[A/N: This is based on what Hagrid said right after Harry told him that Snape killed Dumbledore in HBP. It has a lot of Half-blood prince spoilers. After reading HBP, I still don’t believe that Snape could be that bad. I was searching for ways to prove it, those tiny scenes that could be easily overlooked. What I wrote is about all I’ve found. If you’d have read it, then read on…]

I don’t own Harry Potter.

What Hagrid Heard

Looking out of the window, Dumbledore heaved a sigh. He took a swift glance at that wrinkled and practically scorched - or perhaps, rotten and not to mention, blackened - hand of his, and it was enough to make him ponder about events that happened.

Why did Snape have to have an Unbreakable Vow with Narcissa? Then again, if he did not, his spy cover would have been blown.

Whose idea was it to have so many Horcruxes? Of course, it was Tom, the one who decided to rename himself Lord Voldemort. To trust that he’d actually want me to call him “Lord Voldemort�. I wouldn’t even half blame Horace. It wasn’t his fault.

What would happen to my failing body? Perhaps I really might just die soon. Either of old age or murder. And then, leave it all to Harry, that poor sixteen-year-old boy whom Voldemort chose himself fifteen years ago. It wasn’t even Harry’s choice, yet he had to face all these troubles.

Dumbledore shook his head. He had been relating to Harry all that he knew about what Voldemort was up to. No one deserved a better right to know than he did. After all, that was vital to the defeat of Voldemort.

Horcruxes. The start of everything. Where did Tom get that starting information from, Dumbledore never found out. Horace merely told Tom what he knew – no one could blame him for satisfying a hungry mind.

Immortality was what he wanted, wasn’t it? Well, Dumbledore doubt it would last much longer. It was impossible to have such mass destruction going on. What exactly was up in Voldemort’s mind, no one knew. Was it terror, or pleasure? Or perhaps that feeling of satisfaction upon seeing the Muggles who nurtured Voldemort’s hatred for them – rather, Mudbloods, as the purebloods called them – living their worst last moments of their lives before moving on.

Defeating Voldemort wouldn’t be an easy task. Rather, it had never been. A man with seven parts of his soul, and only two destroyed? It already sounded impossible, not to mention the immense experience Voldemort had. Harry certainly needed all the help he could; it wasn’t his fault that Voldemort made him his target and failed.

Which precisely reminded Dumbledore of that person who was the betrayer. The one who heard half of the prophecy by Sybill. The one who gave it all to Voldemort. The one who owes James Potter two wizards’ debts, his wife one, and his son another. The one who nearly had Harry Potter killed fifteen years ago.

Thinking back, would Snape ever be a betrayer to their side again? Dumbledore sincerely hoped not. He had placed so much trust in Snape, and he knew when the time comes, the problems of the Unbreakable Vow would come along, and he must leave the world. And only Snape was fit to do that job. Who else would kill a frail old man with a killing curse? He knew that even Draco couldn’t have himself do that.

Sometimes, Dumbledore could not believe himself. That humongous load of information. Where did he get it from, and how? Somehow it was always linked to intuition. Otherwise, it was old age of experience. Defeating Grindelwald wasn’t even half as bad as helping a teenager defeat the most-feared “immortal� in the whole world.

Leaving himself without any choice, he summoned Snape from his fireplace. He could almost imagine Snape’s curled lips and dark eyes staring right back at him. Within seconds, Snape came through the Floo Network, halfway swearing at this late call way past midnight.

“Professor?� Snape inquired, with his lips slanting to one side, apparently displeased for being stirred up from his sleep. Apparently Dumbledore was right about him being disgruntled.

“There are many things I wish to tell you, Severus. Please accept my apologies for awakening you. There are too many things. Too many…� Dumbledore said, sighing. “I wish I was not the one who told or even asked you this. But under these circumstances, I leave myself with no other plausible choices…�

They stepped out of Dumbledore’s office, and walked in silence toward the front doors. With a flick of the wand, it opened. Both stepped out into the cool crisp air, with Snape wondering what this was all about.

