"No, Potter!" screamed Snape. There was a loud BANG and Harry was soaring backward, hitting the ground hard again, and this time his wand flew out of his hand. He could hear Hagrid yelling and Fang howling as Snape closed in and looked down on him where he lay, wandless and defenseless as Dumbledore had been. Snape's pale face, illuminated by the flaming cabin, was suffused with hatred just as it had been before he had cursed Dumbledore.
"You dare use my own spells against me, Potter? It was I who invented them - I, the Half-Blood Prince! And you'd turn my inventions on me, like you filthy father, would you? I don't think so . . . no!"
Harry had dived for his wand; Snape shot a hex at it and it flew feet away into the darkness and out of sight.
"Kill me then," panted Harry, who felt no fear at all, but only rage and contempt. "Kill me like you killed him, you coward - "
"DON'T - " screamed Snape, and his face was suddenly demented, inhuman, as though he was in as much pain as the yelping, howling dog stuck in the burning house behind them - "CALL ME COWARD!" (Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince, p.604)
And he slashed at the air; Harry felt thick, white ropes envelope his upper body. With a second flick of the wand more cords bound his legs together. Harry tried to yell, call for help, but found his voice silenced with another wave of Snape's hand. He desperately tried to cast a nonverbal spell and call for his own wand, but once again it was blocked, and his wand fell to the ground just in front of him. Snape laughed, sounding half-crazed.
"Forget it, Potter! You're coming with me." He waved his wand and Harry felt himself lifted into a standing potion. He glided toward the castle gates, unable to do anything to save himself, or stop Snape from escaping.
Behind him, Hagrid's hut was shooting flames high into the sky. Just before leaving the grounds, Snape stopped and uttered a spell; with a great whoosh the fire went out, leaving only smoking ruins where Hagrid's house had stood. Quickly Snape led Harry, still bound and gagged, out of the castle gates. To Harry's dismay, Draco Malfoy was waiting for them. But Malfoy looked terrified, and hardly noticed Harry, bound and bleeding and floating captive behind Snape.
"Let's go," Snape snapped at Draco.
"Where are we going?" asked Malfoy, his face white and his voice shrill. "I can't go back to headquarters, he'll kill me and my family!"
"We're not going to headquarters," replied Snape. "Not yet. Meet me at my place in Spinner's End."
With a wrench, he grabbed Harry's arm and turned to Apparate. Harry wondered where Snape lived; he had assumed the teachers lived at Hogwarts. Why wasn't Snape taking him to Voldemort? What was going to happen to Draco?
As the uncomfortable feeling of Apparation took hold of Harry, he closed his eyes. When he opened them he found himself standing outside a small, run down house in a dark, dingy village. Draco Malfoy appeared next to him with a loud pop, looking around warily.
Snape lead them up to the door, into a small sitting room covered floor to ceiling with books. Looking around, Harry was shocked when a small rat-like man suddenly appeared from behind one of the bookcases. His eyes widened, and he tried to shout through the magical gag still silencing him.
"Waiting up for me, Wormtail?" Snape mocked, moving quickly around the room as if he were looking for something. With a lazy flick of his wand, he released the silencing spell on Harry's voice, but he did not remove the thick cords that still bound Harry tight.
"What's he doing here?" shouted Harry, furiously struggling to free himself. "Where are we? Why am I here? Let me go, or - "
Snape silenced him again. "Or what? You'll think more nasty thoughts at me?" He sneered as he looked over his shoulder at Harry. "If you want me to remove the charm, then silence yourself." He lifted the spell again, and turned to Wormtail before Harry could say anything.
"Leave us," he commanded, as if Wormtail were his servant; Wormtail looked mutinous, as if he did not care to take orders. "Go!" snapped Snape, and the smaller man jumped. "Tell the Dark Lord I've got Potter. We'll be at headquarters shortly."
Wormtail smiled, a simpering, lopsided grin that made Harry livid; this was the man who had betrayed his parents, and now worked for the traitor who had just killed Professor Dumbledore. "What about Malfoy? Did he succeed?" Wormtail asked, watching the pale boy with a sneer.
