Free Will and Fate

Just as Harry reached the bottom of the steps leading into the dungeons, he stopped short; a wave of dizziness swept over him. He blinked hard as the hall swam in and out of focus. His fingers fumbled for the banister. Hermione reached for his shoulders just as he began to stumble, sinking down until he sat hard on the last stair.

"Harry?" Hermione yelled. She jumped down the remaining steps. "What's wrong?"

A sharp pain shot through Harry's head. He closed his eyes and tried to push the feeling away. It had become difficult to focus. Briefly, he saw Snape's back and legs as he bent over someone before the vision was pushed from his mind and the dungeon hall came back into view.

"It's Voldemort. I can hear him. He--he's laughing."

"What?" Hermione crouched next to Harry at the bottom of the stairs and placed a hand on his shoulder. "Can you tell where he is?"

He looked at her, wincing as another sharp pain struck him. "They're in Snape's office."

"That's impossible," Hermione said. She looked down the hall then, straining to hear sounds coming from the office. "We would've seen him on the Marauder's Map."

"He's not exactly human right now," Harry said. "I don't think he would show up." He closed his eyes briefly and forced away the pain causing him to lose focus on their conversation. "They're torturing Tonks. You have to go back upstairs and get help."

"I have to go?" she asked. She glanced down the hall again before turning back to him, her fingers sinking deep into his shoulder. "Tell me you're not going to do what I'm thinking. Harry, you can't," she pleaded. "If he's really in there, he could kill you now."

"They're torturing her. Do you expect me to just do nothing?" he asked. Harry was suddenly reminded of having almost the same conversation with Hermione a little over two weeks earlier, when it was Sirius he felt he had to save. He had been wrong then. He knew he wasn't now.

A high, blood-curdling scream carried through the air. They locked eyes as the sound echoed against the walls around them before fading away. They didn't have time to waste arguing and they both knew it. Hermione nodded. "I'll bring them down here as soon as I can."

"I'll do whatever I can to help her," Harry said. When Hermione paused on the step above him, he added, "I'll stay safe. I promise. Run."

Nodding, Hermione took the stairs two at a time, wincing as another scream rent the air of the cool halls below her.

Draco entered his dorm room, looking around quickly as his eyes adjusted to the dim lighting. He pulled the door shut and walked towards his bed in the far corner, searching for the barely discernable outline that would indicate the presence of another person.

"Are you still here?" he whispered.

"Of course," Bellatrix said into his ear.

Draco jumped and turned swiftly, straining to make out his aunt's form in the low lighting. "The um...I couldn't get into the office. There was some kind of alarm."

Bella sighed. "I thought your father taught you how to work around these things."

"Breaking into the Headmistress's office is a lot different than breaking into someone's desk," he commented. A slap to his face was his aunt's response. He frowned, rubbing the place where her skin had met his. "You know, if you want me to help you--"

"Don't take that tone with me, Draco," Bella began. He felt the edges of her nails playing along his throat and had to force himself not to take a step backwards. "I don't take kindly to family disloyalty. Since you didn't have the ability to break into the office, you'll have to do one last thing for me," she said.

Draco leaned back until her nails no longer made contact with his skin. "What is that?"

"You'll have to go into my office and retrieve something from my desk." She paused. "I would not advise coming back without it, Draco. Many lives may depend on how you handle this."

Hermione ran up the staircase to the Headmistress's office and banged on the door. She wrenched it open before anyone could answer. Looking around, she spotted Dumbledore and Sirius having an animated discussion on the far side of the office. "Where's Professor McGonagall?" she asked. She coughed and leaned against the wall just inside the door, clutching her side to ease a persistent cramp.

"Miss Granger, you should catch your breath." Dumbledore came forward and placed a hand on her shoulder. "What's happened? Sit and explain."

"There's no time," Hermione said, grabbing Dumbledore's wrist. "Where is she? We have to go back."

Sirius stepped forward. He pulled his wand out as he asked, "It's started, hasn't it?"

"Voldemort is in the office with them," Hermione explained. She paused. "Harry said Tonks is being tortured. He's stayed down there to help. I couldn't talk him out of it," she said as Dumbledore went over to the fireplace. "Where's Professor McGonagall?" she asked again.

"Escorting Lily to the Great Hall after they pick up Raven," Sirius responded. He looked over as Dumbledore swore. "What is it?"

"Severus has blocked off Floo access. We'll have to take the long way." Going towards the stairs, Dumbledore stopped next to Hermione. "You must do something for me, Miss Granger. It's very important." She nodded. "I need you to use the Floo to get a message to Kingsley Shacklebolt or Gawain Robards. Tell them I don't care if they're finished with the interrogation, I need every available Auror at Hogwarts immediately."

Motioning to Sirius, Dumbledore led the way downstairs.

