Categories > Books > Harry Potter > Always
CHAPTER 3
October 31, 1981, Godric's Hollow
He had arrived too late. He knew it.
Severus had never been in Godrc's Hollow and had lost some precious time until he found it. Once there, he went straight to the cottage that Pettigrew had described. Or at least he tried. All the houses in the blasted village had looked alike, sleeping in the cold night. He lost more minutes while he scrambled through to find the river.
When he finally found it, his heart felt like the Dark Lord himself poured hot tar over it. The door of Potter's cottage hanged open, its hinges broken by a curse. Severus hesitated for a fraction of the second, then ran inside. The darkness engulfed him.
As his eyes adjusted, Severus saw a staircase leading up. The moonlight was seeping from an open window, bathing the house in a cold glow. It looked like a storm had flown inside. Chairs were flipped, a lamp lay broken on the floor. The glass crunched beneath Snape's boots as he headed to the stairs and then he saw something lying prone on the steps. Not something. Someone.
James Potter had died trying to keep the Dark Lord from harming his family. His dark eyes gazed into nothingness behind his glasses. A ray of moonlight glistened against the metal rim. Severus did not waste time. He walked over his former enemy's corpse and ran up the stairway. With every step, he could hear it creaking. Suddenly he froze. He heard muffled voices from the second floor. That meant…
He ran up like a madman. He could hear them more clearly now.
"Not Harry, please no, take me, kill me instead…"
That was Lily. She was still alive! She's still alive! Alive, she's alive, she's alive!
Then another voice spoke, a cold voice that Snape knew all too well. "This is my last warning…"
Were the goddamn steps endless? Finally, Severus climbed up and almost flew towards the nursery, his feet barely touching the floor…
"Not Harry! Please… have mercy… Not Harry! Please… I'll do anything…"
And then he finally reached the room and saw them. The tall, hooded figure of the Dark Lord, with his back towards him. Lily, his sweet Lily stood before him, her majestic red hair in disarray and her beautiful green eyes full of terror as she tried to shield a baby's crib with her body. The child was crying loudly.
The Dark Lord raised his wand.
"Avada…"
Snape was faster.
"Sectumsempra!"
And suddenly the Dark Lord's whole forearm flew away in a shower of dark blood, wand and all. The tall wizard hollered in pain and fell sideways. Lily screamed in shock and horror. Severus jumped into the room and wasted no time. He pointed his wand to his master's on the floor.
"Reducto!" As the curse hit the wand and it began to sizzle and fall apart like it was made of sand, Snape twirled around and his eyes found the Dark Lord kneeling on the nursery floor. "Avada Kedavra!"
The beam of lethal green light never hit the Dark Lord. In one moment he was kneeling on the floor, staring at Severus with his reptilian red eyes, the next he dissolved like a cloud of black mist and whirled sideways, completely evading the Killing Curse. A disembodied cackle echoed in the room.
"So, Severus," it murmured. "You finally reveal your true colors."
Snape twisted around, wand held high, as he tried to find his enemy. The Dark Lord was everywhere and nowhere at once, wisps of sentient, black smoke that curled under the roof and slithered across the walls.
"I should have known," the voice continued. "After all, you did beg like a cur for the life of this mudblood whore."
"You will not touch her," Severus hissed and turned his eyes on Lily. "Go, disapparate! Go to our place!" he shouted, hoping she would remember the old playground that the Dark Lord knew nothing about. "Quickly! I've wounded him!"
She seemed like she was in stupor, then she moved to take the screeching baby from the cradle. The Dark Lord's laugh sounded soft like sin itself.
"Oh, I think not…" And then, in the same second, he once again was corporeal, standing just behind Lily. A sadistic smile twisted his pale face into a horrid grimace. Before Snape could even open his mouth to shout, the dark wizard grabbed her with his whole arm and roughly shoved her on the floor in Severus' feet. Then he turned his gaze towards his Half-Blood Prince. His eyes were glowing like bloodied embers. He pointed a finger at Severus and whispered, "Crucio!"
The pain hit Severus like a tidal wave. He flew back and fell with a thud on the nursery floor. The baby was screaming again. No, it was Lily, screeching his name. Or maybe it was Severus himself as he convulsed violently. Or it was all three of them, he wasn't sure. Above it all, he could hear the Dark Lord amused chuckle.
"Really, Severus, what did you think to accomplish here?" He sighed. "I had such hopes for you. Even though your mother had sullied the proud Prince bloodline when she gave birth to you, I still hoped that you will prove yourself. Instead you threw it all away. And for what? A mudblood bitch who doesn't even want you? You disgust me."
You disgust me. When had he heard that before? Ah, yes, when he went to Dumbledore to beg for mercy and for him to save Lily's life. Why had he said that? Because I admitted that I had already begged the Dark Lord for the same thing… Dumbledore… He had promised that Lily was protected. Some protection. The old man is even more useless than I am.
Then Snape thought that he heard a faint pop! and felt the wind rustle against the door frame.
"Coming from someone like you, Tom, that is a compliment for him." Even through the red haze of the agony, Severus knew that voice.
Dumbledore, he's here. Dumbledore is here. Wormtail has made it to Hogwarts. Suddenly, Snape was free from the pain and felt blackness envelop him. The last thing he saw was a pair of green eyes staring through tears at him.
