The Other Potter

CLXXVII. SNAPE KILLED DUMBLEDORE

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"Out of here, quickly," said Snape. 

He seized Draco by the scruff of the neck and forced him through the door ahead of the rest; Bellatrix, Greyback and the squat brother and sister followed, the latter both panting excitedly. As they vanished through the door and out of earshot, Mia let out a noise that was a mix of a scream and a cry. She gasped before she looked at Harry and sprinted down the stairs, her brother following close behind. 

The twins sprinted as fast as they could after Snape and the others. The twins burst through the entrance doors, Harry with his wand in hand and Mia's eyes glowing red. The twins looked around and saw the grounds shimmering eerily in the green glow. She saw the figures fleeing towards Hagrid's Hut, and Mia's heart dropped when she heard a loud bang. Mia looked up in horror as dancing orange light spilt over all of them: Hagrid's house was on fire.

"NO!" she screamed.

"Fang's in there, yer evil. . . .!" Hagrid bellowed as Mia turned and saw Snape and Harry duelling. She looked at Draco, who stood there, unsure what to do.

"Go on!" Snape yelled, but Mia looked at him.

"Draco!" she yelled. Draco looked towards her and saw Mia sprinting towards him. She reached the taller boy and flung her tiny body upon his, wrapping her arms around his neck as she held onto him tightly. He wrapped his arms around her waist and held onto her as tightly as he could.

"I love you too," she sobbed as she held onto him, "I heard it all. I love you too, and please, please don't get hurt. Don't die, okay?"

"I won't die," he sobbed back as he rested his forehead against Mia's. "Please stay alive. Stay safe. I'll find you, okay? When all this is over, I'll find you, I promise, I will always find you."

Mia looked up at him, her eyes watered as she nodded. She sniffed as she looked at him and took a risk. She grabbed the side of his face and kissed him with more passion than she had ever done in her life. He returned the passion as he held onto her.

"Draco, go!" Snape yelled. The two jumped feet and looked behind them. Draco looked at Mia as she looked at him.

"No," she sobbed, shaking her head as he looked at her.

"I'll come back to you," he said, putting his hand on his cheek. "I always have done, and I always will."

"I love you," she sobbed as he slipped something into her pocket without her knowing.

"I know," he said as she let out a watery chuckle, "It's always been you. You've never been the other Potter, you're the love of my life and have been since the day you rejected my handshake."

She let out a watery chuckle as she held onto his hand.

"I love you, Euphemia Potter," he said as she smiled as tears fell on her freckled cheeks, "I'll find you when this is over, that's a promise."

He kissed her forehead, studying her beautiful face one last time before he ran off, leaving the teenager standing alone, silently sobbing as she watched him run away. 

There was a loud BANG, and Mia turned, seeing Harry soaring backwards, hitting the ground hard again, and this time his wand flew out of his hand. Mia's eyes went wide as she could hear Hagrid yelling and Fang howling as Snape closed in and looked down at him where he lay, wandless and defenceless as Dumbledore had been. 

"HARRY!" she yelled. 

"You dare use my spells against me, Potter?" Mia heard Snape say as she got closer. "It was I who invented them! I, the Half-Blood Prince! And you'd turn my inventions on me, like your filthy father, would you? I don't think so. . . . no!" 

Mia ran in front of her brother, and Snape shot a hex at her and she let out a scream of pain as she looked up at Snape, her eyes glowing red.

"Kill us then," panted Mia, who felt no fear at all but only rage and contempt. "Kill us like you killed him, you coward. . . ." 

"DON'T. . . ." screamed Snape, and his face was suddenly demented, inhuman, as though he was in as much pain as the yelping, howling dog stuck in the burning house behind them.

"CALL ME COWARD!" 

"COWARD!" Mia screamed. "KILL ME LIKE YOU KILLED MY MOTHER!

Snape slashed at the air, but Mia tilted her head as two energy balls appeared at her hands, and a red mist appeared over her body. She rose a few feet in the air, covered in red energy, as she narrowed her eyes at Snape. Rocks emerged from the ground next to Mia, covered in red energy as she flicked her hand, and they went flying at Bellatrix and Greyback, who were laughing and dancing at Hagrid's burning hut. 

Before the werewolf and witch had a chance to respond, Mia had raised her left hand and the two were covered in the same red energy mist as Mia was and were thrown into the sky and slammed onto the ground, knocking them temporarily unconscious. She turned to Snape, a look that could kill on her face as she floated down. 

"Run," she said, her voice a shaky whisper as she stared at him. "Run, and I won't kill you." Snape looked at her and stalked away as Mia let out a shaky breath as she bent down to Harry.

"Are you okay?" she asked, looking at her brother, who nodded and hugged her tightly. Mia sniffed as Hagrid came running out of his hut. 

"Hagrid!" Mia yelled, running to her oldest friend, "You alright?" Mia could see blood trickling down Hagrid's cheek from a deep cut under one eye, which was swelling rapidly. She got her wand out and pointed it at Hagrid's hut. "Aguamenti."

"Am alright," he said, "thanks to you." Mia smiled. "Not sure what's 'happening. But if anybody can put it right, Dumbledore can."

Mia felt a searing pain in her stomach at the sound of the name. In the silence and the stillness, horror rose inside her.

"Hagrid, Dumbledore. . . ."

"Only thing I can't reckon is what Snape was doin' with that lot," Hagrid was saying. 

"Snape killed Dumbledore," Mia said, but she didn't recognise her voice.

"Killed?" said Hagrid loudly, staring down at Harry. "Snape killed? What're yeh on abou', Mia?"

"Dumbledore," said Mia. "Snape killed. . . . Dumbledore." 

Hagrid simply looked at him, the little of his face that could be seen completely blank, uncomprehending. 

"Dumbledore wha', Mia?" 

"He's dead. Snape killed him. . . ." 

"Don' say that," said Hagrid roughly. "Snape kill Dumbledore, don' be stupid, Mia. Wha's made yeh say tha'?" 

"I saw it happen." 

"Yeh couldn' have." 

"I saw it too, Hagrid," Harry said as Hagrid shook his head; his expression was disbelieving but sympathetic, and Mia knew that Hagrid thought he had sustained a blow to the head, that he was confused, perhaps by the after effects of a jinx.

"What musta happened was, Dumbledore musta told Snape ter go with them Death Eaters," Hagrid said confidently. "I suppose he's gotta keep his cover. Look, let's get yeh back up ter the school. Come on, twins. . . ."