The screams echoing against the walls caused Draco to flatten himself against the wall and freeze in place, eyes widening as the voice rose higher. It was coming from the next hall. Peeking around the corner, he saw that all of the doors were closed. The screams started again and he closed his eyes until the unsettling sound died down. He had to do this, in spite--no because he didn't want to end up like whoever was currently screaming inside Professor Snape's office. Family or not, he had no doubt Aunt Bella would do exactly as she'd threatened in his room.

Moving quickly, Draco strode down the hall and unlocked the door to her office, slipping inside and closing the door behind him. Pausing as another scream started, he tried to remember where she'd told him to look. He went over to the desk and unlocked the top right drawer with the spell she'd given him. He dug through the papers inside until his fingers closed around a small black box.

Lifting it out, he lifted the lid and examined the bracelet inside. It was just as Bella had described it: a thin, gold chain adorned with several charms. Remembering the most urgent of her instructions, Draco checked that the small notebook charm and the gleaming gold cup dangling from the bracelet were firmly secured to the thin chain before closing the box and slipping it into his pocket.

As he reached for the doorknob, shouts from outside caught his attention. There were at least two voices, just outside Professor Snape's office. Looking around, Draco spotted his only option. As a blast shook the walls and floor, Draco stepped inside the Floo, removed the spell disabling it and escaped into the Slytherin common room.

Harry approached the door slowly, wincing as Tonks's next scream coincided with another sharp pain through his head. He pulled out his Invisibility Cloak and the knife at the same time, simultaneously hoping for a bit of relief for the Auror inside and wishing Snape would be distracted long enough for him to get into the office to help.

After a few seconds of fiddling with the blade, Harry swore. The knife wasn't opening the door. He pointed his wand at the lock and began muttering spells to unlock it, another scream forcing him to wince as he did so. "Confrigo," Harry whispered, cursing again as the door shook lightly in its frame before remaining as immobile as it had before.

Harry looked up as steps coming down the stairs indicated that help had come. He had just enough time to move away from the door, clutching the Invisibility Cloak around himself, before Dumbledore and Sirius stopped outside the office.

"Severus, open this door!" Dumbledore shouted. He motioned for Sirius to come around to his other side. "You won't be able to escape!"

Tonks stopped screaming and Harry felt temporary rage flash through his mind before Snape answered.

"I don't need to escape," he called out. "I've done everything that needs to be done." Tonks screamed again and Snape laughed. "I just have a little business to take care of and you then you can have the remains."

"Blasting Curse on three," Dumbledore whispered. Sirius nodded. Harry inched further away from the door, holding his wand in front of him as the older wizard began the countdown. Seconds later, the door blasted open and Dumbledore and Sirius ran inside, Harry following close behind them.

Draco had scarcely entered the room when he felt the touch of his aunt's nails on the back of his neck.

"I trust you did the right thing, Draco," she whispered into his ear. Her nails sank into his skin, drawing a small amount of blood. "Disappointing me is not an option."

Wordlessly, he pulled the box from his pocket and held it in the air, frowning when she snatched the box with one hand, but did not release him.

"Is there something else?"

Her low chuckle sent a shiver down his back. "There will be plenty more for you to do in the days and weeks to come, dear nephew. I hope you'll be prepared to help your family in every way you can. Starting with getting back at Harry Potter."

Draco turned to face his aunt, straining to see her outline. "What do you mean? Why would I want to get back at him?"

Bellatrix chuckled and released her nephew. "Because he's the one who's gotten your father into the mess he's in. Keep your enemy close, Draco. I'll be in touch." Before he could ask her to explain what she'd meant about his father, she'd slipped out of his dorm room and down the stairs to escape through the Floo connection in the common room.

Dumbledore entered the office first, blocking the first spell Snape aimed at him with practiced ease. Sirius levitated Tonks out of the way, moving the chair into the far back corner of the office; his eyes hardened when he saw the condition his cousin was in. He knew it was a miracle she'd remained alive this long.

Snape smiled and moved his arm back and forth, brandishing his wand at both men. "Black, I might've known you'd come to join the party," he said from behind the desk. "Never could resist the chance to take me down."

"You could never resist being a sorry, slimy excuse for a wizard," Sirius responded. Keeping his eyes firmly trained on Snape, he began walking to his left, his wand at eye level.

Harry crept further into the office, sidling up behind the chair where Tonks was still tied up. He Vanished the ropes binding her to the chair and Tonks slumped to the floor in a bloody heap, too beaten to cry out as she made contact with the cold stone. As Snape had tortured her, her face had gradually gone back to its natural features, her hair became a light, mousy brown, her half-open eyes dark and dull. She was breathing, just barely, and appeared to be unconscious.

