Stepping over the Edge

Whoever said anybody has a right to give up? - Marian Wright Edelman

Chapter 10 - Confrontation

Snape was walking down the dark corridors in a rapid pace without really knowing where he was heading. He knew that Potter was somewhere in the manor, he just didn't know where. His first thought had been the dungeons but they had proved to be completely empty, so now he was making his way through the building and once in awhile looking in through a door. When he was looking for something, in normal cases, he would use a version of the point me spell; but since he didn't want any of the other Death Eaters finding out that he was looking for Potter, he thought it best to search without the spell. And so he had, for an hour now.

This day just kept getting worse and worse, all leading back to Potter. What had Snape ever done to deserve having this brat destroying his life? All Potters were the same, arrogant and selfish, never thinking about how their actions could cause others grief. And not only did he have to deal with Potter in school, even though he did enjoy taking points from him, but now he had to walk straight into Voldemort's hiding place and look for the boy.

Snape couldn't believe he let Albus talk him into this. What had he been thinking? He couldn't just lead the entire Order in here! Voldemort was sure to find out, and he wasn't foolish enough to think they got in on their own. He would know that there was a spy, and who would he suspect then? Snape of course. Who else was in contact with all those people? This wasn't good. He could just walk out again and tell Dumbledore that he hadn't found the boy. No, he couldn't do that. Even though Snape wasn't all that fond of the boy he knew well enough that Potter would have an important roll in this war. He had stood against Voldemort so many times now and he was still alive. And if Potter was killed by the Dark Lord many would lose all their hope. He couldn't let that happen. No, he had to find Potter.

But where was he? Snape's patience was running short, he had never been much for hide and seek when he was a boy and it hadn't changed over the years. As he turned another corner he could hear a soft thud from one of the rooms on his left. Generally Snape would have been more careful; but now he had been walking around and worrying for almost an hour about finding Potter, letting the Order in and the threat of the Dark Lord finding out In addition to the prospect of finally finding Potter was such a good thought, that he didn't care about being careful.

He opened the door and one look around made him regret it instantly. Standing in front of him by the door was no other then Lucius Malfoy with his wand pointing straight at Harry Potter who was lying on the floor, clearly under the Cruciatus curse. He was twitching violently and although no sound came out from his mouth his face was screwed up in silent screams. Even though Snape had seen people put under the spell hundreds of times, even used it himself, it was such a horrible sight and he could never quite get used to it. Harry's silent screams made the sight even worse.

Snape was just about to back out of the room silently, hoping that he hadn't been noticed, when Lucius lifted the curse and looked around at him. A sadistic smirk was playing on his lips and his eyes revealing evil pleasure. How Snape loathed that man.

The first thing breaking the silence wasn't anyone of the two men that were facing each other, but a violent coughing fit from the boy on the floor. He was lying on his side, clutching his stomach, and shaking badly because of the coughing and the after effects of the curse. It was so bad that he soon started to cough up blood, which was spreading out on the floor in front of him.

"Here to join the fun Severus?" Lucius said, still with that smirk on his face.

Snape had to force a similar smirk onto his own face and looked up at Lucius. "Can't leave it all to you, can I?" he looked down at Potter again who was still fighting the intense coughing. "But how much fun is it to play with a broken toy?" he added in hopes that he could get away from here and take Lucius with him.

Lucius only sniggered and kicked Harry hard in the stomach, making his subsiding cough increase yet again. "Oh, I wouldn't call him broken. Just a little torn." He chuckled and turned towards Snape again. "You should have a go at him, I know how much you hate him and I have to leave anyway. Other business to attend."

Snape knew that it was a good way to get Lucius out of the room but he had known him for too many years not to realise that the other man wouldn't leave until Snape got started with 'the fun'. He silently cursed his own stupidity to just walk into the room without checking if it was empty first. Why had he put himself into this position?