"I will deal with Draco," Snape replied, his dark eyes glittering strangely.
Malfoy looked shocked and scared. Harry once again felt a measure of pity for him. Draco had been charged the near-impossible task of killing Albus Dumbledore, and had clearly demonstrated that he was unable to do so. Surely Voldemort's wrath would be great, even if Snape had completed the task and killed Dumbledore himself. But what was Snape going to do to Draco?
Wormtail gave the boys a mocking bow, and walked to the front door. Harry heard a crack outside telling him that Wormtail had Apparated out to alert Voldemort to Harry's capture.
Snape quickly cast an Imperturbable Charm, which Harry knew would seal the room from intruders who might be listening. "Go and get your mother," Snape said quietly to Malfoy. "Take what you need, but be quick. Get back here in five minutes."
Draco didn't even look at Harry. His face was pale, and his eyes flashed in fear. "What do you need my mother for? So you can kill us both? Or so you can turn us all in to the Dark Lord and claim the credit?" Draco's voice sounded both angry and afraid. "I told you, he's going to kill me, and my family. I couldn't do it, and it was my job!'
"He can't kill you if you are already dead," said Snape softly, echoing something Dumbledore had said on the tower. Harry stood there, just as frozen as he had been on the Tower, and just as confused.
"So you really are going to kill us then?" asked Draco shrilly. He looked ready to run as he eyed the door anxiously.
"Don't be a fool!" snapped Snape. "We can hide you. But you must trust me on this, Draco. Find your mother, and be quick about it. Meet me back here immediately."
Draco appeared ready to argue, but nodded and left the house. A second crack told Harry that Malfoy had gone, leaving him alone with Snape.
The anger and hatred Harry had been feeling since Professor Dumbledore had fallen from the tower swelled, and he began to struggle once more against the tight ropes still binding him hand and foot. "Let me go!" he snarled at his former potions professor.
Snape turned around, holding a small velvet bag in one hand and a potions vial in the other. "Certainly, if I knew you wouldn't try to curse me before I finished."
"Then finish it, whatever you're planning on doing to me," Harry spat. "Or let me go and fight fair."
Snape was much calmer than he was at Hogwarts, when Harry's taunting had thrown him into a towering rage. He walked up to Harry, a sneer twisting his face as he put the potions bottle in his cloak and drew his wand. "You haven't the wits to win, Potter, fair or not. But we aren't here to fight."
"Just going to kill me then?" Harry demanded, wanting to keep Snape talking and feeling a dangerous thrill in goading the older man. "Now that you've gotten rid of Dumbledore, think you'll start taking out students too? Maybe take out Voldemort next? Become the new Dark Lord?"
Harry knew he had hit a nerve when Snape viciously backhanded him, sending him flying backward, still bound. He landed hard on his shoulder, and bit his lip, drawing blood.
"How dare you, Potter!" snarled Snape. "How dare you suggest I'd kill students, or that I would ever presume to rival the Dark Lord!"
"Why did you kill him then?" shouted Harry, spitting blood. "Dumbledore was our only chance! You've handed Voldemort the opening he needs to win!" Harry wanted to scream more, take out his rage on the man who was its cause: Snape had robbed him of his only protector, his mentor, and he had killed the one man who knew the secret of Voldemort's Horcruxes and how to destroy them. But Harry checked himself; revealing too much to Snape could be a deadly mistake.
Snape was glaring at him with the same mixture of hatred and revulsion which Harry had seen on the Tower, before Snape had cast the fateful Killing Curse that had sent the headmaster to his death. Harry braced himself for the jet of green light he fully expected, but it never came.
Snape just stood there, speechless, and closed his black eyes. Harry was shocked; was Snape showing signs of regret? But he pressed on, still furious.
"What do you want with me? What are you doing with Malfoy? Why - "
"Too many questions that you don't need answers to!" interrupted Snape, eyes flashing open as he motioned Harry up with his wand. "You are only here so that I can fulfill my pledge to the late headmaster. He left you a message." Snape held out the velvet bag, his face now unreadable.
