Harriet Potter 2

Unwelcome

Severus was woken by three bangs on his door in quick succession. His first thought was Harriet, before he remembered that all of the students had left Hogwarts for term break.

Throwing himself out of bed with practiced speed, he opened his door a crack to see who was disturbing him at this hour, without revealing his shirtless form to the interloper.

When Severus caught a glimpse of the sight beyond his door, he threw it open quickly ushering his visitor inside, all thoughts of his state of undress quickly forgotten.

"Sit" he ordered as he flicked his wand and a series of small bottles came flying into his palm.

"Drink" he ordered, handing his visitor one small bottle at a time, until all three potions had been drained.

He knelt before his visitor, focussing as he cast a number of enchantments in rapid succession.

It was as he had suspected, when he first saw the unwelcome sight outside his door.

Snape rose to his feet, before turning to a cupboard, withdrawing another larger bottle and two glasses.

He poured the first glass with a remarkably steady hand before turning to pass it to his guest. "Drink" he ordered once more.

Turning back to the cupboard he poured a second glass, sipping deeply. Snape used his moment facing the cupboard to force his face into neutrality. He could not allow his guest to see how shaken he was, how terror now roiled in his gut as his mind feverishly calculated the outcomes and implications of the news he had to impart. He sipped again, as he willed his heart to stop hammering in his chest before turning around again.

When Severus finally spoke his deep voice was eerily calm. "Albus."

The old wizard's sharp blue eyes met his unflinchingly "yes, Severus?"

Severus' words were slow as he continued, "It appears that you have come into contact with a cursed object."

Dumbledore raised his withered black hand to the dim light before using his other hand to slip a cracked ring from his finger. "Yes, it appears so, doesn't it?" Albus replied amiably.

"I have managed to isolate the damage to your hand for now, but it was a very powerful curse." Severus took  in a deep breath before saying the words that he was certain Dumbledore already knew. "You are dying, Albus."

"Ah I see" Dumbledore replied mildly, as though Snape had just told him that they had run out of lemon sherbets. In fact, Severus suspected that the absence of his beloved sherbets was likely to have resulted in a stronger reaction from the wizard. "And how long do I have?"

Severus eyed the blackened hand warily "with the right potions I should be able to extend the time you have left, but not by much."

Severus picked up the now neutralised ring, examining it closely in the light.

"Pity, an old man's vanity" Dumbledore replied airily as though he had merely tried on the cursed ring for fashion. Fabulous though the old man's robes were, Snape had no doubt that he was covering for something. As Severus examined the ring, questions and answers started to expand in his mind.

Albus put down his glass and met Snape's gaze. "Severus, I need you to kill me" he said simply.

"Should I do it now, or would you like to say a eulogy first?" Snape replied dryly.

Dumbledore's gaze was intense upon his own "please Severus. It's crucial for the war. You will be cemented in Voldemort's ranks."

Snape pinched the bridge of his nose. Sometimes it was as though Dumbledore thought of him as a tool to be used at will, rather than a fellow human.

"The dark lord has ordered Draco to kill you" he replied slowly, as he began calculating outcomes once more.

"You can spare him from the burden of being a murderer, Severus" Albus entreated.

Snape's jaw tightened. The implicit suggestion here seemed to be that while Draco deserved 'sparing', Severus himself did not. While he might formerly have been willing to sacrifice himself thoughtlessly for the war, he now had something else, or rather someone else, to factor into his calculations. Harriet.

Albus watched pleasantly as Severus paced back and forth across the room.

No matter which way he sliced it, Albus' impending death meant only one probable outcome for himself.

Severus had seen Harriet's reaction to Sirius' death. He had watched her break apart. If, or rather, when, as it now seemed, Severus himself was to die, it would almost certainly destroy her completely.

His heart clenched as he pictured her face, recalled the feeling of her in his arms. His reckless, impertinent, brave little Gryffindor, who couldn't keep her sassy mouth closed, but could take on the deadliest death eaters in battle and emerge victorious. His Harriet.

However was he going to protect her precious heart and get her safely through the war? The wizarding world needed her.

Finally Severus looked up and met Dumbledore's sharp blue gaze before he spoke, his voice dangerously raw. "I'll do it. Now get out of my sight."