Draco: Phoenix Rising

Chapter Forty Nine - Snape's Revelation

Draco felt a sinking sensation. When hit with a Killing Curse, one did not scream, one fell down and bloody died! Except when the caster was one's own father and he didn't really want to kill you, but regardless, Voldemort did not cooperate. He staggered backward and his scream turned into a macabre laugh. Draco tried again, remembering to want it--God, did he want the hellish bastard to die!--but this time Voldemort deflected the bolt. The Dark Lord flung a hex at Draco, who dove aside--away from Hermione. He saw her run to Harry out of the corner of his eye.

"Snape!" Draco yelled. "What the hell is wrong with you? They've been destroyed! Do you understand? We got them all!"

Draco scored another hit on Voldemort, who reeled, but did not fall. The Dark Lord snarled at Draco.

"Idiot! Did you think I would risk losing this body? The one it took me fifteen years to gain?" The Dark Lord laughed again. "There are means of protection of which Dumbledore knew nothing!"

Draco dove behind the chair to avoid another green blast, which took a large chunk out of the furnishing. He felt momentary chagrin--Lucius was going to be furious. Snape still stood nearby with an amused smile, not moving. Draco gripped the wand tighter and registered a moment of surprise when he recognized it. How had Hermione gotten Bellatrix's wand?

"Snape! Damn you, do something!" he demanded, casting a Shield Charm just in time to deflect another blast.

"Nagini! Kill the Malfoys!" Voldemort countered before he seemed to recall the snake wasn't human and quickly hissed in Parseltongue. Draco shot a quick bolt at the snake--a move Voldemort anticipated. Draco expected the attack and leaped behind Dobby's cage. The house-elf howled in terror and pressed himself flat against the floor of the cage when it clanged loudly from the blast. Draco glanced over to see the snake's scales beginning to tighten around his parents.

"Bastard!" Draco snarled and leaped out to hit Voldemort again, but the spells were having no effect--how the hell was he managing it?

"Expelliarmus!" Voldemort shrieked and Draco felt Bellatrix's wand go flying. Bloody hell! Now he was completely defenseless. In frustration, Draco did the last thing the Dark Lord would expect--he charged him. Voldemort crashed to the floor with Draco atop him. Malfoy made sure to dig a knee hard into Voldemort's midsection when he landed. His left hand grabbed the Dark Lord's wrist while his right fumbled with the robes.

"Accio wands!" Draco hissed. This time it worked. All three wands slid from Voldemort's enfolding robes and into Draco's hand. Voldemort hurled Draco away from him with superhuman strength. Draco skid across the floor and cast a Shield Charm to deflect the inevitable hex that flew at him with intent to kill. The spell bounced off harmlessly, deflected by the odd triple-shield effect created by Draco using all three wands at once. Malfoy blinked in bemusement, never having seen anything quite like it.

Voldemort climbed to his feet, no longer amused. His red eyes fairly glowed with rage.

"Severus, kill this upstart immediately!" he snarled. "Kill them all!"

"No, I don't think I will," Snape said quietly and leveled a bizarre black spell at Voldemort that knocked him back several meters to slam into the stone wall. If Draco had thought Voldemort enraged before, it was nothing compared to the expression that now flooded his snakelike features. He seemed too livid even for words to find the last Death Eater in the room turning against him. Voldemort shot spell after spell at Snape, who either dodged them or blocked them with apparent ease.

Draco took advantage of the respite to race over to his parents. He spared a quick glance at Harry and Hermione as he passed. Granger looked pale and somewhat shaken.

"Granger, catch!" he yelled. She snatched both wands out of the air when Draco tossed them. Draco stopped in surprise when he neared the snake. His father held the reptilian head in both hands to fend off the menacing fangs, but that was not what arrested Draco's attention. Rather, it was the bloody slashes suddenly appearing on the snake's body. Draco puzzled for a moment over the source--Narcissa seemed to be unconscious, or worse. Then Draco head someone yell, "Sectumsempra!"

"Weasel? Is that you?"

"Yes," Ron yelled from somewhere beneath Potter's invisibility cloak. "Harry told me to help your parents."

Draco wondered when Potter had managed that, but he did not pause to consider it as he cast several spells while keeping half an eye on the battle raging between Snape and Voldemort. The slashing spells worked on the snake, but not quickly enough. Draco could see his father's grip weakening under the crushing grip of the coils.

A flash of red and orange obscured Draco's vision and he blinked at the phoenix that suddenly hovered in front of him. In its claws, it held the battered Sorting Hat. The hilt of Gryffindor's sword jutted from the hat. Draco snatched the sword without thinking and raced forward.

