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Blood Bound	By : greenwizard11 Category: Harry Potter > Slash - Male/Male > Harry/Snape Views: 30346 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 9
Disclaimer: I do not own the Harry Potter universe. I only play with the characters for my own amusement; which all I'm getting out of the writing of this story. So dance puppets, dance!

Chapter List
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Harry tried his best to patch things up with Severus, but Severus insisted on remaining distant. Around mid-June Harry decided to give up and just be happy with the fact that Severus wasn’t being quite so hostile anymore; not with just him, anyway. Severus Snape was now just plain hostile.

Hermione tried to comfort Harry by telling him it probably didn’t have anything to do with him. Harry wanted to believe it, but something deep down in his gut told him something wasn’t right. “None of this is making any sense,” he sighed as he tried to study for his Herbology test. “He was starting to show his softer side, and now he’s threatening the lives of first years who get too close to his chocolates. He’s ten times worse than he was before.”

“Harry, you might as well put him out of your mind.” Ron shook his head. “It’s probably for the best, anyway. Am I the only one who’s noticed all the weight he’s gaining? Why would you want an old fat man?”

“He’s not that old.” Harry frowned. “Well, he is the same age my parents would be if they were alive, but he’s not ancient or anything.”

Ron looked at him like he’d just lost his mind. “If you say so.”

Harry closed the book in his lap and put it away. There was no way he was going to be able to concentrate. It would be a miracle if he didn’t fail all of his classes this year. He turned his head when a first year approached him, holding out a roll of parchment. “Thanks, Jenna.” He gave the girl a half-smile.

Harry perked up when he read the note. “Dumbledore wants to see me, and he wants me to bring my Invisibility Cloak. I wonder if he’s found another Horcrux.”

“Harry, if he asks you to go with him somewhere, please be careful,” Hermione said, looking rather nervous.

“I’ll be fine,” Harry tried to assure her. “I’ll be with Dumbledore.”

He ran up to the boys’ dormitory to grab the cloak out of his trunk before leaving. The halls were deserted since it was so close to curfew. Harry saw only a few ghosts milling about on his way to Dumbledore’s office. He knocked on the door and walked right in. “Did you find one?” he asked.

“I believe so,” Dumbledore nodded. “I asked you to come here tonight because I’d like you to accompany me. However, I will warn you that this will probably be very dangerous. I don’t know what sort of protections Voldemort has in place. Because of this, you have to promise me something. You will have to do everything I tell you without question or hesitation.”

“Yes, sir, I understand,” Harry nodded, his whole body about to burst with excitement.

“If I tell you to run or hide?”

“I’ll do it.”

“What if I tell you to leave me and save yourself?”

Harry didn’t much like the thought of that, but he really wanted to go. “I’ll do exactly as you instruct.”

“Very good,” Dumbledore grinned. “Put on your cloak and follow me.”

Harry did as instructed, following closely behind Dumbledore as the Headmaster walked down to the main gate. It seemed rather odd that they were just waltzing out, but Harry was afraid that if he questioned Dumbledore he wouldn’t be allowed to go.

They walked all the way to the Hogs Head Inn. Dumbledore feinted toward the door as if he was going inside, then ducked into the alley. “Grab my arm,” he whispered to Harry.

Harry reluctantly took the offered arm and closed his eyes tight. He still hated Apparating, and probably always would. When he could finally breathe again he opened his eyes and saw they were standing on a rocky shore.

“You can take off the cloak now,” Dumbledore said, gazing out over the dark, churning water. “This is where a young Tom Riddle lured and tortured two other children from the orphanage, if you’ll remember. I believe he hid something in that cave down there.”

Harry’s gaze moved to a huge fissure in the rock wall. “I’m going to get wet, aren’t I?”

“I’m afraid so,” Dumbledore confirmed. “Follow me.” The Headmaster dove right into the water and started swimming toward the opening.