He looked down on the boy on the floor. Not even a man yet and already he had faced more than most adults ever had and it was far from over. Snape fought hard against his instinct to just curse Lucius and make a run for it, and instead raised his wand slowly pointing it straight at Harry. He focused hard on what he had to do, knowing it was the only way, but hating it just the same. He took in a deep breath and said that one word with as much confidence as he could muster, "Crucio"

Harry started twitching immediately and once again screwed up his face in those silent screams. Snape fought hard to not let go of the curse and somewhere far away he could hear a door open and closing again a second later. He waited another second to make sure Lucius didn't come back and then he lifted this curse.

He stood completely still for several minutes just watching the boy as he coughed up more and more blood, making a small pool on the floor. When it seemed like it had subsided just a little Snape took a hesitant step towards him. "How are you feeling?"

Harry let out another cough and then looked up at his Potions master with a look of absolute loathing. "Just great you twit," he spat out and went into a new coughing fit because of the use of his sore throat.

Snape waited until it subsided before he spoke again. "I'm here to tell you that the Order will soon arrive to take you out of here," he said shortly, wanting to get away from here as soon as possible. It was true, he had never liked the boy but this was too much for anyone. Knowing what he probably had to go through as a prisoner of the Dark lord was one thing, but actually having to be the one causing him the pain was practically unbearable. Seeing this young boy lying in a pool of his own blood, hair in dirty threads, clothes torn and shaking from the aftermath of a curse placed on him by Snape himself was intolerable.

He snapped out of his thoughts as he heard Potter speaking again.

"Then go back and tell them not to bother." There was a fierce fire in Potter's eyes as he pulled himself into a sitting position against the wall. Snape didn't know if he wanted to know what or who made the boy's eyes burn like that.

"And why would I want to do that?" he asked and turned his gaze away from the Potter's eyes.

"Maybe because you don't want to bring them in here for no reason," Harry stated simply as if it was the most obvious answer.

Snape was confused but quickly fixed his face into the normal nonchalant expression. "And why wouldn't there be a reason?"

A smirk appeared on Harry's face as he looked into the Potions master's eyes. "Not very quick are you Snivillus?"

Snape felt his blood boil at the mention of the Marauders' old nickname for him. "How dare you? I'm your Professor and you shall show me respect. 50 points from Gryffindor and a month's detention."

Unfortunately this little outburst only made Harry's smirk bigger. "We're not in school now so I don't have to do a bloody thing."

"You're such a spoiled brat Potter. It's amazing you can even move with that big head of yours," Snape spat back.

Harry chuckled. "And you're the one to talk! I would have guessed you couldn't take a step without tripping on that gigantic thing you call a nose."

"I don't have to listen to this," Snape said with an angry glare. "The Order is coming and that's all I came here to tell."

"And I told you to tell them not to bother," Harry snapped back with his own angry glare.

"And why not? Why, pray tell, doesn't the fabulous Golden boy want to be saved?" Snape smirked. "Maybe you want to escape on your own. Think you're so much better then everyone else, so escaping the Dark Lord won't be that hard."

"Don't talk of what you don't know," Harry retorted in a threatening whisper.

"I talk of what ever I want you insufferable brat!" Snape spat at him. "Here the entire Order is put at risk just to save your spoiled little ass and you don't even have the decency to be thankful!"

Harry pushed himself up from the floor, swaying for a second before he found his balance. "And why the fuck should I be thankful? Because the whole god damned Order comes here to save me? What if I don't want to be saved? Does anyone care about that? Why the hell should I be thankful for them coming here, risking their lives to save the one who doesn't want to be saved?"

Snape was just as angry and he wouldn't go down that easily. "And why the hell wouldn't you want to be saved? Think you can handle the Dark Lord and all his followers all on your own? If not even Dumbledore can defeat him, a kid like you wouldn't stand a chance!"

They were only inches apart now and staring intensely at each other, eyes burning with rage.