"I'm really starting to like that bird," he murmured and swung the blade in a lethal arc, narrowly missing his father's hands as he lopped Nagini's head from the still-deadly body. Lucius flung the head away and collapsed.

"Weasley! Help me get the coils off--they're still tightening!"

Draco threw the sword down and used his wand to pry the scaled menace from his parents. Parts of Weasley appeared as he tugged at the snake with hands and magic. Finally, Draco's parents were free from the twitching coils.

"Mother--is she--?"

Lucius cradled Narcissa tenderly and touched her neck. His grey eyes met Draco's.

"She lives."

Draco's relief was tangible. He gripped his father's shoulder.

"Get her out of here," he said.

"Not without you," Lucius replied and looked at the strange battle. Snape and Voldemort seemed to be at a stalemate. Snape's spells--Dark magic Draco had never seen before--had little effect on the Dark Lord. Likewise, Snape deflected Voldemort's hexes with a frightening ease.

"No. I have to see this through," Draco said. And he wouldn't leave Hermione. "He'll kill Mother if he can, to hurt both of us. You must get her to safety." Lucius sighed and picked up his wife's limp body.

"Be careful," Lucius said. "And for pity's sake, don't do anything... Gryffindor."

Draco grinned, knowing he couldn't guarantee that. He turned; smile fading as he saw Hermione sprawled next to Potter. Her head rested on Harry's shoulder. He hurried over and knelt beside her, feeling a jolt of fear at the look of pain in her brown eyes. She tried to mask it with a smile that looked more like a grimace of torment.

"I can't believe you drank that," he admonished and took her hand.

"I can't believe you love me," she replied. Draco flushed and smiled ruefully. His eyes slid to Potter's. The green orbs were tinged with amusement for the briefest instant.

"We don't have time to discuss that," Draco said. "Did you free Potter from the Imperius?"

"No need--he did it himself."

"You shook off the Imperius and then sat here? Thanks for the help, Potter," Draco snapped.

"I didn't want him to know I was free--I didn't expect Snape to step in. How is Voldemort blocking the spells?"

"I don't know. He said something about protection. He must have an amulet, or something."

"That's one hell of an amulet."

"For someone that split his own soul into several pieces and tucked them into various objects, I don't think an amulet of protection is much of a challenge."

"All right, so how do we kill him?"

"Perhaps with the three of us attacking, we can overload the amulet."

"What do you mean three?" Weasley asked.

"Don't spoil the joy of not seeing you by speaking," Draco mentioned and added, "You stay with Hermione--keep her under the cloak so Voldemort doesn't try to use her against us again." Even though she's already dying, he thought with a spasm of pain. "We've got to get the antidote from Snape."

"If there is an antidote," she said gravely.

"Don't say that!" Draco said harshly. He planted a desperate kiss on her lips--God, they were so cold--and handed her gently to Weasley, whose face had briefly appeared from the folds of the cloak.

"Ready, Potter?"

"Yeah," Harry said and got to his feet. The two of them stood together and lifted their wands.

* * * * *

Harry was glad to have his wand in hand once more. He was also glad to have Malfoy beside him, though he would never have admitted that fact. They strode forward and cast simultaneously. Voldemort shrieked at the triple onslaught--Snape had cast a jagged, purple-black hex at the same moment. The Dark Lord actually staggered.

A pleading tone entered Voldemort's voice. "Severus, why? You were always my most loyal servant!" His words were belied by the vicious hex he sent spinning toward Snape, who dispelled it with a flick of his wrist.

"Loyal servant?" Snape growled. "To you? I haven't been loyal to you for the past eighteen years! My sole reason for living has been to see you permanently destroyed!"

Voldemort snarled and shot several spells in succession. He completely ignored Harry and Draco's concerted attack, which seemed to have no effect whatsoever.

"But you killed Dumbledore!"

"Do you want to know why, you half-blood freak?" Snape cried. "You twisted, blood-tainted horror!"

"Your own father was a Muggle!" Voldemort countered angrily. Snape laughed. He sounded genuinely amused. Harry paused, as did Draco.

"Fool! You pride yourself on your power--your vaunted ability as a Legilimens, and yet you never once suspected!"

"Suspected what?" Voldemort snapped.

"You never suspected that I was not Severus Snape." With that, the former Potions master touched his wand to his own head. His skin seemed to ripple and malform. The hook nose disappeared and the greasy hair became a gleaming black mass. The features reformed into a chiseled, handsome visage. The shocked silence in the room was tangible. Harry took a disbelieving step forward.

"Sirius?"

