Adult-FanFiction.org : Harry Potter

Cannot Save You Now	By : tigrelilje Category: Harry Potter AU/AR > Slash - Male/Male Views: 15706 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 5
Disclaimer: I do not own any part of the Harry Potter fandom nor do I make any money from writing this story.

Chapter List
- 24
- 25
- 26
Disclaimer: I own no part of the Harry Potter fandom, nor do I make any money from this story.
Warnings: Just a little torture.
A/N: Heyyy...only been 2.5 years :-/ I won't even try to make an excuse at this point. Due to overwhelming demand, the finale will take place at Hogwarts. Mildly problematic since I planned everything out for Tristan's manor but hey, I can work with it.
Chapter 24
"Why didn't Voldemort just assign you the task of bringing Draco to him?" Harry asked, trying to understand what his greatest enemy was thinking.
"I do not know," Severus responded, just as frustrated. "Maybe he is being rational for once and realizing it would compromise my position as a spy at Hogwarts? Or maybe his famous paranoia of my trustworthiness is showing?"
"Hmm," Harry said noncommittally; as if they would ever understand Voldemort's thinking.
He was in Severus' personal quarters with Blaise, Draco, Hermione, and Neville. Neville seemed unsettled about his surroundings but nowhere near as bad as he would have been in the past. Harry figured it was about time that all of his Hogwarts allies came together.
"I am unsure of the best course from here on out," Harry said, looking to the others in the room. "Perhaps I should just have Theo take me with him instead of Draco when he is called again?"
"No," said Blaise, shaking his head. "You may be able to take the Dark Lord down then, but what about his followers? They will come after you. I know they are not specifically part of your plans, but they will cause you a lot of grief if they aren't dealt with."
Harry scowled in annoyance, and Severus added, "Not to mention, such an encounter will not draw out Jasper, who is probably an even larger threat than Voldemort. Potentially, he may be able to force the Death Eaters to do his bidding if the Dark Lord is defeated. You believe he has the rogue vampires behind him, or at least some following."
"Unfortunately, yes," Harry growled. "He at least had spies within my Father's ranks, suggesting some sort of organization." Severus' hands twitched at Harry's title for Tristan. "Could he really control the Death Eaters?" Harry asked skeptically.
"It would not be easy," Severus said, stoic once again, "but yes, I believe he could. Ultimately, the Death Eaters are cowards who are looking for an easy path to power and control over others. The Dark Lord rules them with fear now. Jasper could easily take over and use the same tactic. The Death Eaters really don't know much about vampires. Sadly, I think a group of them could easily cow the whole of the Dark ranks into submission."
"So we have to draw out the Dark Lord and his followers before I am called," said Theo. "Will your Sire's vampires help you?"
"Maybe, probably," Harry admitted, "though I don't feel right asking them. This isn't their war, and I wasn't even going to help with this war!" Draco slid his hand over Harry's thigh and squeezed gently, hoping to calm his mate's ire. Harry released a slow breath. "But if I have to draw Voldemort out, I would prefer to lure him to my Father's manor. It will be easier to control the impact of such an encounter and hopefully no one has to know, besides those of you in this room, that I am still alive."
"How would you draw him out?" asked Hermione. "Send him the address and hope he shows up?"
Harry gave her an unimpressed stare, but Draco tentatively answered, "I suppose we could let Severus 'find' my parents and inform Voldemort of their whereabouts and your involvement. That should be enough to provoke him into gathering a full scale attack."
"I'm supposed to be keeping your family safe, Draco," Harry said, exasperated, "not purposely bringing trouble to them."
"I know that," Draco snapped, a little irritated, "but I think this is the only way to subtly encourage the Dark Lord to mobilize his forces without drawing any other attention from the rest of the Wizarding community. And I'm sure my parents will be perfectly safe; with a little warning, Tristan's already heavily protected manor can be made impenetrable, I'm sure."
Harry just sighed, feeling annoyed with all of it. He just had to remind himself that he chose to come back and it would be over soon.
Draco and Theo suddenly gasped and clutched their left arms while Severus' posture became rigid, the only sign he gave that he was in pain.
"Why is he calling us right now?" Theo asked, gritting his teeth. "It is still early in the evening and the middle of the week!"
"Nott, you will not be able to go," Severus said sharply. "Obviously, Draco cannot attend either. While many other children like to think themselves followers, only you two are actually Marked here at the school. Hopefully, he will accept that you could not leave school at this time without drawing suspicion to yourselves."
