm so sorry my boy, to have to burden this with you."

Harry just shook his head mutely, his eyes lost but he spoke with a calm voice "We can get through this, sir... We just have more people to... attempt to work with this, it can be done... can't it?" He looked at him, like a young child in need of reassurance. He was still so young and still so mouldable, Harry would get through this – he had to.

Dumbledore smiled happily pride swelling in his chest, surprised at how well Harry had taken the news of his prophesized battle with the Dark Lord. "Such resilience my boy, James and Lily would have been so proud."

Harry briefly smiled dazedly and rather fleetingly, as though he had no idea of what had been said but knew that it promoted such a reaction. His expression hardened again.

"Snape." Harry stated coolly. "I want-"

"Harry!" Dumbledore broke in "Please remember – what else could he have done? He had sworn his loyalty to a mad man – bound by chains to tell his master! Harry – I know, I know it's hard to take in but what else could he have done?"

"- him dead." Harry didn't acknowledge Dumbledore's statement.

Dumbledore jerked in shock and knocked over his bowl of sherbet lemons as he reached for one. "Pardon? Harry..." He swallowed, his mouth dry and unable to close. "Harry – did you just say what I think you said?" He spoke in a strangled high pitch voice, his hand still poised to pluck a sweet out of his bowl.

"I. Want. Snape. Dead." Harry said again in that cold and calm tone.

"Harry, think about what you just said!" Dumbledore admonished, his hand falling onto the desk, scrunching a few pieces of parchment in the process with his heavy robe sleeve.

"What is there to think about? He didn't have a choice did he? Correct me please sir, if I am wrong but I'm sure it was his choice to join Voldemort in the first place?" Harry asked turning to him, tear streaks in the dusty dirt that clung to the ashen cheeks. When Dumbledore didn't reply, knowing a corner when he was in one, Harry decided to continue.

"What is there to think about, sir?" He repeated sardonically. "He is the reason that I have no parents and now no Godfather. He is the reason I spent 10 years in the cupboard under the stairs-"

"Cupboard?" Dumbledore sat forward sharply. "Cupboard? You lived in the cupboard?" He asked cuttingly, the atmosphere becoming tense and dangerous under the Headmaster's anger. "Harry please tell me you embroidering this." He whispered, as he watched the grief stricken boy, he wanted to reach across the desk and grasp the young boy's hands in his own and beg him to say he was lying.

"Don't you look at the letters addressed to the students?" The boy asked scathingly, looking at the professor with a look only Tom Riddle had ever used on him before.

"No one is allowed to. Every letter is written by the magic in the castle itself, it stops people attempting to corrupt the listing of students. Unless they refuse to come to Hogwarts then names only appear to us once they accept their placement." Dumbledore got to his feet slowly and walked around and knelt at Harry's side. He grabbed the child's face in his old hands and turned it towards him. "Please Harry, tell me it's not true. I would never forgive myself if James's and Lily's boy who I entrusted to the Dursleys was mistreated in such a disgusting manner." A twinge of pleading entered the aged man's words as he looked at the emotional boy.

"Why would I lie?" Harry hissed angrily. "What would I gain?" He whispered so softly and wistfully. "Sirius said we could live together when he was free. So Snape has ruined another thing. Sir," He leant away from Albus's hands as he cried out more, "Why is he allowed to do that? Why is he allowed to destroy everything he touches. He destroys even what he loves, he might as well killed my Mum himself! IT'S NOT FAIR!" There was this ragged sob from the hunched boy as he doubled over folding in on himself. His hands clasped at his face pulling at the skin mercilessly as he tried to control his rampant emotions.

Albus's eyes shut wearily, tears falling from the closed eyelids and trickling under the half moon spectacles. He let his hands fall to his lap and breathed deeply. "Harry, my boy... I'm so sorry. I... had no idea that your treatment was that bad – from our previous discussions I hoped that you merely disagreed with one another. Oh Harry..." He trailed off, his voice weary and tired. It seemed he would be paying a visit to the Durselys very soon.

