, Harry's pain and anger continued to mount.

"I've been thinking hard for a long time, Severus...do you know why I called you back from the battle?"

For a moment, Harry caught sight of Snape's profile, Snape's eyes fixed on the serpent coiled in the magic cage.

"I don't know, Master, but I beg you to let me go back and find Potter."

"You talk a lot like Lucius, and none of you know Potter as well as I do. No need to look. Potter will come to his door himself. I know his weakness, one of his great flaws. He doesn't want to see Watching other people get knocked out around him, and knowing it's all because of him. He's going to do whatever it takes to stop it. He's coming."

"But, master, he might be killed by someone else—"

"My orders to my Death Eaters were very clear. Capture Potter alive. Kill his friends—as many as possible—but not him."

"But, Severus, it's you I want to talk about, not Harry Potter. You were valuable to me, valuable."

"Master knows I am willing to serve you. But—let me go find the boy, master. Let me bring him to you. I know I can—"

"I told you, no!" said Voldemort, and when he turned again, Harry saw the red light in his eyes and heard his cloak rustle like a snake crawling on the ground.Harry also sensed Voldemort's impatience from the searing scar. "Severus, my current concern is what happens when I finally face that boy!"

"Master, of course there can be no problem—?"

"—There is a problem, Severus, there is a problem."

Voldemort stopped, and Harry could see him clearly again, running his pale fingers around the Elder Wand, his eyes fixed on Snape.

"Why don't my two wands work against Harry Potter?"

"I—I can't answer, Master."

"is it?"

The intense anger drove into Harry's head like a nail, and he stuffed his fist into his mouth to keep himself from screaming out in pain.He closed his eyes, and suddenly he was Voldemort, staring into Snape's pale face.

"My yew wand did my best, Severus, but failed to kill Harry Potter. It failed both times. Ollivander told me, under torture, that the twins The wand core thing told me to use someone else's wand. I did, but Lucius' wand shattered to pieces as soon as it met Potter's."

"I—I don't understand either, Master."

Snape was not looking at Voldemort at the moment.His black eyes were still fixed on the coiled and writhing serpent inside the protective sphere.

"I found a third wand, Severus. The Elder Wand, Fate, Deathstick. I took it from its previous owner. I took it from Albus Dumbledore's tomb brought it."

Snape was looking at Voldemort now, and Snape's face was a death mask, pale and frozen as marble.When he opened his mouth it was startling to realize that there was a living person behind those empty eyes.

"Master—let me find the boy—"

"All the long night, seeing the verge of victory, I sit here," said Voldemort, in a voice that was almost a whisper, "think, think, why the Elder Wand won't do what it does, won't do what it says Its rightful owner worked miracles...now I seem to have an answer."

Snape didn't speak.

"Perhaps you already know? You are a wise man after all, Severus. You have been a good and faithful servant, and I regret what had to happen."

"Owner--"

"The Elder Wand will not serve me well, Severus, because I am not its true owner. The Elder Wand belongs to the wizard who killed its previous owner. You killed Albus Dumbledore. Just You live, Severus, and the Elder Wand cannot really be mine."

"Master!" Snape protested, raising his wand.

"There can be no other way," said Voldemort. "I must conquer the wand, Severus. Conquer the wand, and finally conquer Potter."

Voldemort smacked the air with the Elder Wand.Snape was unharmed, and for a split second he seemed to think he was temporarily exempt.Then Voldemort's intentions became clear.The snake's cage rolled through the air, Snape let out a single scream, the cage covered his head and shoulders, and Voldemort spoke in Parseltongue.

"kill."

With a terrible scream, Harry saw what little blood was left from Snape's face as the snake's fangs dug into his neck.He feebly pushed away the magic cage, and fell to the ground with his knees limp, his face turned pale, and his black eyes opened wide.

"I'm sorry." Voldemort said coldly.

He turned around, and there was no sorrow, no regret in his heart.With a wand that absolutely obeys his commands, it's time for him to get out of the shed and clean things up.He pointed his wand at the starry cage, and it floated away from Snape.Snape fell to the ground, blood gushing from the wound on his neck.Voldemort left the room quickly, without looking back, and the serpent, which was enclosed in a large protective sphere, floated away with him.

Harry was back in the tunnel, back in his own thoughts, and opened his eyes.In order to keep himself from shouting, he bit the knuckles of his fingers and bled.Peering now through the narrow gap between the box and the cave wall, he saw a foot in a black boot trembling on the floor.

"Harry!" Hermione gasped behind him, but he had pointed his wand at the box blocking his view.The box hangs an inch and floats noiselessly aside.Harry tiptoed into the room.

He didn't know why he did this, why he approached the dying man.He didn't know how he felt when he saw Snape's pale face and the fingers trying to stop the bleeding wound on his neck.Harry took off the cloak and looked down at the man he hated.Snape's wide-open black eyes caught sight of Harry, who struggled to speak.Harry leaned forward and Snape grabbed the front of Harry's robes and pulled him closer to him.

There was a horrible wheezing, clucking, clucking sound coming from Snape's throat.

"Take...go...take...go..."

It wasn't just blood that came out of Snape.A silver-blue substance, neither gas nor liquid, rose from his mouth, ears, and eyes.Harry knew what it was, but didn't know what to do—

An ampoule conjured out of thin air was thrust into his trembling hand by Hermione.Harry fished the silver substance into the bottle with his wand.The bottle was full, and Snape's blood seemed to be drained, and his grip on Harry's robes loosened feebly.

"Look... look... I..." he said softly.

The green eyes stared at the black eyes, but after a second, something in the depths of those black eyes seemed to disappear, and they became dazed, dull and empty.The hand that was holding Harry fell to the ground, and Snape did not move.

Harry knelt beside Snape, staring at him blankly.Suddenly, a high-pitched, grim voice that seemed very close at hand began to speak, and Harry jumped up, clutching the bottle tightly, thinking Voldemort had returned to the house.

Voldemort's voice echoed from the walls and the floor, and Harry realized he was speaking to Hogwarts and all the surrounding areas.The inhabitants of Hogsmeade and those still fighting in the castle could hear him clearly, as if he was standing beside them, his breath on the back of their necks, killing them with a single blow .

"You have resisted bravely," said the high, grim voice. "Lord Voldemort knows how to appreciate courage."

"But you have suffered heavy losses. If you continue to resist, you will die one by one. I don't want this to happen. Every drop of wizard blood is a loss and a waste."

"Lord Voldemort is merciful. I order my party to retreat, immediately."

"I'll give you an hour to settle the dead with dignity and treat the wounded."

"Harry Potter, I speak directly to you now. You let your friends die for you instead of facing me. I will be at

Wait an hour in the Forbidden Forest.If you don't come to me an hour later, if you don't surrender, the fight will continue.This time, I will fight myself, Harry Potter, and I will find you, and I will punish every man, woman and child who tried to harbor you, not a single one.One hour. "

Both Ron and Hermione looked at Harry and shook their heads furiously.Gwen pushed the two of them aside, knelt down beside Snape, who was gradually cooling down, and covered the wound on his neck with one hand.

"Don't listen to him," said Ron.

"It's all right," said Hermione excitedly, "we - let's go back to the castle. If he goes to the Forbidden Forest, we need to seriously rethink a plan -"

She glanced at Snape and hurried towards the tunnel entrance, followed by Ron.Harry put away the Invisibility Cloak and looked down at Snape again.He couldn't express his inner feelings, but he was shocked by the way Snape died and the reason why he died...

"You guys go." Gwen couldn't speak at this moment. What an earth-shattering news she overheard just now. "I...I want to try again...or at least his remains..."


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