The bright blue eyes flicked to him for a bare instant before a sneer--utterly Snapelike and familiar, but puzzlingly different at the same time--twisted the handsome lips.

"Not my dear departed brother, Potter. My name is Regulus."

Harry could not quite twist his mind around the revelation. Apparently, neither could Voldemort, who frankly gaped at him in incomprehension.

"Regulus Black? But... how?"

"How? Yes, that is quite a tale, isn't it?" Regulus casually lifted his wand and shot a lightning bolt hex that knocked the Dark Lord off his feet to smash into the ground several meters away. Voldemort climbed to his feet with a snarl. Harry looked at Malfoy, who shrugged in puzzlement.

"We seem to be a bit useless, at the moment," Draco commented. As if the words called Voldemort's attention, a green bolt shot toward Malfoy. Harry instinctively cast a Shield Charm and the spell careened away. Malfoy turned his attention back to the Dark Lord and cast a spell that echoed Snape--no, Regulus Black's--next curse.

The three of them moved to position themselves around Voldemort, who was beginning to look like a cornered animal. His protection charm had to be weakening, given the severe pounding it had taken.

"You were killed!" Voldemort yelled. "How can you be here?"

"You think you are the only one that knows about Horcruxes?" Regulus taunted. He laughed at the horrified expression on Voldemort's twisted face. "Oh yes, I know all about your little toys. But no, my explanation is far simpler. When you sent your little group of Death Eaters to kill me, I killed them instead. Bole, Pucy, and Severus Snape. I forced Snape to drink Polyjuice Potion to become me. And then I killed him. His death anchored the spell--his body remained in my likeness. I then Polyjuiced into Snape and returned to you in triumph."

Regulus quickly cast a spell that resembled Fred and George's bubble spell, except Black's seemed to be filled with poisonous gas. Voldemort struggled to dispel it. After a moment it wavered and burst.

"Of course, shortly thereafter you stupidly decided to attack the Potters when I told you about that ridiculous prophecy. The one I heard while applying for a job with Dumbledore. Under your orders I might add." That seemed to strike Regulus as funny and he chuckled--a sound so reminiscent of Sirius that Harry felt a sharp spike of pain. "You might say you engineered your own downfall."

Voldemort gathered himself and sent four quick spells zinging at Regulus. One missed and two were miraculously deflected, but the fourth spun Regulus half-around and sent him to one knee with a grimace of pain. Harry and Draco quickly attacked Voldemort, giving Regulus time to recover.

"I've never seen you take Polyjuice!" Harry called. When Barty Crouch, Jr. had playacted as Alastor Moody, he had continuously nipped from a flagon of Polyjuice Potion. Regulus rolled aside and leaped to his feet to escape additional spells. Harry thought Voldemort was definitely weakening and sent another Sectumsempra blasting at the Dark Lord.

"Once Voldemort was gone, I confessed all to Dumbledore. It was decided that I would remain Severus Snape in order to avoid Azkaban. Ironic, seeing that my dear brother was sent to that very place for a crime he did not commit."

"How could you let Sirius go to Azkaban?" Harry shouted.

"I didn't know he was innocent at the time. Frankly, I wouldn't have cared. He was a right bastard to me, back then!" Regulus raced forward and shot spell after spell at Voldemort while closing the distance. Voldemort backed away while casting deflective counter-curses. Regulus continued to speak in a casual tone, although his breath was coming in harsh gasps from exertion. "Dumbledore and I expected you to come back much sooner, Lord Voldemort. Good old Albus made my transformation permanent so that I did not have to continually imbibe Polyjuice."

A blast from Voldemort caused Regulus to pause and drop to one knee to avoid it.

"You killed Dumbledore!" Harry yelled.

"It was the only way to get back into Tom Riddle's good graces," Regulus said. "Besides, the old fool was dead already. Destroying the ring nearly killed him and drinking the potion in the cave clinched it. There was no way to save him and he knew it."

"Don't call me Tom Riddle!" Voldemort shrieked suddenly and leaped at Regulus, who was taken off-guard at the unexpected movement. He crashed to the floor with the Dark Lord on top of him. Voldemort's wand twisted into the folds of Black's robes and a reddish glow emanated from the wand to shimmer over Regulus, who threw back his head and screamed agonizingly.

Draco lobbed curse after curse at Voldemort, who finally climbed off of Regulus with a snarl and turned on Malfoy. Regulus lay still. Harry shook off his horror and joined Draco's efforts. Malfoy looked more frantic than Harry had ever seen him. He was puzzled for a moment until he remembered--oh God, Hermione. If Regulus were dead, how would they find an antidote?

