Killing me softly

Think this is another Harry creature fic? Bit of angst and drama, then a romantic mate and creature union? - Think again. The Dark lord is rising, his powers grow ever stronger, Harry's time is coming, but his power alone isn't enough. Can his inheritance help him? Prepare for sacrifice.

Takes place in his last year

Warnings-

SS/HP + hints of DM-HP pairing – if you don't like that pairing then this likely isn't the fic for you. Don't like it – don't read it.

Character death

Chapter 15

Snape parted his lips to say something, but he didn't have the energy, and as his chin hit his chest, his whole world catapulted into darkness-

"SEVERUS!"

Harry cried out in alarm, as the taller man slumped forward. Gathering all the bodily strength he possessed, Harry interlocked his hands in front of Snape's stomach, and yanked the man back. He released a shuddering gasp of horror, when as Snape's head flew back, a brilliant flash of white gleamed back at him. With wide eyes, Harry saw a thick stripe of white in the hair that hung in the front of Snape's face...

It rocked him to his core. Previously all the drains, though they had been undoubtedly unpleasant, had only ever resulted in colouring a few sparse hairs white... But now a whole streak of hair had lost its colour... Looking at Snape, Harry could remember how that man's touch had made him tremble... He hadn't exactly been an innocent – he'd had a fair number of quick fumbles and clumsily shags in his time...But they, if anything, only later reeked of hormonal desperation rather than anything else, but last night had been different. The expensive French wine, Snape's expert touches, and velvety swipes of his tongue – it had been surreal. It hadn't felt real. It had been all too powerful, too pleasurable - it had been all too everything, like every touch and emotion had been amplified beyond all reason and recognition... He glanced back down to the man's face and he wondered if it had been enough, had one drunken night been all it took for him to have mated with Snape? Had they changed the bond, perhaps irrevocably?

Snape released a low groan, and Harry immediately brought himself out of his thoughts, and casting a weightless charm on him, began hurriedly to make his way back into the castle. But even with the weightless charm in place, Snape's mere height made carrying him extensively awkward, Harry's taut body ached in protest as he carefully made his way back up. Snape's black eyes began to flutter open and closed, as his head hung limply against Harry's shoulder, gently rocking up and down with every steady step Harry took. Snape seemed to be struggling to keep them open, but as they flickered over the ever approaching castle, hazy eyes burned bright with renewed urgency.

"N-No hospital"

Snape whispered beseechingly to Harry, causing Harry to tighten his hold on the other man, but he needn't have bothered, Snape had not the energy to keep upright let alone overpower him. Harry felt something inside of him twist and tighten at Snape's rasps but he had no choice in the matter, he very much doubted Snape had a much better understanding of what had taken place then he did, and Harry wasn't about to just leave him to his own devices.

"I'm sorry Severus"

Harry apologised sincerely, yet he didn't dare look into the man's eyes for fear of what emotion he would see glaring back at him. In increasing desperation, Snape futilely tried to struggle his way out of Harry's grip just as the huge, imposing castle doors were flung open, and a very flustered Professor McGonagall and Dumblebledore hurriedly made their way towards the pair. Harry released a huge sigh of relief, as they conjured a stretcher and gently helped move Snape onto it.

"What is the meaning of all this Mister Potter?"

Professor McGonagall demanded her eyes sharp as daggers, Harry looked back at her helplessly, not knowing where or even how to begin to explain what had transpired between them at the Great Lake's edge. It only got worse as her surprisingly feline looking, eyes zoomed in on Snape's badger stripe.

"What an earth! –"

"Minerva please, -"

Dumbledore cut in firmly, his eyes burned into Harry's with frightening intensity.

"We have to get Severus into the Hospital Wing"

Harry nodded firmly back, but inside he was panicking. Everything felt completely out of control as they all charged Snape down the corridor, it didn't help at all that the only thing Harry could hear was Snape's indignant fury and enraged demands that they let him go.

0-0-0-0-0

The Hospital Wing was finally in sight, to the great relief of all. Who had had in the time it had taken them to get to there, their whole lives, personalities and appearance spewed over with so many insults they felt well and truly ripped to shreds. Snape, seeing they had rounded the Hospital Wing corridor flung his arm out and encasing Harry's hand in steel vice grip, went for the jugular. Strained emerald eyes immediately flickered into his own, and he knew this was his last chance...

"Draco Harry! Draco!"

Snape watched Harry's eyes widen in realisation, and in the back of his mind, he mentally rolled his eyes at the notion that Harry had assumed it to be pride that had engineered and driven his refusal of the hospital wing. At the same time it awakened painful hope and he stared straight into the teen's eyes. Regretful green eyes stared back at him, and Harry gave the hand that held his a sorrowful squeeze.

"He needs to know Severus"

Snape gave Harry the worst look he ever had, full of deep betrayal. Harry felt it penetrate him in an awful heat far more than Dumbledore's laser-quality eyes ever could, whilst Professor McGonagall looked like she was going to have a heart-attack.