Harry followed. The icy water was a shock to his system. The waves tossed him around a bit, but he was able to reach the inside of the cave and was glad to be on dry land again. Dumbledore was examining the back wall, his fingertips brushing the rough rock. “Oh, yes, this is the right place.”

“How can you tell?” Harry asked curiously through chattering teeth.

Dumbledore turned toward him and frowned. “So sorry, Harry, you should have said something.” With a wave of the elder wizard’s wand Harry was warm and dry again. “I can sense that this place has known magic; very dark magic.” Harry couldn’t really sense anything, so he stood quietly in the dark while Dumbledore ran his hands along the wall, mumbling in a strange tongue. “Surely not . . .” Dumbledore sighed.

“What?” Harry asked, suddenly a little worried.

“More blood magic. There is a door here somewhere, but it requires a blood payment. This is quite disappointing.”

Harry saw Dumbledore pull a silver knife out of his pocket. “Let me,” Harry insisted.

“No, Harry, there’s no need. A little blood is a small price to pay. This charm is meant to weaken the intruder, but there are much worse things than physical injury.” Dumbledore sliced his blackened palm and held it up to the rock. There was a bright flash of light and a doorway appeared.

Dumbledore motioned for Harry to stay behind him as he entered the pitch-black inner cave. This part of the cave was massive. There was a lake, though Harry couldn’t tell how big it was. Off in the distance was an eerie green glow coming from what Harry assumed was the center of the lake. “Don’t touch the water, Harry,” Dumbledore instructed, walking around the edge.

“I’m guessing we have to get over there.” Harry pointed to the green light.

“It would seem so. The question is, how?” The question was answered when they found a tiny boat sitting on the shore. “I see,” Dumbledore mumbled to himself. “Harry, get in the boat, but be careful not to touch the water.”

“Will we both fit?” Harry wondered out loud.

“It will be a tight squeeze, but I think we can manage it. I’m sure Voldemort intended for only one wizard to be able to cross. However, you’re underage, so I don’t think your presence will be an issue. He always had a nasty habit of underestimating anyone he didn’t deem important. One would think he would have learned, but his loss is our gain.”

Harry hopped into the boat, crouching down to make room for Dumbledore. As soon as the elder wizard was in, the boat sailed toward the green light. Harry gasped when he saw something white in the water. “What was that?”

“Nothing to worry about, for the moment.”

As much as Harry trusted Dumbledore, he couldn’t help but worry. He nearly screamed when he saw a bloodless corpse floating near the surface. There were dead bodies in the water! “Sir, are you sure there’s nothing to worry about?”

“A body poses little threat, especially when it is motionless. Voldemort no doubt put them here to guard the Horcrux. He does fear death, after all. That is one of his greatest weaknesses.”

The boat came to a stop at a rocky island. The glow came from a potion inside a stone basin. Dumbledore moved to dip a finger into it, but it seemed something was holding him back. He held out his hand and conjured a silver goblet. “I believe this needs to be drunk.”

“But, sir, what if it’s poison?”

“Knowing Voldemort as I do, I doubt it is. It would be all too obvious, and he was never skilled enough in potions to concoct anything too devious. Remember, Harry, you agreed to do whatever I tell you without question. I want you to ensure I drink all of this potion. Force it down my throat, if you have to.”

“Sir!” Harry protested. “At least let me do it.”

“No.” Dumbledore shook his head as he dipped the goblet into the liquid. “You are far more valuable than I. That, and Severus shouldn’t be bothered in his condition.”

“His condition?” Harry echoed the words, his confusion written on his face.

Dumbledore looked a little displeased about something. “That is something that’s between you and Severus. To your health, Harry,” Dumbledore said, and he gulped down the potion.

Nothing seemed to happen at first. Dumbledore drank a second goblet, and then his hands started to tremble. After the third goblet the elder wizard sank to the ground. “Make it stop!” he cried, his eyes wild and full of fear.