"Oh Harry... I feel my age, so,so...old." He rubbed his face, collecting the tears on his hands and he rubbed his mouth in distress. "I cannot express enough how sorry I am, my dear, dear boy." He stood up, and touched the boy's shoulders. "I will sort this out, I promise you Harry."

"Thank you sir," The boy attempted to smile. "I want you to deal with Snape though! – He shouldn't be allowed to have done what he has! Please, sir, it's not right -" He looked down as his eyes filled, the water overflowing and trickling over his cheeks. "It's just not right." He sighed, as his shoulders hunched inwards exhaustion creeping into his body as adrenaline ran out.

"Harry – I know it must hurt, and I truly understand how you are feeling – but you as well as I know that Voldemort is still alive and he will be at large once again. When that happens – I believe with all my heart that it will happen – we will need Snape in their midst reporting back to us." He took Harry's chin between his forefinger and thumb and made the boy look at him, willing the boy to understand, to see the good that he could see in Severus. "For all of his faults Harry, he had the same upbringing as you – and yes he made mistakes, many, many mistakes and Harry he will probably make many more, but in him there is a very, very brave man."

"Sir!" It was a sob, something that he had never heard from Harry until this day, his tears had been silent but this was horrifying, shaking the structures of the boy's nature to sound so utterly destroyed. "It's not right – I don't care if this brave man is buried deeply! If it's buried then it's already fucking dead! THERE IS NOTHING IN THERE WORTH REDEMPTION!" The boy was growing hysterical, standing up and glaring at Albus from his height disadvantage, yet there was an element in there that seemed to not be Harry, like a sentient being on its own was feeding on the fury and helping it to breed. Albus prayed to whoever would listen that it was exhaustion and grief.

"Harry, calm down!" The professor said, quite sharply from his normal placid tones. "I am sorry Harry but we need Snape and I am perfectly sure that when you have calmed down you will see sense and agree." He took a calming breath and looked away from those accusing green eyes. "Now Harry – go see Madam Pompfrey, I'm sure she will have some chocolate to help you recover from the dementor attack and she will have my hide if I keep you out of her able hands much longer."

It was the end of the conversation and the door swinging open signalled that Harry was no longer welcome in Dumbledore's presence. He glared one last time, fuming at the elder man's back before turning and storming out of the room ignorant of the rattling window panes and trembling portraits he left in his wake.

He arrived at the bottom of the stairs, and leant against the wall, trembling with the suppressed emotions. How could Dumbledore allow that thing to walk in the corridors? He wanted retribution – he wanted to taste it, smell it, feel it, Merlin he wanted to bath in the bastard's blood! That moral boundary suddenly seemed to disappear, before it felt wrong but after everything that creature had done – he would be doing the world a favour! That scared him, he would admit, it was not like him to be so angry, yet he knew that it was what Snape deserved... that man was pathetic and malicious and a little part of Harry decided that if Snape was allowed to do that then so was he.

Harry knew that Snape was too experienced and too strong for Harry himself, so he needed help. Dumbledore wouldn't rid himself of his little pet Death Eater spy.

Well then, Harry resolved, if Dumbledore wouldn't rid the world of Snape he would find someone else that would. Voldemort might not feel so inclined to keep a death eater who had led him to his death and belonged to Dumbledore...

He merely had to bide his time until the correct opportunity came across his path.

To be continued...

A/N – Review, give me motivation and review!

Seriously tell me what you think, the next chapter will be Snape torture and Harry/Voldemort interaction – depends how you look at that one a) you might view it as psycho behaviour, or b) if you're a sexual person you might see it as pre-slash :~) Up to you :L

To be honest I don't actually hate Snape, but I do think at times he is so petty, so I decided I shall vent that frustration by possibly flaying him...

As I said review if you want more... :~)