I SPY || 𝕝𝕦𝕔𝕚𝕦𝕤 𝕞𝕒𝕝𝕗𝕠𝕪

Chapter 58. Reward

"Harry!"

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            Harry entered the headmaster's office, slamming the door behind him. Without hesitation he headed straight for the cupboard containing the pensieve, and carefully tossed it towards the headmaster's desk where it floated carefully through the air before coming to a halt. Harry climbed the stairs and reaching into his jacket, poured Severus' tears out of the vial and into the bowl. He dipped his head into the pensieve, submerging himself into its icy waters.

            A grassy hill. A daisy. A red-haired girl. Freak! You're a freak Lilly! A boy with dark hair. A giant bare tree. Gryffindor! Just like your father. Lazy. Arrogant. Books falling. Boys shoving. A couple kissing, dancing. Professor Trelawny, a prophecy. Voldemort. Severus! No don't kill me. The prophecy did not refer to a woman! It spoke of a boy, born at the end of July! It's her son, he intends to hunt them down now, to kill them! Anything. A broken house. A crying baby. Mama loves you. Dada loves you. Harry be safe, be strong. Avada Kedavra! A blood curdling scream. You said you would keep her safe! The boy survives! The Dark Lord will return. He will be in terrible danger. He has her eyes. If you truly loved her. No one can know. The sorting hat. Clapping. Severus at Hogwarts. A spiral staircase. Arrogant! My father was a great man! Your father was a swine! James Potter, dead. Lifeless. I will contain the curse to your hand, for the time being it will spread Albus. Astrid. Everly. We both know Lord Voldemort has ordered the Malfoy boy to murder me! Draco. Vanishing cabinet. Severus and Draco. Should he fail, presume the Dark Lord will turn to you. You must be the one to kill me Severus, it is the only way. Only then will he trust you completely. A finger to hushed lips. A flash of green. Dumbledore falling. Everly's cries. There will come a time when Harry Potter must be told something. But you must wait until Voldemort is at his most vulnerable. Must be told what? A yellow wardrobe. A flash of green. Harry himself. A small owl. There's a reason Harry can speak with snakes. There's a reason he can look into Voldemort's mind. A part of Voldemort lives inside him. White eyes. So, when the time comes the boy must die. Yes. Yes. He must die. Severus drops to his knees. A red-haired woman. Lifeless. Dead. A baby in a crib. Harry. A baby in Astrids arms. Everly. You've been raising him like a pig for slaughter. Expecto Patronum. A silver doe. Strangled cries. After all this time? Always. Voldemort himself must do it. That is essential.

            Harry pulled back out of the pensieve, deep breaths filling his chest. Eyes wide he took himself to sit on the stone stairs, his legs trembling under the weight of what he just learnt. His chest heaved as he thought, as he regretted.

            The sound of the door opening and closing drew his eyes up, and there in the office he met the red eyes of Astrid Moody.

            "Did you know? That he was good?" Harry choked out, in realisation of why Astrid had felt so deeply for the man, had sobbed so hard for his death.

            "Yes." Astrid sobbed. "He did everything for you Harry, to help you."

            "You should have told me-" Harry said standing.

            "I couldn't!" Astrid wailed.

            "I could have saved him, if I'd only known!" Harry yelled. Astrid clenched at her stomach, an overwhelming feeling of guilt and sorrow filling her. Crouching she heaved, emptying the contents of her stomach yet again as she sobbed wildly. Harry looked on sadly, with regretful eyes, he hadn't meant to make her ill with grief.

            "Professor Moody," he said softly, crouching beside her he patted her back. "Astrid, I'm sorry."

            "Never mind it Harry, what is it you wish to do?" Astrid asked, wiping at her mouth with the sleeve of her cardigan. It was no longer white, now a shade of muddy grey and brown smeared with crimson.