“It might be hard for you, Severus. But I trust you, more than you could ever imagine.�

Snape wondered where this was going. Was he going to start tapping into his conscience?

“Ever since that day when Lily and James Potter died, and you came to me, asking what you’ve done to them. I thought a lot about it, and I feel that it is time to let you know what I feel.�

Snape merely nodded.

“I know about that Unbreakable Vow you have with Narcissa. You had to do what you have to. But there will be a time when Voldemort starts to ask Draco to kill some people in school. Namely, me, or Harry. By then, there wouldn’t be much of a choice. It’s either Draco who does it, or you.�

Sighing, Snape’s thoughts instantly went from blaming Dumbledore for saying “Voldemort� to his own problems – that cursed Vow he had with Narcissa. With that, he realized they’ve already walked near to Hagrid’s hut.

“I know it’s impossible to break it, so if you need to, you just have to kill me.�

Snape had this look of utter shock, not knowing what to say. He did not want to kill the headmaster!

“Yes, I understand how hard this is for you. That’s why I am rendering you my utmost trust. It won’t be easy to do this, I know. Consider this as a repayment of your wizard’s debt to me, and partially to Harry. I don’t like saying this, but James and Lily was taken away from him at the age of one. Harry might not like to hear this, but it’s the truth.�

Snape looked away. He did not like the way this conversation was going.

Meanwhile, Hagrid had been alerted from his walk in the forest. Fang was not looking happy (or rather, sounding happy) about something. Careful not to alert anyone, so he found a place to hide, and to his surprise, he saw Dumbledore and Snape walking towards the direction of his hut – namely, nearing him. He wondered what was going on, but made it none of his business to intrude upon their privacy.

Finally, Snape had the guts to express his thoughts.

“Professor, why do I have to end up killing you? I don’t want to. I mean, what could I do? Cast an Unforgivable here just because of that vow with Narcissa? I know I was forced, but surely I don’t need to do that. How would I even be repaying my debt to Harry?�

He was becoming impatient. It was just unlike him to do that. He didn’t even sound like himself! As much as he did not like to have a dispute with the man who practically saved his life out of the dark, he knew he had to do it eventually.

Unknowingly, they were also speaking far too loud for their own good. Who knows who might be listening in, even if they didn’t want to.

“I’ve been a spy for the Order for so many years. Surely such awful tasks shouldn’t be delegated to me. In fact, it shouldn’t even be asked. Who’d like to kill you, Professor? Apart from the Dark Lord and the Death Eaters, that is. I don’t want to remain guilty for the rest of my life for ending your life, Sir.�

“Severus, imagine. Who is the only one in the whole school, who has been in Voldemort’s hands and turned around? You. I know you can do this. Promise me, please. I am now giving you a chance to prove yourself. It won’t be easy to the rest of the staff and the Order to believe this. But I can’t let this go on. And about Harry, you’re leaving him with enough resources to defeat Voldemort, though without my help. It’ll give him more determination to finish him up.�

Dumbledore stopped to look around, then continued.

“Kill me when the time has come. But please leave Harry alone. You know half of that prophecy. And you won’t be able to get away with killing Harry. It won’t be possible, trust me. Keep him alive. You could act all nasty around him – that, I don’t care anymore. It would perhaps be easier. You’d be doing me a big favor by doing so.�

Snape turned away, trying very hard to comprehend what his Headmaster had just told him. First, to kill him. Second, to leave Harry Potter alone. Third, to keep him alive without being civil or on speaking terms with him.

“But… That’s just absurd. I know that the Unbreakable Vow might end up getting in the way. But…�

“So would you do it?�

He shook his head, he just could not do this.

