94 hp Diagon Alley

How else would he have the strength to do what he had to do? "

"What must he do?"

"That's between Harry and me. Now, Severus, please listen carefully. At some point - after my death - don't argue, real or fake! Sometime , Voldemort seems to fear for the life of his serpent."

"Worried about Nagini?" Snape looked taken aback.

"True. If at some point Voldemort stops sending the serpent to do his bidding, and keeps it around, magically protecting it, then I think I 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 rebounded on Voldemort, and a fragment of Voldemort's soul was blown away, attached to the collapsed house The only living soul in the world. A part of Voldemort lives in Harry, giving Harry the ability to talk to snakes and connect to Voldemort's mind. This has always puzzled him. As long as that is not discovered by Voldemort The soul fragments are still attached to Harry, and under Harry's protection, Voldemort cannot die."

Harry seemed to be watching Dumbledore and Snape from 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 it has to be done by Voldemort himself, Severus. That's very important."

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

"We protect him because we have to train him, train him, let him hone his abilities," said Dumbledore, still closing his eyes tightly, "At the same time, the connection between them has become more and more powerful." Stronger, like a parasitic life. Sometimes I feel as if he is aware of it himself. If I really knew him, I think he will arrange everything so that when he decides to die, it means Voldemort's true self. end."

Dumbledore opened his eyes, and Snape looked terrified.

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

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

"Lately, the only people I've been powerless to save," Snape said, and he stood up. "You used me."

"What do you mean?"

"I spied for you, told lies for you, risked death for you. All this supposedly to keep Lily Potter's son safe. And now you tell me you keep him like a pig A pig waiting to be slaughtered—"

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

"Concerned about him?" Snape called out, "Call for God's protection!"

From the tip of his staff sprang the silver doe.It landed on the floor, jumped across the office, and flew out the window.Dumbledore watched it go away, watched its silver light disappear, then turned to Snape, his eyes filled with tears.

"Lily...is it still like this after so long?"

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

Scene transition.Now, Harry saw Snape talking to the portrait of Dippet 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 well-informed, and you will be suspicious if you don't. Indoctrination - that should keep Harry safe. Try Confusing Mundungus Fletcher. Also, Severus, if you have to join the chase, be sure to appear to be Convinced... Albus expects you to continue to gain Voldemort's trust for as long as possible, otherwise, Hogwarts will be at the mercy of the Carlos..."

Now, Snape was whispering to Mundungus in a strange tavern, Mundungus was dazed and confused, Snape was frowning and focused.

"You're going to suggest to the Order of the Phoenix," Snape whispered, "that they use doubles. Polyjuice Potion. A couple of identical Potters. That's the only way it will work. You have to forget that I suggested it. Bring it up as your own idea. Understand?"

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

Now, Harry was flying through the empty night with Snape on his broom.There were other hooded Death Eaters beside him, Lupine in front, and Harry in the form of George... A Death Eater rushed in front of Snape, raised his wand and pointed it at Lupin's back. back--

"Shen Feng Wu Ying!" Snape yelled.

The spell was meant to be aimed at the Death Eater's wand hand, but it hit George—

Now, Snape was standing in the Headmaster's study again, and Phineas Nigellus scurried into his own portrait.

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

"Don't say that word!"

"—that Granger girl said the name of the place when she opened the bag, and I heard it!"

"Good, good!" Dumbledore's words were relayed by the portrait of Armando Dippet behind the headmaster's chair, "Now, Severus, take that sword! It takes courage to get it - 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 moved closer to the empty portrait for Dumbledore and pulled it out.The portrait opened to reveal a hole hidden in the back, from which Snape drew Gryffindor's sword.

"Dumbledore still won't tell me why it's so important to give Potter the sword, will he?" said Snape, throwing a traveling cloak over his robes.

"Yes, indeed," said the Dippet portrait, "Albus said Harry would know what to do with it. Be very careful, Severus, after George Weasley's accident, what they did to you Your presence would not be friendly—”

Snape turned around at the door.

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

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

Finally, the truth came out.Lying on the office floor with his face pressed against the dirty carpet, Harry once thought he was here to learn the secrets of victory.Harry finally understood that he was not going to survive.His task was to walk peacefully into the open arms of death.Along the way, he would also sever Voldemort's last link to life.That way, when he finally rushes to face Voldemort, and doesn't shield himself with his wand, the ending will be clean and complete, and the work that should have been done back in Godric's Hollow is truly over: no one survives, no one survives.

He felt his heart beating violently in his chest.How strange that, in his fear of death, his heart beat so powerfully that it bravely kept him alive.But it had to stop, and it had to stop soon.It won't be beating too much.How many times could his heart beat as he stood up and walked across the castle for the last time, across the playground, into the Forbidden Forest?

He lay on the floor, flooded with fear, the funeral drum beating 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 stronger than his fear of death.But now it did not occur to him to escape, to escape Voldemort's clutches.He knew that it was all over and there was only one thing left: death.

If only he had died that summer night when he left number four, Privet Drive for the last time, but the noble phoenix feather wand saved him!How nice it would be if he could die like Hedwig, killed suddenly without knowing it!Or, if he could stand in front of the wand in order to save the one he loves... at this moment he is even jealous of his parents' death.It takes a different kind of courage to go so calmly and calmly to your own destruction.He felt his fingers trembling slightly, but he managed to control it. Although no one could see it, the portraits on the wall were empty.

Slowly, very slowly, he sat up, feeling himself alive, more aware of his living body than ever before.How had he never realized before what a marvel he was: mind, nerves, beating heart?Everything would be gone...at least, he would be away from it all.His breathing was slow and heavy, and his mouth and throat were very dry, but so were his eyes.

Dumbledore's deceit is really 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 had never doubted that Dumbledore wanted him alive.Now he knows that the length of his life is always determined by how long it takes to wipe out all the Horcruxes.Dumbledore entrusted him with the task of destroying the Horcruxes, and he obediently continued to weaken the life that was connected not only to Voldemort, but also to himself.