Harry Potter and the War of Souls

Chapter 12

What Dumbledore Knew

On either side of Harry lay Ron and Hermione. They were bound and gagged in silver cords, but with a desperate look in their eyes they begged forgiveness for not having been able to stop Snape.

"How dare you?" Snape asked. "How dare you invade my history?"

"That's my history!" Harry yelled at him. His wand was in his back pocket and he began formulating a plan to retrieve it.

"As transparent as ever," Snape sneered and with a wave of his wand, he summoned Harry's from his pocket, then held it in his other hand. "Of course that was your history. Why do you think you saw those memories? Didn't you suspect even for a moment that I was out here, directing them? It's no coincidence you saw what you did."

Harry pressed his lips together. He had assumed the memories were showing him what he wanted to see. "Why'd you show me all that?" he asked. "What did you hope I'd see, because all I saw was a traitor who did too little too late. And you weren't there to stop Voldemort, you just wanted my mum for yourself!"
"Nobody stops the Dark Lord." Snape turned to Hermione and with another wave of his wand, the gag in her mouth vanished. "She knows why I showed you what I did."

Hermione nodded and swallowed hard before speaking. "Harry, he was a part of the spell that saved your life that night. Without him, you would have died."

"He only did it for my mom."

"That is partially true," Snape admitted, his upper lip curling. "But there was something more, something that has haunted me since then. I hated your father, yes, but I still owed him a life debt. I hoped to fulfill it that night by saving both him and your mother, but he would not leave you. Because of his stubbornness, I failed to repay that debt."

"How terrible for you," Harry said sarcastically. "What a burden to have shouldered all these years."

"It is my burden," Snape said. "The debt didn't end with James' death. It merely transferred to you."

Harry had not expected that and for a moment he did not know how to respond. "To me?"

"I cannot rest, much as I wish I could, until you are at last safe. My life, my soul is bound to you. And for more than six years I've had to watch you flaunt yourself in the face of danger, recklessly putting yourself in the path of your enemies. Since the night your parents died, it has been my task to help protect you. And unfortunately, you will never be truly safe until the Dark Lord is defeated."

"That's why Dumbledore trusted him," Hermione said. "He knew Snape couldn't betray you, not even if he wanted to."

"But you could betray Dumbledore, couldn't you?" Harry asked. "You had no debt to him."

Snape's eyes widened and he grabbed Harry by the throat, pulling him to his feet. He glanced back in the room. "Mr. Weasley, Miss Granger, those bands will have worn off by morning. Tell no one I was here or risk never seeing your friend again." He pushed Harry into the fireplace and threw some floo powder down, muttering, "Spinner's End."

Harry felt himself being pulled from the fireplace through the network until at last he was spat out into the fireplace of another very old, very dusty library. Where was this place?

He was kicked from behind by Snape, who popped out of the fireplace right behind him. "Ow," Harry said, now on all fours.

"Why didn't you move out of the way?" Snape snarled. "Nobody sits in a floo fireplace without expecting to get hit."

Harry stood and began walking around the room. "Where are we?"

"My home." Snape pulled out a chair and used some movement of his wand to clear the dust from it. He sat on it and folded his arms, still holding Harry's wand in his hand.

"I want my wand back," Harry said.

"So we can do another foolish duel?" Snape said. "No thank you."

"Then why are we here?"

"I must make you understand about Dumbledore."

"I understand that you killed him. I saw the whole thing."

"No, Potter. How long have you been a part of our world and yet you believe only what you see with your eyes?" He paused, almost like a dog on alert. "Wait a moment." He stood and crept to the door of his library and opened it slightly. After a brief wait, he seemed satisfied that there was nothing wrong. Harry used the distraction to grab one of the heavy books from the shelf. He swung it at Snape, who yelled out with pain when the book hit his arm, and dropped Harry's wand. Harry grabbed it before Snape could recover and shoved it in Snape's face.

"I could kill you right now," Harry said. "I should."

"You're no killer."

"But you are, and this is what you deserve."

"Dumbledore gave his life for Draco, for you, for Hogwarts." Snape lowered his eyes. "For me."

"You pathetic liar!" Harry yelled and before he realized fully what he was doing, he waved his wand at Snape and knocked him back, crashing him against the far wall. A mountain of books cascaded upon Snape, then there was silence. Harry stood, stunned for a moment, then crept toward Snape. He began moving the books, then saw Snape lying against the wall, his head nearly resting on his shoulder and eyes closed. Was he breathing?

Harry leaned forward to check him, then heard Snape whisper, "Incarcerous." Harry raised his wand to create a shield spell, but it was too late. He fell back, bound in thin but unyielding cords.

Snape muttered something else Harry couldn't hear and the books parted, allowing him to stand. He was limping heavily, however, something in which Harry took a small bit of pride.

Snape knelt very close to him and stared into his eyes. Harry shut his, determined that Snape would not get into his mind. But Snape shook him and said, "No, not your mind, Potter. You're going into mine."

Harry opened his eyes. Was it a trick? "Why?"

"You had no problem going into my pensieve. This is not much different. I want to show you something."

"I can't. I'm not good at legilimency."