"You are going alone?" Harry asked quietly, worried against his will. "Won't he question you about the absence of your students?"
"Undoubtedly," Severus said grimly. "However, I am his only Potions Master and spy, he will not kill me." He didn't have to explain that he would be receiving a punishment. "I must go now."
"Be careful," Harry said quietly in farewell, as the student's watched the man sweep out of the room.
"My faithful followers."
Voldemort's sibilant voice washed over the sea of cloaked figures before him and Severus noticed quite a few shivers from his "comrades". The Dark Lord sounded almost pleasant; that was never a good sign.
"Some rather disturbing news has come to my attention today," Voldemort spoke softly, and Severus held back a violent twitch when the madman's eyes landed on him. "Severus, come forward."
It took every ounce of control Severus had learned over the years to keep his expression impassive, walk forward steadily, and kneel.
"Many of you will notice that Lucius Malfoy is missing from our number today," Voldemort addressed his other followers for a moment while Severus continued to kneel, not daring to move a muscle. "You were tasked to find the Malfoys, were you not, Severus?"
"Yes, my Lord," Severus murmured, mind whirling. It had only been a few days; Voldemort couldn't possibly expect him to have found them while he was teaching, did he?
"Crucio!"
Severus had not been expecting the curse so soon and fell to the floor, screaming. There was no chance of preserving one's dignity when it came to the Dark Lord's curses. When the curse lifted, the only sound in the large room was Severus' harsh panting as he hastily tried to control his body once again.
"You are in luck, Severus," Voldemort hissed, menacingly. "Someone else did your work for you. Perhaps next time, you will work more quickly."
"My apologies, my Lord," Severus said hoarsely. Someone found the Malfoys?! That shouldn't have been… Jasper, Severus thought numbly. We have even less time than we thought!
"Take your place, Severus," Voldemort said coldly, before turning to his followers. "One of our enemies has taken the Malfoys hostage. We will be retrieving them and reminding our opposition why we are not to be crossed. The vampires we met with recently, specifically Harry Potter, has kidnapped one of our number. This cannot be allowed! In one week, we will take our revenge on these vampires who think to mock us!"
Loud cheers greeted Voldemort's announcement and Severus released a slight sigh of relief. Voldemort didn't know why the Malfoys were taken or what their connection was to Harry. It seemed Jasper was content to push the different factions of the conflict together without revealing real specifics to the respective leaders.
The meeting continued on with the regular announcements and updates, though Severus noticed the Dark Lord eying the crowd before him with an ever increasing look of anger, no doubt noticing the absence of Theo and Draco. The meeting was early enough in the evening, however, that the students could be excused from attending due to being in school and not drawing attention to themselves. Eventually, Voldemort dismissed his Death Eaters and Severus gratefully left to tend to his aching body.
Once safely back in his rooms at Hogwarts, he had only managed to take a few potions to counteract the effects the Cruciatus curse caused and dull the pain when Dumbledore Floo'ed to inform him of an Order meeting that would begin in thirty minutes.
Severus couldn't help the feeling of unease that went through him at that. What had happened now?
Dumbledore sat behind his desk, gazing at the Order members assembled before him. He was still in shock over the information Jasper had given him. Harry was still alive? Albus refused to believe the boy was staying away by choice, he was obviously being held prisoner, even if he was the new heir to these rogue vampires. There was no other explanation for it. Harry would not leave the Wizarding World to face Voldemort alone; it wasn't in the boy's nature. He was a protector with a hero-complex.
He was surprised Jasper's intelligence said that Remus was still alive. It was more than he could hope for. When the wolf hadn't come back, Dumbledore had assumed he had met an untimely end. It wasn't unexpected, since wolves and vampires were natural enemies. He wondered what the vampires thought they could gain from keeping him alive.
In light of the information that he was going to reveal in this meeting, Dumbledore had requested that Harry's friends be present. Ron Weasley was sitting with a cocky grin on his face (though Dumbledore interpreted it as excitement), Hermione Granger was looking around in confusion as though she couldn't believe she was being allowed to sit in on the meeting, and Neville Longbottom was sitting quietly and unobtrusively as Dumbledore had come to expect. The other Weasley children, minus the three eldest who were not present, were in varying degrees of confusion and excitement as well, wondering what was going on.