"SEVERUS? Since when were you and Professor Snape on a first name basis!"

She screeched, her shrill voice cut straight through Snape, and he gritted his teeth in obvious discomfort. Dumbledore noticed, as he gave the stretcher a determined pull, and in quiet obedience Harry and Professor McGonagall acquiesced. Snape meanwhile glared daggers into the side of Harry's head, viciously satisfied as he saw Harry tense in guilt under it. Snape however acquired a new target for his death stare shortly afterwards, as the hospital wing doors were banged open with such unnecessary alacrity, the sound the doors made seemed to reverberate and echo throughout the entire wing. Fury burned through his veins so intensely Snape felt he might explode, as Dumbledore bellowed for Madame Promfrey's assistance. Snape turned to glower at Harry, who physically wilting it seemed, appeared ready to prevent any further attention being drawn, but any efforts he may have made were immediately swept aside by Madame Promfrey's shocked exclamation-

"SEVERUS! OH GOODNESS!"

Snape might very well have conjured an extremely cutting remark, had she not immediately taken control over his stretcher and began rushing him down the wing. It was not long before, as Snape had feared and known would come, he heard his Godson's shocked voice crying out his name

"Severus! SEV!"

Draco screamed, his pale face was open in his horror, and he immediately began to try and scramble out of bed. Snape screwed his face up in pain, and Harry stood there, in the middle without a clue of what to do. Draco finally appeared to free his slim legs from where they had got trapped around his bedcovers, before Professor McGonagall ran over, ushering him back to bed.

"Mister Malfoy-"

"NO! GET OUT OF MY WAY-"

"You have to get back into bed-"

"SEVERUS!"

As a final measure, Professor McGonagall whipped her wand out; she didn't miss the tremor that quaked through the Malfoy's heir thin body. Her eyes softening slightly, she looked at him levelly.

"Go back to bed Mister Malfoy, I'll keep you informed if anything should happen"

Draco looked just a small way off her shoulder, at the back of Snape's head, his face suddenly unreadable. He turned to look at Harry, Harry could see something in those silver eyes, but he couldn't quite make the emotion out, nevertheless he gave Draco a firm nod, and Draco seemingly taking something from this stopped his struggles and Professor McGonagall and Madame Promfrey carefully guided him back to bed...

"He cannot be told"

Snape whispered, so quietly only Harry could hear him. Harry turned to him startled, Snape only glared at him in a mixture of hurt and anger.

"Do you really think he'll support you if he finds out? " Snape sneered "I'm all he's got! He doesn't find out."

Harry glanced at the obvious block of white, and then back into Snape's burning eyes, and slowly he steered Snape away.

0-0-0-0-0-0

"We have to tell him something Severus"

Dumbledore admonished gently, but if the gentle voice was intended to calm the Head of Slytherin it failed, brilliantly.

"I'm giving up my life for the cause Albus, I'm willing to give Potter not only my body but my mind, my magic –"

"Your heart-"

"Don't!"

Snape's eyes were as hard as granite; Harry didn't know how Dumbledore continued in face of such a look.

"You have mated my boy-"

"I am NOT your boy! And that was one night... one drunken complete lack of judgement-"

"You can deceive everyone else Severus, but you will never deny it to yourself... Severus, the bond's affects... It would seem the bond has advanced"

Harry couldn't look at the look Snape wore on his face just then, the desolation that flickered on that sallow face before his mask came on, it seemed to burn the back of his irises, the image flickering into view with every blink.

"I want to see"

Harry turned back to Snape then, he looked at the flash of stark white. His pain must have shown its self readily in his eyes because Snape snorted bitterly.

"That bad is it Harry?"

Harry didn't trust himself to speak, and Dumbledore silently offered Snape a conjured mirror. Snape didn't make a sound as he gently ran his fingers through his newly white hair, he appeared completely emotionless, but Harry knew him at least well enough to know this wasn't the case...

"Professor McGonagall -"

"Is discussing Draco's condition with Poppy, If you wish, I can inform her of the situation-"

"I will require extra-curriculum hours with Mr Potter. The process would seem to have indeed advanced; I shall need all the opportunity available to me if I am to ensure he is as well prepared as I can make him."

"Of course Severus... "Dumbledore paused, and then after a moment's pause, encased one of Severus' cold hands with one of his own weathered one. "You are not alone in this my boy"

"Why? Is somebody else dying?"

Snape sighed tiredly then.

"The cause is just, and I... I'm not an innocent-"

"You don't deserve this!"

Harry interrupted in shocked outrage; his emerald eyes flashing as he regarded Snape . He couldn't understand how the man could think he deserved such a fate, but Snape just shook his head.

"There is a price for everything Harry, I've met mine."

Hey!

Thank you for reading; I am as ever eagerly awaiting your views

Lisi the slayer