"We've got to end this now!" Draco yelled, racing across the room pursued by a barrage of spells.

"How?" Harry demanded, throwing himself aside when Voldemort shifted the attack to him. "Our spells aren't working!"

"Give up, Potter!" Voldemort said and laughed. "Regulus Black was a master of the Dark Arts. You can't even cast a simple Unforgivable!"

"I can!" Draco yelled and sent three at the Dark Lord. "And you are weakening!" It was true, Voldemort was panting raggedly and he seemed to be in pain. Harry thought some of the spells were beginning to work.

"Not enough to matter," Voldemort said simply and cast again. The green bolt shot toward Draco in a flash. Malfoy cried out and fell.

"NO!" Harry screamed. With renewed energy, he attacked Voldemort once more. The reddish eyes seemed to glow with rage and he advanced on Harry, who backed away and nearly tripped over the broken chair. A bolt nearly hit him as he skirted the seat and continued backward. Voldemort followed until he stood before the chair.

"It's just you and me, Potter," Voldemort grated. "As it was meant to be." He lifted his wand in what Harry knew would be the final encounter. Harry's eyes met the reptilian orbs and he knew death was a single spell away. Make it quick, he prayed. A voice cut through Harry's dark thoughts.

"Potter, catch!"

He glanced over to see the Gryffindor sword flying hilt-first toward him from Draco's hand. Harry caught the sword without thinking, twisted, and launched himself straight at Voldemort. The blade thrust the Dark Lord backward into the chair and the force of Harry's attack sent the sword straight through Voldemort's body to pierce the chair. Harry's face was inches from Voldemort's and the red eyes were wide with reptilian surprise.

"Did I mention we destroyed all your Horcruxes?" Harry whispered coldly.

"No... it's impossible," Voldemort hissed. Blood sprayed from his lips with the words and Harry grinned like a Malfoy.

"Enjoy hell, Tom."

Voldemort howled and his body suddenly softened and twisted. Harry shoved himself away and stood back. The body, a construct of magic, seemed to both split and dissolve at once. The howling scream keened to an almost inaudible pitch and then died away. The shrunken body contained in the black robes shriveled away, leaving a shapeless mass held to the chair by the gleaming sword.

Harry fell to his knees in stunned relief.

* * * * *

Draco did not wait for Voldemort to die. After ensuring Potter actually caught the sword, he raced to Regulus Black. His hands wrapped in the black robes. Thankfully, the cerulean eyes opened.

"Draco," Regulus said and coughed. "My sweet cousin."

Draco stared at him for a moment, suddenly realizing why Snape had always seemed to favor him--and why he always spent time at the Malfoys. Regulus had always been his mother's favorite cousin... He had forsaken his family, except in the guise of a pathetic half-blood teacher. Draco shook off the thought.

"The antidote!" he demanded. "Give it to me."

"Draco. She's a Mudblood. Let her die."

Draco's hands clenched into fists and he half-lifted Black with a sob of fear. Regulus had sacrificed eighteen years of his life for his pureblood ideals. Would he sacrifice Hermione to spare Draco from the Mudblood taint? Draco had never begged for anything in his entire life. He did so now.

"Please. Please, Regulus."

Black coughed again and blood flecked his lips.

"It's for your own good, cousin."

Draco nearly slammed Black's head into the floor in frustration.

"Let me worry about my own good, damn you!" he snarled. "Now, where is it?"

Regulus shut his eyes and sighed. "It's in my office. Left of the door. Cabinet--second shelf. Third bottle over. Green label. Cousin, you'll never get there in time."

Draco flung himself to his feet and raced for the passage, knowing Regulus spoke the truth. The poison had already been in Hermione's system far too long. When Draco reached the entrance, he bowled over Ginny Weasley as she exited. She glared at him from the ground and he stared at her red hair for a moment as a wild idea dawned.

"Fawkes!" Draco yelled suddenly, scanning the room. The bird had evidently been perched nearby, for it only took a moment for it to land on Draco's shoulder. Malfoy sagged in relief. "Get the antidote. Snape's office!" He explained where it was and the phoenix streaked off in a blur. Draco clenched his fists in anxiety, skirted the red-haired stick girl without looking at her and walked to Hermione--still half-covered by Harry's cloak. Ron moved aside as Draco sat down heavily and slid Hermione's head into his lap. Her body was wracked with pain and she was drenched in sweat.

Harry Potter stood nearby with a worried expression. Ginny slipped her arms around him.

"Hold on, Granger, you insanely stubborn Gryffindor," Draco murmured and took both her hands in his. She squeezed his hands tightly, white-knuckled. Hurry, bird, he urged.