"You're not good at making yourself do it, but you've done it several times without meaning to, correct?" When Harry didn't answer, he continued. "Besides, I will not block you, and in fact, I'm going to help you in. Now look at me and concentrate."

Harry focused his eyes on Snape's. He hated the man he stared at, and saw only hatred looking back at him. But he was quickly sucked into the man's eyes and soon found himself with Snape in Dumbledore's office.

Dumbledore looked exactly as Harry had remembered him from last year, vital but tired, and older than ever. Still, Harry stared at him intently, soaking in every detail he could of this great man, knowing he might never have the chance again to see him alive.

"I'm dying," Dumbledore said to Snape, massaging his withered right hand.

"We may yet find a potion," Snape said. "There is always a way."

"You cannot snatch a man back from his death," Dumbledore said. "You have extended my life this year and for that I am grateful. But let's not waste precious time pretending that my end will be any different."

"Nor will my end," Snape said, with a tinge of urgency in his voice. "I beg you to reconsider our plan."

"I cannot and will not," Dumbledore said. "You made the vow for the most valiant of reasons, to protect a young and foolish boy in your own house. I'd no sooner blame you for that than blame myself for this injury to my hand. We have made our choices and now must see them through."

"I still cannot get a good understanding of what Draco is doing here. If I press him any further, he will become suspicious."

"Draco has also made his choice, Severus. When the end comes, whatever it is, you must see that he is saved."

Harry felt himself being pushed away, and though he tried to stay, he could not fight Snape. He blinked hard and found himself back in the library of Spinner's End.

"Dumbledore may have been dying, but you cast the curse," Harry muttered. "I saw you, I heard you say those words."

"What is the effect of the Killing Curse, Potter? You've seen it enough to know."

"There is a flash of green light. The person falls to the ground dead."

"Is that what you saw when Dumbledore died?"

Harry shook his head. "No. But he was no ordinary wizard."

"The death is always the same. It respects nobody. Dumbledore was a great wizard but he was a dying wizard. I uttered the words but they were without meaning, and without the intention behind it, they are only words."

"So you're telling me Dumbledore committed suicide?"

Snape laughed. "Not at all. He was a dead man walking. There was never any question of whether he would die, only when he would let go of his life. But he was not afraid of death and when it came to its climax on that tower, that either I say the words or Draco lose his life for failure to accomplish his task, Dumbledore made his choice. It was timed as Dumbledore intended it to be."

Harry closed his eyes and pictured those last moments on the tower. Though he didn't feel any differently about the hateful man he was, he knew in his heart that Snape was telling him the truth. Snape was sadistic, cruel, unforgiving, and a thousand other terrible things, but he was no murderer.

As if he sensed this, Snape used his wand to untie Harry. Harry redoubled his grip on his own wand, but made no move to fight Snape.

"If all this is true," Harry said, "why haven't you come forward? The Order is hunting you. They will find you and happily kill you off for what you've done."

"I will never be able to prove myself to everyone," Snape said. "You were there that night, so you are in a position to understand what happened. For the rest of them, I would have little defense. Besides, the plan between Dumbledore and I came with consequences as far reaching for myself as for him. I am still carrying out our plan."

"What do you mean?"

"I made an unbreakable vow with Narcissa Malfoy that I would protect her son. That vow is still in effect. In addition, I have gained the Dark Lord's trust as I never could have before. I am the one He turns to first these days."

"Then you know His plans," Harry said rising to his feet. "You could have spent these last several months warning of attacks! If you really are on our side, why didn't you help?"

"Would I throw away the chance to win the war just to fight a single battle, Potter? Is that your idea of strategy?" Snape's face grew redder and he began pacing across his room. "This is a war. If twenty or fifty or even a hundred good wizards must die to ultimately bring about the end of the Dark Lord, I consider that a tragic, but necessary trade. I could save one family in a single attack, perhaps. But in doing so, I would risk being discovered and thereby lose my association with Him. In the end, patience will serve us best, trust me."

"I don't trust you, Snape," Harry said. "We both know I'd be a fool to trust you."

"You must trust me," Snape said. "I've never wanted or needed either your faith or friendship. But you will come to see that I'm doing the right thing. I'm in the process now of finishing what Dumbledore began. Meet me back in my office again alone at midnight on Halloween evening, but do not enter again before that night for any reason. I hope by then to have something you will find most valuable."

"What?" Harry asked.

"Get in the floo," Snape said. "Return to your friends and tell them what you must, but be warned. If word gets out about what I am doing, I can promise that you will never defeat Voldemort. Like it or not, you need me where I am, doing what I do, if you are going to win."

Without another word, Harry stepped back into Snape's fireplace. He grabbed some floo powder and threw it to the ground, stating, "Snape's office, Hogwarts."

Moments later he reappeared in Snape's office. Ron and Hermione were still in there, still bound by the ropes, but they seemed to have given up trying to break free. Harry used his wand to free them and immediately began fielding their questions.

"What happened to you?" Hermione asked. "Where did he take you?"

"To his home, I think," Harry said, then related everything Snape had told him, ending with, "We can't tell anyone about this, though. No one can know we've seen or talked to him."
"You really believe Snape then?" Ron asked.

"I think for now, it's better to act as though he was telling the truth," Harry said. "Until we know otherwise, we have to believe that Snape is going to help us."