Trust Me (Drarry)

Chapter 57

HARRY POV

"Harry..."

I blinked and looked up at Hermione, my vision blurry and something wet on my cheeks.

"Harry, I'm so sorry..." she said, her own cheeks stained with tears.

I stood up shakily and made my way over to the beds, looking at the still, peaceful faces of Colin Creevey and his little brother Dennis. They both looked like they had just fallen asleep, their arms laid close together - as though they had died holding each other. After the initial shock, I simply felt numb as I sat beside them. I took Colin's hand. It felt cold to touch, and I let go immediately - it felt so wrong. There was an invisible bubble between the rest of the Hall and the two beds in front of me.

The brothers' robes were filthy, but the red highlights of Colin's shone through the dust in a stark contrast to his brother's green. My heart stopped as I recalled McGonagall's orders to Filch earlier regarding the younger students; both Colin and Dennis must have snuck back up to fight. A wave of sickness came over me as I wondered how many other students had stayed to help us. Merlin knows how many underage, undertrained and vulnerable to Voldemort's army...

And it was all my fault.

The thought struck me like a bolt of lightning, and I gasped, trembling. This battle only happened because they were trying to keep ME safe. They died to protect me. Just like my parents. And Dumbledore. Everyone died because of me. It was all my fault.

"Harry..." Hermione's voice broke through the bubble. "It's not your fault," she said softly, as if she could read my mind.

I tried to focus on her face as she knelt in front of me, but my vision was still blurry and the tears were still streaming down my face.

"It is-" I croaked. "They didn't need to fight, they didn't need to die..."

I stood up, my knees feeling weak, and Hermione took my hand.

"Where are you going?" She asked nervously as I pulled my hand away and began to walk back towards the entrance hall.

"I need to... I've got... Dumbledore..." I couldn't explain my thought process and I began to run as fast as I could, to get away, to escape... To forget.

I found myself in front of the gargoyle, who was miraculously still in tact and looked at me in surprise as I approached.

"Password?"

"Dumbledore!" I gasped, because that was who I wanted to see. And the gargoyle leapt aside.

I went into his office, but my heart sank as I saw the empty portrait hanging behind the desk.

I had wanted to forget, but the sight of Dumbledore's empty picture frame only reminded me of the hollow feeling in my stomach. I felt so alone.

An ornate silver cabinet stood beside the desk, and I took the phial out of my pocket, holding it up to look at the swirling contents.

Snape hadn't wanted me to forget. He wanted me to remember... But what? I held my breath and plunged my head into the depths of the Pensieve.

-/\-\/-/\-\/-/\-

I gasped as I resurfaced, my mind spinning. Snape was on Dumbledore's side the whole time? He kept an eye on us? He sent the doe? He and Dumbledore planned his death? And he loved my mother? Sure, he had hated me and my father, but because he loved her, he had still protected me for all of these years...

Until it was time for me to die. The numb sense of shock took over again as I went over and over the words in my head.

"So when the time comes... the boy must die?"