"If I could have your attention please," Dumbledore asked, wishing his voice was stronger but satisfied when there was almost immediate silence. "Some new information has come to my attention, whether it is good or bad is up for debate."
More looks of confusion, or unease in some cases, were shot his way.
"Many of you will recall that Remus was sent to investigate a group of rogue vampires and has not been heard from since," Dumbledore began, and had to pause a moment as noises of grief were suddenly heard from many members. "Alas, do not fear. I have been informed that he is still alive, but being held captive. What these vampires hope to accomplish by keeping him prisoner, I do not know. But there is still hope for him." Dumbledore smiled as some of the Order cheered or hugged each other. It was good that they all cared about each other so much. This was what would bring down the Dark, friendship and love. Stronger than the Dark's bonds of fear and hatred.
"Yes, yes, this is wonderful news," Dumbledore called out, trying to regain order once more. "However, I have more information that demands that we confront these vampires, much as I hoped to avoid doing so. For Remus is not our only member that has been taken by them." Once again, he was faced with looks of apprehension and confusion. Hermione and Neville were both looking scared and worried, Ron looked eager. Even Severus was watching him intently. "Many of you know that Harry Potter disappeared without a trace this summer and was assumed dead. He is now one of these vampires and is being held against his will within their ranks." Outraged cries were heard as Dumbledore's office erupted into chaos. Members were shouting left and right that they had to leave immediately to rescue Harry and Remus. The children were all horrified, with the exception of Ron who was furious. Maybe he should have told them later in a gentler manner. Severus was pale and Dumbledore could only guess what the mysterious man was thinking.
"Everyone, if you will please sit down, we unfortunately have much more to discuss," Dumbledore said gravely. He waited for everyone to settle down again before continuing. "Now, we are not the only ones who are aware of Harry's location. Voldemort has somehow learned this information as well and plans to attack the vampires soon." Fearful exclamations rose up but Dumbledore held up a hand, hoping to stop them this time. "Yes, which may actually be good for us."
"What?!" Molly Weasley yelled. "How could this possibly be good for us?"
Many other members nodded agreement.
"The manor that the vampires are staying in is heavily warded and protected. If we follow the forces of the Dark after they begin their attack, hopefully the Death Eaters will be too occupied with the vampires to bother us and we can focus on finding our people without having to worry about the wards or protections. Once we have found Harry, hopefully he will be able to finish Voldemort once and for all since he will be accompanying his forces. As much as I dislike the thought of using others, we will let the Death Eaters do the hard work and clear the way for us. If all goes well, the night will end with a victory for the Light." Then, Dumbledore turned to his Potions Master and asked, "Severus, is this information accurate?"
"Yes," Severus confirmed scowling darkly. "I have no idea how your vampire could possibly know about it already unless he is working with Voldemort, though. The meeting just took place less than an hour ago."
Dumbledore smiled genially, "I'm sure Jasper has his ways and he hasn't steered us wrong yet."
Severus pressed his lips together firmly but otherwise didn't comment.
"Severus, why did you not inform us about Harry before? I have been led to believe that Voldemort's followers were all informed of his existence quite some time ago," Dumbledore asked, looking a mix of suspicious and disappointed.
"We couldn't," Severus said darkly, "we were all bound to secrecy and could not speak of it to anyone who was not present at that meeting."
A disbelieving snort was heard and Severus sneered at Ron Weasley, the source of the noise.
"Now Ron, Voldemort, though insane, is still very powerful. I am not surprised he would force his followers to keep this quiet, it would have been quite a blow to his ego," Dumbledore said charitably. Severus kept his face blank, letting Dumbledore believe what he wanted. There was no need to tell him that Harry was the one who bound them to secrecy.
"Do we know when You-Know-Who plans to make his move?" Kingsley asked.
"We were told one week," Severus scowled.
"That isn't much time," Molly Weasley said fretfully. "Albus, will we be able to gather enough help to fight them by then?"
"I am sure we can, Molly," Dumbledore said kindly, "Hopefully the Aurors will be willing to help."
The grimaces on Tonks' and Kingsley's faces said they shouldn't be too hopeful.
"What now?" Harry asked flatly, feeling a shiver of dread curl down his spine at the expressions on Severus', Neville's, and Hermione's faces. Draco, Blaise and Theo were giving them equally wary looks. They hadn't left the room they had all been meeting in earlier, preferring to have a few more hours away from the eyes of the other Hogwarts students.