“You won’t?�

“It’s not that I don’t want to, Professor, but I DON’T WANT TO DO THIS ANYMORE!�

“Don’t worry about me. It’s time this old feeble self of mine left the world. But Harry, he has a lot to go, still. You could pretend to return to the Dark side, or even openly, but please, help Harry. Even if he doesn’t trust you, help him in any subtle way you can. When the time comes, you’d do what you have to. Whether I’m making this request now or not, it won’t matter. Imagine. With that Unbreakable Vow of yours, you are still bound to kill me.�

Snape looked defeated, sighing. Dumbledore continued.

“Perhaps me talking to you now would help you get over your guilt later on. It’s bad enough to cast the Unforgivables. But do you really want Draco to do this to me? After six years, I still don’t think he could do that. He doesn’t dare. Besides, I owe you enough for you to kill me too. Don’t overwhelm yourself with guilt when the time comes, please. Also, Harry has pointed out things about Malfoy. Keep an eye on him, won’t you?�

Dumbledore paused and set a firm glance at Snape. Before Snape had a chance to reply, Dumbledore continued.

“Among all of us here, none of us understand – or know – the Dark Lord better than you do. Help us aid Harry to the path of success. Surely you’d like to be free once more. Death is nothing, but a loss of life. There are many things after and besides death. If you think about it as a natural process, there’s nothing to worry about. Take things in your stride. It might seem too much to ask now, but soon you’ll understand. I promise.�

After much contemplation, Snape decided to promise even though he did not know what the Headmaster owed him. Neither did he know what Dumbledore was going on about. Death by Avada Kedavra was not a natural process. Either way, he did not want to know. However, he was not about to go into another Unbreakable Vow. One was already too much to handle.

And all through this time, one person was listening in – Hagrid.

He did not know what to make about this. Dumbledore, the man he revered, respected and highly regarded, was asking Snape to kill him. But what did he mean by “when the time comes�? It puzzled him a lot. But it was none of his business. Why should he even care? It was between Dumbledore and Snape.

As Snape and Dumbledore turned back toward the castle and away from the gamekeeper’s hut, Snape thought over a lot of these requests.

Of it all, killing his Headmaster was the hardest.



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When Ron got poisoned and Hagrid arrived at the Hospital Wing, accidentally revealing that Dumbledore might be angry with Snape. It ended up with a quarrel between Harry and Hagrid about why Dumbledore was furious.

“No Harry, I won’ tell yeh wha’ they said. Iz ther’ own privacy.�

With that, Hagrid left. Therefore, in the end, nothing much was said to Harry. It left Harry with a sinking feeling. He mulled over Hagrid’s words.

It was a heated discussion.

Snape didn’t want to do it anymore.

What exactly was that it?

And what did Dumbledore take for granted?

Things could mean two ways. Either Snape doesn’t want to be a spy and he wanted to return to the Dark side – which Harry hoped not despite his extreme grudge against Snape since the first day they met six years ago; or that Snape didn’t want to remain at Voldemort’s – it was too tiring or some other reason. Then did it mean that Dumbledore took for granted that Snape would always be a spy for the Dark Side? Or was it something else?

No matter how much Harry wanted to know, he never got a word out of Hagrid again. Not until much later…



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“Filius, get Severus! Death Eaters here. We might not be able to handle much more!� McGonagall yelled at the top of her voice.

With that, Professor Flitwick rushed towards the dungeons and burst open the door.

“Severus, help! Death Eaters, Astronomy Tower…�

But before he could finish his sentence, or say another word, he fell, stunned. What did Snape exactly do with him, he never really found out. He didn’t even know if Snape did it. But he had let Snape go. Who’d have thought anything bad?

“Get out of my way!� Snape roared at the top of his voice. There was no time to lose. Nearly pushing Hermione and Ginny aside, he ran the fastest he could up to the seventh floor. Who knew this old guy had so much strength in him.

When he reached, he felt his eyeballs grow larger. The Dark Mark, Draco, Amycus and the others… It took him seconds to comprehend what was going on.

Without much hesitation, he caught Dumbledore in the eye, then, “Avada Kedavra!� He just wanted to get it over and done with. And it was completed. His hardest job was done. He thought that for an instance, he regretted it, but quickly shook it off. With that, he left swiftly with Draco.

