94 Diagon Alley

said, otherwise how could he have the strength to do what he must do? "

"What must he do?"

"It was between Harry and me. Now, Severus, please listen carefully. At some point—after my death—don't argue, whether real or not Suspended death! At some point Voldemort seems to fear for the life of his serpent."

"Worried about Nagini?" Snape looked surprised.

"Yes. If at some point Voldemort no longer sends the serpent to carry out orders, but keeps him by his side and protects it with magic, then I think You can tell Harry."

"Tell him what?"

Dumbledore took a deep breath and closed his eyes.

"Tell him that on the night Voldemort tried to kill him, when Lily put her life between them, the Killing Curse bounced back on Voldemort and a fragment of Voldemort's soul exploded Fly away, attached to the only living soul in the collapsed house. A part of Voldemort lives inside Harry, giving Harry the ability to talk to snakes and connect with Voldemort's mind, which has always puzzled him Solution. As long as the undiscovered soul fragment is still attached to Harry and protected by Harry, Voldemort cannot die."

Harry seemed to be watching Dumbledore and Snape at the end of a long tunnel, so far away that their voices echoed strangely in his ears.

"The boy...the boy must die?" Snape asked calmly.

"And Voldemort must do it himself, Severus. That's very important."

It was another long silence. Then Snape said, "I thought...for all these years...I thought we were protecting him, for her, for Lily."

"We protect him because we have to tune/teach him, nurture him, let him hone his abilities," said Dumbledore, his eyes still closed, "at the same time, their The connection is also getting stronger and stronger, like a kind of parasitic life. Sometimes I feel as if he is aware of it. If I really know him, I think he will arrange everything so that when he is determined to die It would mean the real end of Voldemort."

Dumbledore opened his eyes, and Snape looked horrified.

"You let him live just so he can die in due time?"

"Don't panic, Severus. How many men and women have you seen die?"

"Recently, it's only people I can't help," Snape said, and then he stood up. "You took advantage of me."

"What do you mean?"

"I spy for you, fabricate lies for you, risk mortal danger for you. All this supposedly to keep Lily Potter's son safe. Now you tell me, you Keeping him is like keeping a pig to be slaughtered—"

"How touching, Severus," said Dumbledore solemnly, "don't tell me you've become concerned about the child now?"

"Care for him?" Snape exclaimed, "God guard!"

The tip of his staff jumped out of the silver doe. It landed on the floor, jumped lightly to the end of the office, and flew out the window. Dumbledore watched it go away, watched its silver light disappear, then turned to look at Snape, his eyes welling with tears.

"Lily... so long or so?"

"It's always been that way," Snape said.

Scene transition. Now, Harry saw Snape talking to Dippet's portrait behind the office.

"Albus wants you to tell Voldemort the exact date Harry left his aunt and uncle's house," he said, "Voldemort thinks you are very well-informed, and you will be suspicious if you don't. You have to instill the idea of ​​using a double, though - that should keep Harry safe. Try using the Confusion Charm on Mundungus Fletcher. Also, Severus, if you have to join the chase , must be convincing... Albus expects you to continue to gain Voldemort's trust as long as possible, otherwise Hogwarts will be at the mercy of the Carrows..."

Now, Snape is chatting with Mundungus in an unfamiliar tavern, Mundungus is dazed and confused, Snape frowns and concentrates.

"You're going to advise the Order of the Phoenix," Snape whispered, "let them use doubles. Polyjuice. A few identical Potters. That's what works. You're going to Forget that I made this suggestion. Take it as your own. Understand?"

"Understood." Mundungus murmured, his eyes glazed...

Now, Harry was flying in the dark night, accompanied by Snape on a broom. There were other Death Eaters in hoods, Lupin in front, and Harry dressed as George... A Death Eater rushed in front of Snape, raised his wand at Lupin's back —

"No Shadow!" Snape shouted.

The curse was originally aimed at the Death Eater's wand hand, but unexpectedly hit George—

Now, Snape was standing in the headmaster's study again, and Phineas Nigellus hurried into his portrait.

"Headmaster! They're camping in the Forest of Dean! That Mudblood—"

"Don't say that word!"

"—the girl named Granger opened the bag and said the place name, I heard it!"

"Good, good!" The portrait of Armando Dippet behind the headmaster's seat relays Dumbledore's words, "Now, Severus, take that sword! Forget it has to be acquired on a condition of need and courage—don't let him know you took it! In case Voldemort reads Harry's mind and sees you helping him—"

"I know," Snape said simply. He approached the empty portrait for Dumbledore and pulled it out. The portrait opened, revealing a hole hidden behind, from which Snape took out Gryffindor's sword.

"Dumbledore still won't tell me why it was so important to give Potter the sword, did he?" said Snape, draping a traveling cloak over his robe.

"Yes, it is," said the Dippet portrait, "Albus said Harry would know what to do with it. Be careful, Severus, George Weiss They won't be kind to your presence after Lai's accident—"

Snape turned by the door.

"Don't worry," he said coldly, "I have my own arrangements..."

Snape left the room. Harry slowly rose from the Pensieve. Moments later, he was lying on the carpet in the headmaster's office, as if Snape had just closed the door.

Finally, the truth is revealed. Harry lay on the floor of the office, his face against the dirty carpet, where he had thought he was learning the secrets of victory. Harry finally understood that he could not survive. His task was to walk peacefully into Death's open arms. Along the way, he had to cut off Voldemort's last link to life. That way, when he finally rushes to face Voldemort and doesn't use his wand to protect himself, the ending will be clean and complete, and the work that should have been done in Godric's Hollow will be truly over: no one will survive, no one will survive.

He felt his heart beating violently in his chest. How strange it was that he was terrified of death, yet his heart was beating so forcefully that he bravely kept him alive. But it had to stop, and it had to stop soon. It doesn't beat too much. When he stood up and walked through the castle for the last time, across the playground, and into the forbidden forest, how many times could his heart beat during that time?

He lay on the floor, a flood of fear, and the drums of the funeral thumped inside him. Does death hurt? How many times he thought death was imminent and got away with it, but never really thought about death itself. His desire to live was always much stronger than his fear of death. But now he didn't think of running away, to get rid of Voldemort's clutches. He knew that it was all over, and there was only one thing left: death.

What if he died on that summer night when he left 4 Privet Drive for the last time, but the noble phoenix feather wand saved him! If only he could die like Hedwig, suddenly and without knowing it! Or if he could stand in front of his wand desperately to save his beloved...he's even jealous of his parents' death at the moment. It takes a different kind of courage to walk so calmly and calmly towards one's own destruction. He felt his fingers trembling slightly, but he tried to control, although no one could see, the portraits on the walls were empty.

Slowly, slowly, slowly, he sat up, and now he felt more alive than ever, more clearly aware of his living body. How had he never realized what a marvel he was: mind, nerves, and beating heart? Everything will be gone...at least, he will be gone. His breathing was slow and heavy, and his mouth and throat were dry, but so were his eyes.

Dumbledore's deception was nothing. Of course there was a bigger plan, but Harry was too stupid to see it. He finally understood now. He had always taken it for granted that he never doubted that Dumbledore wanted him to be alive. Now he knew that the length of his life was always determined by how long it would take to destroy all the Horcruxes. Dumbledore entrusted him with the task of destroying the Horcrux, and he obediently continued to weaken the root that not only connected Voldemort's life, but also himself.