𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙜𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙩 𝙬𝙖𝙧

chapter 9

"where did you go, harry?" talia asked as they walked out of hogwarts. harry glanced over.

"snape's tears. i saw his memories."

tal stopped walking.

"what?" she asked, looking at the boy. he swallowed and kept on, causing her to follow.

"voldemort doesn't know you're the true owner of the elder wand because snape convinced him he killed dumbledore." harry explained. talia furrowed her eyebrows.

"why would he do that? there were witnesses." she thought about the deatheaters on the tower that night.

"he did it to protect you. voldemort doesn't want you dead like he does me. he thinks he's the owner of the wand, now. he wants you to help him."

"help him?"

harry stopped walking and looked at talia seriously.

"snape wasn't what we thought he was."

silence formed as talia processed everything that was being said. she thought back to when snape told draco he would be tutoring her. he was trying to help her then, too. he knew draco would protect her, and she would protect him.

it was all planned.

"are you alright with killing the snake?" harry asked, the two of them walking again. tal grew silent, thinking.

"i've fought with her before. i can do it again." she said, remembering when nagini found them in that village the night she saw jane's grave.

"and then we'll go after him together. you can't do it alone, harry. i won't let you." tal went on.

harry didn't say anything.

the two kept walking in silence before they reached the border of the forest. talia took a deep breath.

"harry...i don't know if i can do this." she whispered. harry stared at the floor before giving her a look.

"tal, the snake. i see it." he said. talia put a hand on his shoulder.

"are you sure? i don't. i don't even hear anything." she looked around.

"it's in the castle. he knows our plan."

tal chuckled.

"but that's impossible."

"you have to go back." harry looked back at hogwarts.

"no! i'm not letting you face him alone." tal protested.

"you have to find the snake and kill it. i'll wait here."

talia didn't believe him. they've gotten so close, and he would just stand outside and wait?

she wasn't sure if she knew he was seeing right. maybe voldemort was tricking them. she couldn't see or hear anything like she normally did with the horcruxes.

but she trusted harry and his instincts.

she glanced back at the castle, then back at him.

"harry potter, if you move and go into this forest without me, i'll kill you myself." talia said. harry nodded.

"i won't."

she gave him one last look before running back where they came from.

she was going into the castle blind. there was no snake in her head, no whispers like there usually were. why?

it was starting to grow lighter outside when talia reapproached hogwarts. she saw neville, going through the rubble and limping.

"neville! neville!" tal called, running up to him. she was out of breath from running. neville looked at her concerned.