Harry was stunned; Dumbledore had left him a message? With Snape? Had the headmaster known he was going to die? Had he expected Snape to betray him? Why had he left his message to Harry with Snape then? Why hadn't he left it at Hogwarts, with another professor?
Snape released the ropes pinning Harry's arms to his side and tossed him the bag. "Here. I've done my part." He turned and began looking through the room once more.
Harry opened the bag, and pulled out two small glass vials with a silvery substance in them. He immediately recognized them: they were memories for Dumbledore's Pensieve. He felt his throat tighten at the thought of never experiencing another lesson with the headmaster. But he, Harry, did not own a Pensieve; how was he to view the memories, and receive Dumbledore's message? A sense of urgency took hold of him as he thought about how to gain access to the Pensieve in Dumbledore's office.
"You'll have to figure that out for yourself," said Snape, as if he was reading Harry's mind.
"Stay out of my head," snapped Harry, disconcerted.
Snape turned to look at him, raising his eyebrows. "Believe me, I'd like to. But you broadcast your emotions far too loudly to ignore. You still have to learn to keep your mouth shut and your mind closed."
"Maybe I'd be able to if you'd actually taught me how," Harry said bitterly, as he fingered the glass vials and wondered what they would show him.
"Maybe you are just a poor student," Snape replied nastily. "Now, as much as I have enjoyed having you shout at me all night, I need to see to the Malfoys -"
"What are you going to do to them?" Harry interrupted. "Are you really going to hide them? Or are you just going to kill Draco for failing to murder Dumbledore?"
Snape stiffened at the sound of the late headmaster's name. "What I do next is none of your business, Potter," he said. "I suggest you simply forget most of what's happened tonight. You have more important things to worry about. You have four more Horcruxes to destroy."
Harry couldn't keep the surprise from his face. How did Snape know about the Horcruxes? Had Dumbledore shared his confidence with him? Or had Lord Voldemort?
Snape released the ropes binding Harry's legs, and Harry felt the blood rush back in as he shook the ropes off. He once again felt the urge to rush at Snape, to strike him fast and hard, but knew he couldn't take a single step without being hexed, cursed, or jinxed again.
Snape took Harry's wand from a pocket in his robes; Harry hadn't even realized that Snape had retrieved it. "When I give this back to you, I want you to Stun me as hard as you can, and escape. I'm sure you will enjoy it immensely." He gave Harry a twisted smile. "I know I would, were the situation reversed. Then go back to Hogwarts. Finish what you've started."
Harry eyed his wand in Snape's hands. The thought of using something worse than a simple Stunning Spell passed through his mind, but the smallest sliver of doubt kept it from overpowering his rational self. Harry reluctantly realized he didn't exactly understand all that had happened that night: he needed to view Dumbledore's memories, and hopefully then he would know the truth.
Harry nodded curtly, and Snape tossed him his wand. As he caught it he once more felt the desire to curse Snape, even to kill him. He felt his mouth twist into a grimace of hatred as he fought against it. Snape merely raised his eyebrows, waiting as Harry wrestled with emotions which he was no doubt broadcasting to the accomplished Legilimens across from him. Struggling to master his conflicting thoughts, and hoping he wasn't making the biggest mistake of his life, Harry raised his wand and cried, "Stupefy!"
* * *
A/N: This story was inspired by an online poll. The question was: Why didn't Snape take Harry with him when he fled the grounds at the end of book six?. After voting, I thought: what if he had? And I ran with it from there, with the intention of tying up all the loose ends from Book Six, but within the context of an alternative ending. I have quite enjoyed this project, which is my first major chaptered fic, and hope you do as well. I am planning about ten chapters; the next several chapters are complete and will be posted as each one is accepted, so hopefully there will be no terribly long wait for updates.
Many thanks to Deanine for reading over this first chapter, to everyone who helped me Summon a title in the Hospital Wing, and to J.K.Rowling for leaving so much left to explore at the end of Book Six. Thank you for reading and reviewing!