Harry grabbed the goblet from Dumbledore’s hand and filled it again. “This’ll make it stop,” he lied, putting the edge of the goblet to Dumbledore’s lips.

“No, no more.” Dumbledore tried to push Harry away when he filled the goblet a fifth time.

Harry pushed back and forcefully poured the liquid down the Headmaster’s throat. For the first time that night he was actually afraid. “Sir, you’re almost done,” Harry said in a soothing tone. Seeing Dumbledore like this bothered him a great deal.

“I don’t want to!” Dumbledore shouted, like a child throwing a temper tantrum.

“You have to,” Harry insisted. He could now see a locket at the bottom. Seven was, of course, the magic number; after the seventh goblet of potion Harry was able to grab the locket and quickly shoved it into his pocket.

Dumbledore sat there rocking back and forth in the dark. “Sir?” Harry knelt down beside him.

“Water,” Dumbledore said in a hoarse tone. “Harry, I need water.”

Harry nodded and pulled out his wand, filling the goblet with water. When he handed it to Dumbledore the water vanished. Harry tried once more, then came to a startling realization. The only water available to them was the water that surrounded them, just as Voldemort had planned.

Harry inched down to the water’s edge and knelt down to dip the goblet into the dark, freezing water. He cried out in surprise when an icy white hand shot out of the water and gripped his own hand with impossible strength. He managed to pull away and scrambled back from the water’s edge, feeling one of his pantlegs rip and a sharp edge of rock jab painfully into his leg, but to his horror the water was suddenly churning all around them as corpse after pale corpse rose to the surface and Harry realized Voldemort had set yet another trap for unwary intruders: an army of Inferi.

Harry flung every hex he could think of, but there seemed to be hundreds of Inferi, and they just kept coming. Harry glanced up at the faint green glow that still emanated from the basin. Swallowing hard, he closed his eyes and tried to concentrate. His hand tingled and burned as green fire erupted from his palm. It hit a small group of Inferi and there was an ear-splitting scream as the walking corpses were devoured in the bright green flame. The strong scent of roses hung in the air.

The scream seemed to bring Dumbledore around and suddenly he was at Harry’s side. “Excellent!” he praised Harry, and he conjured a ring of flame that surrounded them. The Inferi shrieked angrily and retreated. Harry helped Dumbledore back into the boat and they returned to shore.

The doorway was closed again, but Harry wiped a little blood off the back of his leg to open it again. Once they were out of the cave, he knew what he had to do. Closing his eyes tight, he clutched Dumbledore’s arm and concentrated with all his might on Hogsmeade. He felt the familiar sucking sensation of Apparition, and when he opened his eyes they were standing outside the Three Broomsticks.

Dumbledore sank to his knees, panting heavily. “I . . . I need Severus.”

“Okay. Wait right here and I’ll go get him,” Harry said. He was not looking forward to waking Severus up. The way things were going he might get hexed before he even had a chance to speak. He turned toward the castle and gasped when he saw the Dark Mark hanging over the Astronomy Tower.

Dumbledore saw it, too, and reached to take Harry’s hand while simultaneously grabbing a crystal that hung around his neck. Harry felt a strong jerk at his navel, and before he knew it they were standing in the tower. “Put your cloak back on and go fetch Severus,” Dumbledore ordered. Seeing the Dark Mark had apparently given the Headmaster a second wind.

Before Harry could do more than cover himself with the cloak he heard footsteps coming toward them. “Hide and don’t move,” Dumbledore instructed. The door burst open and Harry found himself paralyzed and pinned against the stone wall. A split second later Draco came forward and disarmed Dumbledore. “Good evening, Draco,” Dumbledore said amiably, giving him a little nod.

Draco kept his wand pointed at Dumbledore’s chest, but his hands were shaking so badly Harry wondered if he could even cast. “I’ve finally done it,” Draco announced triumphantly.

