The last secret of Dumbledore

The night of the battle the trio retrieved Severus Snape from the shack and took him to Hogwarts. He had not expected to survive the war and feels broken, empty and useless. But it's sometimes when we don't expect anymore, when we let it go that life grants us what we have ever dreamt of. But Death Eathers are still out there…

Disclaimer: All Harry Potter characters are copyright from J.K. Rowling and Warner Bros. I'm only playing with them.

Chapter 1 : prequel

A few paragraphs were added to the beginning of chapter 33, "The Prince's Tale."

Original text from Rowling is written in slanting characters.

Beataed by wonderful Sindie /u/46567/Sindie

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

(…)

"It'll be all right," said Hermione wildly. "Let's – let's get back to the castle, if he's gone to the Forest, we'll need to think of a new plan-" She glanced at Snape's body,

"We just can't leave him in there." She knelt at his side, checking for his pulse.

Ron had already got back to the tunnel entrance.

Harry gathered up the Invisibility Cloak, then looked down at Snape. He did not know what to feel, except shock at the way Snape had been killed, and the reason for which it had to be done…

"He's still alive!"

Harry watched as Hermione cast a spell on Snape's wounds to prevent them from further bleeding. She conjured a stretcher and levitated him onto it. "Mobilicorpus." The stretcher carrying Snape's limp body floated in front of her.

They crawled back through the tunnel, none of them talking, and Harry wondered whether Ron or Hermione could still hear Voldemort ringing in their heads, as he could.

(...)

The injured were being treated up on the raised platform by Madam Pomfrey and a group of helpers. Firenze was amongst the injured; his flank poured blood and he shook where he lay, unable to stand.

Hermione led the stretcher with Snape's body to the platform with Madam Pomfrey. She looked down and frowned with disgust when she recognized the man. Then she stared at them, a hand on her hip, brushing the sweat off her face and her hair with the other.

"Voldemort's snake… bit him," Harry simply said.

"Well…We- are not- killers at least..." Madam Pomfrey said when she finally bent over him to see what she could do.

(…)

Original chapter to the end, except for the epilogue. My story is planned to be epilogue compatible, so you could re-read it after…

Author's Postnote:

When I first read this chapter, I was shocked that none of them would try something to save Snape. And all the more that they just let his body lay where it was. We know Harry hates him, but he had always been merciful toward his enemies. For instance, he saved or tried to save Peter Pettigrew's life twice. And Harry knew that Peter was indeed the man who betrayed his parents and caused their death in first place. So why no mercy for Snape? Dumbledore's death, I think...but still and nevertheless shocking. ;-)