"Things have become more complicated," Severus said, being unnecessarily cagey if Harry had anything to say about it.
"The Order knows," Hermione cut in, obviously sensing Harry impatience. His head whipped toward her in horror, and he wondered if he had time to escape the wards of Hogwarts with Draco before he was caught…
"Not that you are here," Neville's soft voice cut through his ever increasing panic. "They only know that you have been turned by the rogue vampires and are being held against your will along with Remus."
Harry gave them an incredulous look before laughing, slightly hysterical, "Am I now? How interesting."
"More importantly, they know of the Dark Lord's plans to storm your Sire's manor in a week and will be using that opportunity to rescue the both of you," Severus revealed.
"Why?" Harry asked in exasperation, pinching the bridge of his nose and eerily reminding them all of Severus, who smirked at the familiar action. They knew he wasn't asking why they were going to rescue him, but more of why everything was happening so fast and all at once. "Well, I will have to warn Father immediately then, so he and the others can be prepared."
Everyone retreated to their own thoughts for moment, realizing that the time was rapidly approaching when they all might be revealed.
"Harry," Hermione's tentative voice made Harry instantly wary. He wasn't sure he wanted to know what she had to say but nodded for her to continue anyway. She bit her lip before steeling herself and saying, "You know since the Order has been informed that you are alive, that means the Weasley's know too; including the twins. They were at the meeting."
"I'll think about that when I have to," Harry said darkly, shutting down. He didn't want more people to know he was alive, but if there were any Weasley's he could trust, he thought it might be the twins. But he didn't want to face that unless he had to; it would be easier for them to all think he was dead. His immortality would only be more painful with the more mortal people he stayed close to.
None of them slept particularly well that night, especially Harry, who had a strong feeling of foreboding that he would once again be thrust into the spotlight no matter how hard he tried to avoid it.
He had reached his limit. He had waited so long. He thought he could remain patient until the end, but as the time for his revenge came closer, he found his patience shredding to nothing. He absolutely couldn't wait any longer.
Yes, he had reached his limit and his moment, one thousand years in the making, was finally here.
The atmosphere in the Great Hall was cheerful. Students were joking with their friends and enjoying the delicious foods that were offered. Harry, with Draco by his side, subtly observed everyone around him, feeling envious of their carefree attitudes and ignorance of the issues boiling outside of Hogwarts' walls. His mate was sitting tensely next to him, also feeling the stress that Harry wasn't able to let go of.
Harry and Draco both jumped violently when screams and gasps of surprise disturbed the noise of the Great Hall. Harry stared at the streak of white light that shot towards the Headmaster, only relaxing a little when he realized it was just a Patronus. However, the fact that a Patronus had shown up in the middle of dinner in front of the other students was worrying.
Harry glanced towards Severus' seat. His father still hadn't returned from the meeting he was called to earlier. When Harry looked back toward Dumbledore, he realized the Patronus was Severus' and he knew something bad was going to happen. He grabbed Draco's hand and squeezed it, receiving a squeeze in return.
All the students were silent as the Patronus stopped in front of the Headmaster and then his father's voice could be heard.
"The Dark Lord is coming to Hogwarts now!"
Utter silence followed the announcement before frantic scrambling and voices filled the space. Dumbledore seemed to be frozen in disbelief and horror. Harry knew it was going to have to be him to reinforce the wards. He was stronger than Dumbledore anyway.
Harry grit his teeth for a moment before unleashing a strong pulse of magic that forced everyone in the room to freeze before he jumped up from his seat just as the castle shook as Voldemort tried to breach the wards. He didn't allow himself to stumble as he ran up to the Head Table, specifically a subtly carved stone directly behind the Headmaster's chair. Harry placed his hand into the stone and channeled as much magic as he could into the stone as fast as he could.
As the wards absorbed his magic and intent, the atmosphere in the castle changed as the students and teachers felt his magic wash over them again. All eyes were on him with expressions of awe and terror. Before anyone could approach him, Harry whipped around to face his old mentor and shot his own Patronus off to relay a message to Tristan.
"Evacuate the students to the common rooms now, Dumbledore," Harry said fiercely, allowing no room for argument. The castle shook again, though not as strongly. "Our time is very limited!"
- 24
- 25
- 26
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Cannot Save You Now