Quickly covering her with his Cloak, Harry pulled her as close to himself as he could and began sliding towards the door. A sharp pain in his head stopped him in mid-motion and he froze halfway to the door, staring through the Cloak at the snake curled beneath the desk. Harry knew he couldn't be seen, but that didn't make it any less nerve-wracking to look at the glowing red eyes that seemed to be following his movements. He watched the snake for a few seconds, then slowly began inching sideways again, staying low to avoid the spells he knew would begin flying across the room at any moment.

Dumbledore circled the office to the right, keeping his wand thrust forward as Snape began to step back. "You don't have to fight us on this, Severus," Dumbledore said. "You'll get a fair trial."

Snape laughed as he looked at the Minister. "Play your games with someone else. There's only one reason you came down here yourself with Potter's best friend."

"If this was about personal vendettas, I would have killed you already," Dumbledore responded. "Just put your wand down and we won't have to hurt you."

Snape responded by shooting another spell at the former Headmaster. It was blocked by Sirius as he edged closer to the desk. His eyes darted back and forth between the other two men.

"What does James have to do with this?" Sirius asked.

Snape chuckled. "Still keeping secrets, Dumbledore? You always had a talent for hiding things," he added, easily blocking a spell from Sirius. Seconds later, he levitated the desk to crash against a wall of the office and the orange and black snake unfurled itself, inching forward slowly and hissing into the sudden quietness of the office.

"Your dear friend Potter," Snape said, "was in my way." He smiled as Voldemort moved forward and Sirius shuffled back a couple of steps. "I removed the obstacle, just as I tried to take care of Potter's clone a few minutes ago. Pity you sent that little girl in here in his place." He smiled and raised his wand as Sirius glared. "If she survives, she can tell him about the quality time we spent together. That is, if I don't get to have some fun with him first."

"You won't lay a hand on Harry," Sirius said. He stepped back another step as the snake slithered forward a bit.

"Oh, are you going to save him the way you couldn't save his father?" Snape asked. He flicked his wand quickly and a sleeve of Sirius's shirt split open, allowing a small line of blood to show through on his arm. "I doubt very much if you'll be leaving this office alive, let alone saving the boy. As you can see," Snape began, stepping forward to where his desk had been, "I have a little more on my side than a meddling old man and an overly confident Auror. You think you can stop us?" He laughed again, the sound low and chilling. "You're going to die screaming. Just like Potter," he said slowly. "And I'm going to love every second of it."

"Impedimenta!" Sirius shouted just as Voldemort hissed and slid forward. The snake flew back and landed just behind Snape's feet. In quick succession, spells began flying back and forth across the room. Dumbledore sent the snake flying back again, a bright blue glow encasing it's body, while Sirius defended them both against the curses Snape was sending almost non-stop, nearly panting in the effort it took to block them.

Slashes appeared across his shirt again and Sirius screamed as a wad of flesh disappeared from his cheek and his face began bleeding profusely. Snape hit Dumbledore's wand hand with a spell and he lost concentration, allowing Voldemort to escape from the temporary bindings holding him at bay.

A deep ache began just behind his eyes and Sirius grabbed at his head, trying desperately to employ Occlumency to block the unwelcome invasion. Just as Snape raised his wand to cut Sirius again, a shout of "Expelliarmus!" came from the doorway and his wand slipped, only allowing him to cut his target across the chest. Dumbledore glanced briefly at the empty doorway before returning his attention to where the snake slithered forward across the floor, its red eyes locked with his.

As Voldemort moved closer, another shouted spell from the doorway stopped the snake in its tracks. It attempted to lunge forward again before Dumbledore sent it flying back with a flick of his wand. The body of the snake quickly became engulfed in flames.

With a scream, Snape moved to put out the flames, but it was too late. Where the snake had been lay only a few shreds of smoking carcass. "Who are you?" Snape asked. He aimed a spell at the doorway Harry had just vacated. "Is that you, Potter? Too afraid to face me like a man after skulking around behind my back these past weeks?" Snape blocked a spell from Sirius and began walking around the remains of the snake Voldemort had been, his eyes darting around the office in search of the unseen third person.

"Give up, Severus, or we will be forced to kill you," Dumbledore said quietly.

Instead of responding, Snape sent a quick series of spells back and forth between the two men, ducking when they blocked them and began sending curses back. Sirius took another cut across his face and Snape screamed seconds later, clutching the spot where Dumbledore had cursed his ear off. Snape turned to Dumbledore and aimed several curses at his legs, collapsing the older wizard to the ground, before turning to Sirius and sending one final slash across his throat, deep enough to send him to the floor of the office, clutching at his bleeding wound as blood flowed through his fingers.

Turning back to Dumbledore, Snape raised his wand and smiled slowly. Acting on instinct, Harry raised his wand and shouted the spell he'd been practicing in his head for days. He let the Invisibility Cloak drop to the floor and repeated the incantation, stepping forward as his stepfather acknowledged his presence by raising his hand and blasting a spell in Harry's direction. He sent the teenager flying against the back wall. Harry fell to the floor screaming as waves of pain rippled through his body.