October 31, 1981, Godric's Hollow
He had arrived too late. He knew it.
Severus had never been in Godrc's Hollow and had lost some precious time until he found it. Once there, he went straight to the cottage that Pettigrew had described. Or at least he tried. All the houses in the blasted village had looked alike, sleeping in the cold night. He lost more minutes while he scrambled through to find the river.
When he finally found it, his heart felt like the Dark Lord himself poured hot tar over it. The door of Potter's cottage hanged open, its hinges broken by a curse. Severus hesitated for a fraction of the second, then ran inside. The darkness engulfed him.
As his eyes adjusted, Severus saw a staircase leading up. The moonlight was seeping from an open window, bathing the house in a cold glow. It looked like a storm had flown inside. Chairs were flipped, a lamp lay broken on the floor. The glass crunched beneath Snape's boots as he headed to the stairs and then he saw something lying prone on the steps. Not something. Someone.
James Potter had died trying to keep the Dark Lord from harming his family. His dark eyes gazed into nothingness behind his glasses. A ray of moonlight glistened against the metal rim. Severus did not waste time. He walked over his former enemy's corpse and ran up the stairway. With every step, he could hear it creaking. Suddenly he froze. He heard muffled voices from the second floor. That meant…
He ran up like a madman. He could hear them more clearly now.
"Not Harry, please no, take me, kill me instead…"
That was Lily. She was still alive! She's still alive! Alive, she's alive, she's alive!
Then another voice spoke, a cold voice that Snape knew all too well. "This is my last warning…"
Were the goddamn steps endless? Finally, Severus climbed up and almost flew towards the nursery, his feet barely touching the floor…
"Not Harry! Please… have mercy… Not Harry! Please… I'll do anything…"
And then he finally reached the room and saw them. The tall, hooded figure of the Dark Lord, with his back towards him. Lily, his sweet Lily stood before him, her majestic red hair in disarray and her beautiful green eyes full of terror as she tried to shield a baby's crib with her body. The child was crying loudly.
The Dark Lord raised his wand.
"Avada…"
Snape was faster.
"Sectumsempra!"
And suddenly the Dark Lord's whole forearm flew away in a shower of dark blood, wand and all. The tall wizard hollered in pain and fell sideways. Lily screamed in shock and horror. Severus jumped into the room and wasted no time. He pointed his wand to his master's on the floor.
"Reducto!" As the curse hit the wand and it began to sizzle and fall apart like it was made of sand, Snape twirled around and his eyes found the Dark Lord kneeling on the nursery floor. "Avada Kedavra!"
The beam of lethal green light never hit the Dark Lord. In one moment he was kneeling on the floor, staring at Severus with his reptilian red eyes, the next he dissolved like a cloud of black mist and whirled sideways, completely evading the Killing Curse. A disembodied cackle echoed in the room.
"So, Severus," it murmured. "You finally reveal your true colors."
Snape twisted around, wand held high, as he tried to find his enemy. The Dark Lord was everywhere and nowhere at once, wisps of sentient, black smoke that curled under the roof and slithered across the walls.
"I should have known," the voice continued. "After all, you did beg like a cur for the life of this mudblood whore."
"You will not touch her," Severus hissed and turned his eyes on Lily. "Go, disapparate! Go to our place!" he shouted, hoping she would remember the old playground that the Dark Lord knew nothing about. "Quickly! I've wounded him!"
She seemed like she was in stupor, then she moved to take the screeching baby from the cradle. The Dark Lord's laugh sounded soft like sin itself.
"Oh, I think not…" And then, in the same second, he once again was corporeal, standing just behind Lily. A sadistic smile twisted his pale face into a horrid grimace. Before Snape could even open his mouth to shout, the dark wizard grabbed her with his whole arm and roughly shoved her on the floor in Severus' feet. Then he turned his gaze towards his Half-Blood Prince. His eyes were glowing like bloodied embers. He pointed a finger at Severus and whispered, "Crucio!"
The pain hit Severus like a tidal wave. He flew back and fell with a thud on the nursery floor. The baby was screaming again. No, it was Lily, screeching his name. Or maybe it was Severus himself as he convulsed violently. Or it was all three of them, he wasn't sure. Above it all, he could hear the Dark Lord amused chuckle.
"Really, Severus, what did you think to accomplish here?" He sighed. "I had such hopes for you. Even though your mother had sullied the proud Prince bloodline when she gave birth to you, I still hoped that you will prove yourself. Instead you threw it all away. And for what? A mudblood bitch who doesn't even want you? You disgust me."
You disgust me. When had he heard that before? Ah, yes, when he went to Dumbledore to beg for mercy and for him to save Lily's life. Why had he said that? Because I admitted that I had already begged the Dark Lord for the same thing… Dumbledore… He had promised that Lily was protected. Some protection. The old man is even more useless than I am.
Then Snape thought that he heard a faint pop! and felt the wind rustle against the door frame.
"Coming from someone like you, Tom, that is a compliment for him." Even through the red haze of the agony, Severus knew that voice.
Dumbledore, he's here. Dumbledore is here. Wormtail has made it to Hogwarts. Suddenly, Snape was free from the pain and felt blackness envelop him. The last thing he saw was a pair of green eyes staring through tears at him.
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