Harry rushed down to get Snape and the rest. In the end, he had to help put out the fire in Hagrid’s hut.

But before that, he had the most interesting conversation with Snape. One that he perhaps would never forget.

Snape had been the Half-blood Prince.

Snape had been no different from Voldemort.

Snape’s was a half-blood, like Harry himself.

Snape had fled the scene with the other Death Eaters, telling them to leave Harry alone, talking about how Harry was the one “the Dark Lord wants�. Sure. Harry shook his head. Snape had been a total coward. “Why couldn’t he just KILL me?� Harry wondered aloud. “If he could just kill Dumbledore with such suppressed emotions, surely killing ME couldn’t be that hard…�

Harry sighed. He wanted so much to get his revenge against Snape. He had been left all alone to cope with this Voldemort issue. He’d rather it so much to be U-No-Poo, then You-Know-Who. Even constipation sounded better…

“Oh right. Only Voldemort could kill me. How could I slip that fact?�

The stupid prophecy rang aloud in his head. It seemed just a while ago when Dumbledore told him, and now he was gone.

Why did Snape had to mention the Marauders. Just because they were better than him – not to mention, with a closer relationship – didn’t mean that they had to gang up on him. He was just a lousy tottery old doddery fool who couldn’t even battle properly. He even needed Legilimens to battle with Harry. What a COWARD.

He was determined to get Snape. If even that stupid Dark Lord couldn’t kill Dumbledore, how could Snape? It just seemed all too easy. Dumbledore was an accomplished wizard. Surely he could have done something instead of letting things happen. He even stalled for time with Draco!

Also, revealing Dumbledore’s death to Hagrid was terrible. Extremely horrible, in fact. Who’d have known that he was the one who would have to tell Hagrid the truth about Dumbledore. Thing were spelled out plainly. That man whom Hagrid respected most was dead.

What was happening? Was it real? Did Snape really kill Dumbledore just because he asked him to? What was that Unbreakable Vow about? All these thoughts ran through Hagrid’s head. He had to tell this to someone. But who? Harry? Perhaps. He did not want to think anymore. He just had to get it out, but subtly. Who’d want to know that he’d been eavesdropping?

With that, he just told Harry the main facts of what he “thought�. Snape must have joined the Death Eaters on Dumbledore’s orders. He could not blow his cover as a spy for them. And killing Dumbledore might not have been his real intention. It might have just been a cover-up.

That was about all that he could say, since he collapsed upon seeing Dumbledore lying in a weird angle on that patch of grass. Harry was right. Dumbledore was dead.

Harry could not comprehend about what Hagrid had just told him. He could not believe that Dumbledore had asked Snape to kill him. It was impossible. Why would he do that? Dumbledore couldn’t have been senile, could he?

Dumbledore trusted Snape so much. Yet last minute, he had his trust breached. How could that happen? Was Snape that delusional? He didn’t want to believe what he was hearing from Hagrid.

Dumbledore could not have been more wrong. He was killed by the person whom he had a hard time convincing, was on the good side. He did not want to believe that Snape was good anymore. His hatred for Snape had rose. No wonder he was so determined to make Harry’s life miserable from the start. It all explains now.

Snape was never good. And Dumbledore was wrong. A mistake that had cost him his life.

And at that instant, his hatred for Snape could have been more than his for Voldemort’s. That cursed man – or immortal for the time being - with only 1/7 of his soul left in his body.

He didn’t even deserve to go to Azkaban. He didn’t deserve a quick death. He deserved what Dumbledore said, the thing that was worse than death. And hatred would surely play a big part in it.

Thanks to them, Harry’s life was officially in a mess.

But as he thought about it, could Hagrid have been right?

[A/N: Those parts from the book are summarized. I think you’d know which part I’m referring to… ^^ Mostly it’s pages 379 and 566. I hope this makes sense, and I know my characterization hasn’t been that good but I’m working more on it. Please review!]