"Maybe I don't want to be saved because I simply don't want to live? Has that thought ever crossed your greasy mind? And I sure as hell know I can't take on Voldemort on my own but that's what I have to do none the less! Is that fair? Is it fair that I never had the slightest chance of being normal and that the damned prophecy was always there to make sure my life was a living hell? Is it fair telling a sixteen year old that he will be either a murderer or murded?"

"What the hell are you talking about Potter?" Snape snapped irritated.

"He didn't tell you, did he? Tell you that the fate of the world was on my shoulders?" Harry turned around and walked up to the small window, lowering his voice to a whisper as he spoke next. "Tell you that if I failed everyone would be doomed."

There was a tense silence in the room as Snape slowly registered what Potter had said. What was he talking about? The fate of the world on his shoulders? Arrogant little brat. But didn't he say something about a prophecy? There had been a prophecy about Potter and the Dark Lord but it had been destroyed. Surely he couldn't be talking about that one could he?

"What are you talking about Potter?" he repeated his question. "The prophecy was destroyed."

It was silent again for a few minutes and right when Snape was about to ask again Harry slowly nodded his head. "Yeah, it was destroyed and no one heard it, thank God."

Snape stared at him and waited for him to continue but when it was clear that he didn't have any intent in doing so, Snape spoke again, "Then what prophecy are you talking about?"

"The same one." Harry traced a finger down the cold dirty window. "Dumbledore had heard it years before and he finally told me. It states that either I will kill Voldemort or he will kill me. That's the way it has to be."

Snape stared at the boy in silence. He couldn't believe how hard it would be to find out that you were the only one who could stop the most evil Dark Lord of all time, and finding out when you were only sixteen, it seemed unbearable. For the first time Snape felt something different towards the boy. There wasn't the usual loathing, anger or annoyance, only pity.

"Potter..."

"You should leave now," Harry said without turning his eyes from the window, "and tell them not to come."

"But you need to get away from here Potter. If it's true what you're saying then it is even more important than before."

"I already told you, I don't want to be saved," Harry's voice sounded tired and empty of feelings, giving it an almost hollow structure.

"That is not your decision to make anymore. Your life brings the fate of everyone and therefore you don't have the right to give up. You have to keep fighting."

The change was dramatic. In one fast moment Harry spun around and was right up in the Potions master's face, staring at him with eyes filled with anger. "I don't care! It's my life; I have the right to do what the bloody hell I want with it!"

"My God you have a big ego!" Snape spat out frustrated. "Stop thinking about yourself for one minute and imagine what your actions will cause everyone else."

"I don't care!" Harry screamed in his face. "It's my life. I never asked for this, I never wanted this. Why does it always have to be me? What the hell have I ever done to deserve this?"

"This isn't about you Potter. This is something much bigger than you and me. You owe it to the world, you have to fight."

Harry let out a snort, "I owe them? I owe the people who turn their backs on me as soon as they get the chance? In second year they thought I was the fucking heir of Slytherin, in fourth year they accused me of putting my name into the Goblet of Fire and last year they thought I was some attention-seeking lunatic. I owe them nothing!"

"So some of them have made of couple mistakes, that doesn't give you the right to destroy the whole world."

"Why don't you just leave? I told you I don't give a fuck about what happens to all of you so you can just bloody leave me alone." He gave Snape one more angry glare before he walked back to the window and sat down.

"And like I told you, what you think doesn't matter anymore."

A weak smile made its way over Harry's lips as a shadow crossed his eyes and he turned them towards the floor. "Like it ever did." His voice was in a low whisper and Snape wasn't sure if the words were supposed to be said out loud.

Silence took control of the room once again as both disappeared into their own thoughts. The smile had vanished from Harry's lips and he was now staring blankly at the floor and had seemingly forgotten that he wasn't alone.

After several minutes Snape spoke again, "The Order will be here soon."

Harry looked up at him with a confused look on his face like he just realised Snape was there. The emptiness soon found its way over his eyes again and he once again looked back at the floor. "Whatever."

Snape gave him one last look before he turned around and walked out of the room. They had to get Potter out of here even if they had to do it by force.

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