Evermore

Chapter Two: The Master of My Fate

"Snape! He trusted you!" The words ripped from Harry's throat as he tramped after his Potions Professor, for, despite his transition into Defense Against the Dark Arts, he would always associate Snape with potions. He was uncaring about the grass beneath his feet. He felt the rage dripping from him as the plume of black robes turned to face him, and, for a moment, Snape's expression took on that of a human, but it was wiped from his face in the very next moment when Bellatrix Lestrange decided to lift her wand and throw Harry backwards.

"No!" came Snape's voice as he turned to reprimand the fellow Death Eater. "He belongs to the Dark Lord."

Harry struggled to his feet, watching as Bellatrix and Draco Malfoy disappeared into the Forbidden Forest beyond. Bellatrix had blasted Hagrid's hut with a fire spell, and the smoke was gathering in the clouded sky above. Harry gripped onto his wand, wanting to throw curse after curse at this man, but found himself just staring at him, and Snape did the same.

"How could you do it?" Harry whispered then, and Snape continued to stare at him. "He trusted you, and you just...you just..."

"Potter," Snape replied, cutting him off. "I can't..."

"You can," Harry said, stepping forward, feeling his green eyes filling with earnest. "Please, Snape," he begged. "I know there's a good man in there somewhere..."

Snape sneered down at him. "You obviously don't know anything about me then, Potter," he said, and turned to move into the forest.

"No..." Harry whispered; he couldn't allow him to get away. "Come back."

"Can it, Potter," Snape growled through his teeth. "I neither can, nor will, agree to such a pathetic request."

"Immobulus!" Harry shouted at him, but Snape merely sidestepped the spell and kept walking towards the first line of trees. "Incarcerous!" he tried again, but Snape effortlessly dodged the spell and kept on walking. "Sectumsempra!" Harry shouted at last, and Snape turned around then, his dark eyes blazing with rage. "Come back, you coward! Come back!" Harry yelled at him then, his voice splitting from rage.

Snape quickly and effortlessly disarmed Harry, before he strode towards him. He grabbed him by the collar, and stared down into his green eyes, which suddenly widened with fear. "You dare use my spells against me, Potter?" he asked him, in that drawl of his.

Harry struggled against him. "You... You're not..." He whispered.

"Yes," Snape replied. " I'm the Half-Blood Prince."

Harry felt his breath catch in his throat then as he stared up at him. Despite everything, he didn't want Snape going anywhere. Despite everything, he felt more alive than he ever had with Snape's long fingers digging into his shirt. Despite everything, he found, in that moment, that he didn't care that Snape had killed Dumbledore.

"Don't go," he tried again, lifting one of his hands and putting it upon Snape's face. "Please, don't go."

Snape looked as if he would change his mind; he leaned into Harry's touch ever so slightly, but, almost as if he remembered his mission, he suddenly forced Harry from his grip. Throwing him onto the ground, shocking Harry, he merely stared down at him for a moment before turning on his heel. Almost as an afterthought, he kicked Harry's wand from his outstretched fingers before he followed the band of Death Eaters around Hagrid's hut and into the forest, leaving Harry to stare up at the clouds above Hogwarts, wondering what would happen next.

. . .

Harry stirred to the sound of Ron's voice, calling out to both him and Hermione. He pushed himself out of Sirius's bed and peered out through the ragged curtains. The clouds that blanketed the sky were pearl-white, and easily shed light on the room around him. He saw the chest of drawers pushed against one wall, and crossed over to it, pulling open the top one. Lots of miscellaneous things dotted the faux velvet surface of the drawer, but a letter stood out to him most of all within the pieces of mismatched socks, cufflinks, and other odds and ends left from his godfather to him.