"Good of you to face your death like the man your father never was, Potter," Snape said. "It's too bad your little attempt at turning the tables wasn't--" He stopped suddenly and coughed. Then he coughed again, this time with a small measure of blood bursting from his lips.

His own screams joined his coughs as Snape dropped his wand, clutching his stomach when smoke began to emit from his midsection. Soon, flames began to eat their way out of his torso and he stumbled about the office, shooting the others a pleading look before sinking to his knees, screaming in pain and then choking as blood flowed from his lips and down the front of his quickly darkening robes.

Sirius sat up from the floor, one hand still touching the wound Dumbledore had haphazardly healed for him before turning his attentions to Harry. Sirius looked at the man suffering before him in alarm. "Is that--Harry, that's not fiendfyre, is it?" At Harry's nod, he lifted his wand. "We've got to put it out."

Harry, surprised by his godfather's merciful instinct, lurched forward from his position on the floor, grabbing his wrist before Sirius could perform the required spell. "That man killed my father," he said, his words carrying to his godfather just above the sound of Snape's screams.

Sirius turned to him, realization and a measure of contempt filling his face. He lowered his wand. They watched in silence as their common foe was consumed by the cursed flames, screaming in agony until his vocal chords were eaten up by the quickly moving flames. When the fire started to spread, Harry and Sirius backed out of the room holding each other up, leaving Dumbledore to put out the fire before it could spread beyond the dungeon office.

Just as they reached the ground floor, Harry fell from his godfather's hold and onto the cold stone of the Entrance Hall, pain he had scarcely imagined possible consuming his body. He began screaming.

"Harry?" Sirius kneeled next to him, putting his arms around his godson as Dumbledore came up the stairs behind them. "Harry, what--?" Sirius looked at Dumbledore for help as he lowered Tonks to the floor next to the stairs. Quickly, the Minister cast a charm on the door to the Great Hall, preventing everyone inside from hearing the commotion.

Dumbledore kneeled next to the screaming teenager, his normally calm eyes clouded with confusion and worry. "I thought Severus had only used the Cruciatus Curse. The effects of the spell should have worn off as soon as he died. We have to get them both to St. Mungo's as soon as we can."

Sirius nodded. He glanced back and forth between his cousin and godson, tears filling his eyes. "How long have you known what he did to James?"

Dumbledore looked up from where he'd been attempting to make Harry more comfortable. There was a brief hint of pain in the light blue eyes before he returned his gaze to the agonized boy on the floor. He whispered a spell and Harry fell into a deep sleep. Dumbledore looked up at Sirius, his eyes expressionless.

"I was certain several days ago," he said. "I never suspected Severus of any wrongdoing before these past few days," he said, the lie coming out easily once he'd begun it. Before Sirius could question him further, several shrieks carried down the hall. Hermione led the charge, just beating Lily, Raven, Professor McGonagall and Kingsley Shacklebolt to where the men kneeled on the floor. Raven joined Hermione on the floor next to her brother, tears streaming down her face as she took in Harry's unconscious form.

"Albus?" McGonagall asked. "What happened? Has it ended?"

"Harry!" Lily dropped to her knees and grabbed Harry by his shirt, pulling her son's head into her lap. Frightened eyes looked first at Sirius, then Dumbledore. "Are they...?"

"They are severely injured, but still alive," Dumbledore said. "We must get them to St. Mungo's immediately." He turned to Kingsley. "There's a mess waiting in the dungeons. As soon as we get them to the hospital, I'll need you to return and secure the area. Where's Robards?"

Kingsley shook his head, his eyes casting away from the other man's face. Dumbledore swore softly. "She's gone," he said as he examined Tonks. "There are people searching all over the Ministry, but no one's seen her for at least an hour."

"Professor Lestrange is gone?" Hermione asked in a soft voice.

"What do you mean there's a mess in the dungeons?" McGonagall asked. As Dumbledore's gaze met hers, she gasped, turning to Lily as both women caught his meaning.

Lily glanced briefly at her daughter. "But, I thought you were just going to--"

"Harry saved our lives," Sirius said quietly.

Hermione's eyes shot to him before going to McGonagall and back down to Harry. Her mouth pulled down in a deep frown, dozens of questions whirring through her head but remaining unasked.

Kingsley began to levitate Tonks. Dumbledore pulled himself upwards until he was standing.

"I need a full explanation of what's happened," Lily said as McGonagall began to levitate her son. Raven wrapped her arms around her mother and turned her face into her robes, tears coursing down her cheeks silently.

Dumbledore nodded as they followed the Headmistress and Auror to the stairs. "I think we could all do with an assessment of all that's taken place today. First, let us count our blessings--the majority of us are left alive. There is plenty of time to deal with everything else."