“Yes, you have,” Dumbledore nodded. “You have me cornered and helpless, but we both know you’re not going to kill me.”

“How do you know?” Draco shouted.

“You’re no killer. The two attempts you made this year were feeble at best.”

“That’s what you think. He gave me this job. I have to do it.”

Dumbledore gripped the railing tightly and leaned back against it. His renewed strength was slowly fading. “Then why haven’t you done it?”

“I’m waiting for the others,” Draco scowled. “Yes, I found a way to get a few other Death Eaters into the castle, right under your nose.”

“So you did manage to fix that Vanishing Cabinet.”

Draco’s eyes went wide with fear. “How did you know about that?”

Dumbledore gave the Slytherin a small smile. “I know quite a lot, though I admit there are a few things I couldn’t figure out. Since your friends are obviously occupied with my guards for the moment, perhaps you can tell me how you got that necklace into Katie’s hands.” Dumbledore paused a moment. “How long has Madam Rosmerta been under the Imperius?”

“Finally figured it out, did you? Yeah, I cursed her.”

More footsteps could be heard coming up the stairs. Severus appeared and tossed a severed head toward Draco, who doubled over and vomited at the sight of it. “That’s right, stupid child,” Severus spat.

“Feel better?” Dumbledore raised an eyebrow.

“A little,” Severus huffed. “Greyback always did have a talent for pissing me off.”

“I’m not a stupid child,” Draco argued as soon as he regained his composure. “You’re just upset because you won’t get the credit for his death.”

Severus laughed. “No, I won’t get credit for trying to talk an old man to death and losing my dinner at the sight of a little blood. Don’t you get it, Draco? You were meant to fail from the start. The Dark Lord just wanted a reason to kill you to punish your father for failing. He gave me the task of cleaning up your mess, as always.”

Two more Death Eaters joined them. “Come on, Draco, do it!” one of them cried.

Dumbledore looked up at Severus with pleading eyes. “You aren’t getting off that easily,” Severus growled. He pointed his wand at Dumbledore and took a steadying breath. “Setuska!”

A blindingly bright lightning bolt flashed from the tip of Severus’ wand and hit Dumbledore square in the chest. Dumbledore’s body began to convulse violently and he let out a strangled scream. The bolt rebounded seconds later, traveling back up Severus’ arm and flinging him backward. He hit the doorframe at an awkward angle, and his body stopped but his arm kept going. A loud crack echoed through the air and Harry screamed as his own arm suddenly felt like it had just been ripped from his body.

“What was that?” one of the Death Eaters asked, looking around to see where the scream had come from.

Severus quickly glanced to where Harry was still crouched under the cloak. “It probably came from somewhere on the grounds. Don’t worry about it, just go!”

The other two Death Eaters didn’t hesitate. They ushered Draco back down the stairs while Severus sat on the floor cradling his injured arm. “That spell always did have a nasty kickback,” he mumbled.

Harry tore the cloak off and stood over Severus, his entire body trembling with rage and shock. “You have one minute to give me a really good explanation.”

“I just fulfilled an Unbreakable Vow,” Severus answered.

“That’s what you promised to do? How could you? He trusted you. I trusted you! You kept saying I didn’t, but—”

“Harry, he knew. I thought I was just going to promise to protect Draco, and it would shut Bellatrix up. I didn’t anticipate her adding that part, but it was too late to turn back. I promised to finish Draco’s task if he couldn’t. I trust you know how to tell if memories have been doctored. They can explain everything better than I can with words.”

Harry held out his hand to help Severus up. “After this I don’t want to hear you say I don’t trust you ever again.”

“Fair enough.” Severus nodded as he took the offered hand and got to his feet.

The remaining Death Eaters were retreating, so Severus was able to lead Harry to the Headmaster’s office without anyone noticing. Severus chose two memories to show Harry: the day he’d made the vow, and the day he’d told Dumbledore about everything. Harry leaned over the Pensieve to look at them and straightened a few minutes later, looking like he was in shock. “I can’t believe he wanted to die.” An angry tear slid down his cheek.

Severus reached out to wipe the tear away. “He was old, and many people doubted him. And then his arm—it was only getting worse. He wanted an honorable death. Stupid pride.”

“And he used you to do it. Are you all right? If your arm is killing you half as much as it is me . . . I’m sorry. You need to go to the Hospital Wing.”

“It’s all right, Harry. You wanted to know the truth. I wanted you to know the truth. It’s only a broken shoulder. I’ve had worse injuries.”

Harry put his arm around Severus as they walked. “But why that spell? You had to have known it would do that.”

“Anger, mostly. He wanted me to use the Killing Curse. It’s quick and painless. Using the most painful curse I could think of was my way of rebelling a little, I guess. I meant to hit the wall a few inches to the left, but I missed.”

“Did you write that spell?”

“No, your father did. He knew how to take the backlash a little better.”

A small crowd was gathered in the Hospital Wing. They looked up when Harry and Severus entered. “Harry, thank goodness you’re all right!” McGonagall sighed in relief.

Harry scanned the group, making sure everyone he cared about was accounted for and uninjured. “Harry, what happened? Where’s Dumbledore?” Ron asked.

It all hit Harry again. He inhaled sharply and sank down into a chair. “Dumbledore’s dead.”

“No!” Remus gasped and put his head in his hands. “No, you must be mistaken.”

“I wish I was.” Harry glanced up at Severus. “I was with him when he left. We came back and saw the Dark Mark. We rushed back, and Draco . . . Dumbledore made me hide under my cloak and Petrified me so I couldn’t move. Draco was supposed to kill him, but he couldn’t. More Death Eaters came up to the tower, and one of them . . . Professor Snape tried to stop it, and he got shocked too, and fell and broke his shoulder,” Harry lied.

Severus’ lip quivered and a few tears spilled down his face. Madam Pomfrey moved to his side to examine his shoulder, mending it quickly with her wand. He reached out and took Harry’s hand, giving it a little squeeze.

Mr. and Mrs. Weasley burst through the doors and headed straight to where Bill lay unconscious. It was only then that Harry noticed him. He cringed at the sight of Bill’s mangled face. “He was bitten by Greyback—but since Greyback wasn’t in his wolf form, what does that mean?” Mr. Weasley asked.

“I doubt he’ll become a full werewolf,” Remus answered. “But other than that, I can’t really tell you. The wounds will still be tainted.”

Severus got to his feet and went over to look at Bill’s injuries. “A Flesh Restoring Salve would probably help,” he said.

“I don’t know how to make one of those,” Madam Pomfrey frowned.

“I do,” Snape answered. “Are there any blood relatives willing to make a donation?”

Remus eyed Severus. “Who taught you about blood magic?”

Severus returned his gaze. “James. Any more questions?”

“You can use mine,” Mrs. Weasley offered.

Severus nodded. He pulled a knife out of his pocket and reached for an empty vial. “If it makes you feel any better, Greyback’s head is at the top of the tower,” he said, looking straight into Mrs. Weasley’s eyes. He took her bared arm and ran his fingertips down her skin to find a likely spot. The he took the tip of the knife and bored it into her flesh so that scarlet blood welled up and flowed into the empty vial. When the vial was half full he gripped her arm tightly and dressed the wound with a bandage. “This should do it. Now I just need to get a few unicorn hairs from Hagrid.”

“Just don’t strain yourself, Severus.” McGonagall gave him a look of concern.

Severus groaned and hung his head. “You know, don’t you?”

“Yes, Dumbledore told me. Is it supposed to be a secret?”

“Yes.”

“Is what supposed to be a secret?” Harry asked. This was the second time that night someone had made a comment about something having to do with Severus.

“Purple,” Severus mumbled, and he quickly left the room.
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Blood Bound