An Epic Love Story

13. The Betrayal

"None of this is your fault Harry.  The blame lies with Jacob and with him alone", said Dumbledore.  "Can you understand that?"

Harry looked at his headmaster, and thought how perfect life would be, if he could just let go of the guilt.  But Harry wasn't one to do that.  He had failed them.  Just like he had failed Fred.  Colin.  Sirius.  And all the others who had been lost in the war.  Guilt like that was a terrible burden to bear, but who would carry it, if not him.  Harry answered no, he did not understand it.  Maybe in time he would, but for the moment, no.  He had to bear the guilt, that is what made him sane.  He decided to carry on with his story.

"We were waiting for the signal, and oh Merlin, it took forever.  Then from behind, I saw movement.  Jacob must have slipped away, and came back from behind us.  It happened so fast I couldn't comprehend it.  I saw Jacob cast the killing curse at one of my detail, and then another, and then I saw Pettigrew.  He killed the last of my detail.  But there were more death eaters, and they were starting to surround me.  I knew there was no way out.  That's when Jacob shouted out, that no one was to touch me, I belonged to him.  My death would be by his hands.  The death eaters slowly started filing back, towards god knows where, and then it was just me, Jacob and Wormtail", he snarled.

Snape was disgusted.  To be led to your death was one thing, to be led to your death by a friend was a whole new ballgame.  He didn't understand the meaning of betrayal.  He had never, and would never betray anyone.  He would rather die, and in that respect, he and Harry were very much alike.  Now he could understand the anger that Harry had felt.  It had been justified.  Dumbledore was horrified.  That an auror had seen fit to kill three of his own men, and seriously injure another, was beyond comprehension.  Not just an auror, but a friend.  He remembered that Harry had mentioned this had been done for money, and wondered what the payment had been.

"Even when in training, you take an oath.  An oath to protect and serve your brothers and the law.  The oath meant nothing to Jacob.  Anyway, he told Wormtail to wait for him at the road side, he would take care of me.  They had taken my wand, I had no means to defend myself.  But then, when he could have cast the killing curse he didn't.  He took out a muggle weapon.  It's called a gun, or a firearm.  I know it to be a Colt 45, because I have studied muggle weapons, and it's lethal.  Not your average run of the mill pea shooter.  It will kill you.  Well his aim was true, and he shot me.  Three times.  Every single shot missed my heart, I don't know how, and I don't know why, but it did.  

It didn't make the pain any less bearable, and it most certainly doesn't excuse what he did, but hey, at least my heart wasn't hit", he said sarcastically.  "I remember passing out from losing too much blood.  I remember hearing the words, I hope you understand, and I remember him kicking me.  Kicking me when I was already down.  The next thing I knew I woke up in a muggle hospital, with tubes sticking out of me, and Jacob sitting next to my bed.  When I say woke up, what I mean is, I could hear talking.  But I did not open my eyes.  My head was pounding, and so I wanted to try and control the pain.  The doctor came and told me that I had been in a coma for about 4 weeks and it was a miracle that I had woken up.

A couple days later, I heard Jacob talking to someone.  He was saying that he had tried, and that it was impossible to kill me.  I had survived three attempts on my life, and just wouldn't die, so no, he wasn't going to try again.  That wasn't the deal.  

He had made a deal with my fucking life.  THAT SON OF A BITCH MADE A DEAL WITH MY LIFE LIKE IT MEANT NOTHING!" Harry stood up, shaking with anger again.  And it was to be understood.  How do you move past something like this.  It was one thing to be betrayed, and another to actually hear the antagonist, supposedly your friend, admit to doing it.

Calming himself, he carried on.  "And I still had no idea why.  And so I waited and I listened.  And then I heard the other voice.  Wormtail", he spat.  Disgusted at the name coming from his lips, he knew he needed to finish,  because this would be the first and last time that he told his story.  He would never speak of it again.  "His exact words were, he needs to die.  If you want your payment, then kill him.  Well after saying that, he left my hospital room, slammed the door behind him, and I was fuming.  When Jacob turned around, he saw that my eyes were open, and that I had heard every word.

He started to explain why he had done it, but I wasn't listening.  I didn't want to hear it, so all I told him was, that if I ever saw him again, I would rip his fucking throat out.  Told him to leave.  So he did".  Harry was shaking, he was crying and his body was bathed in sweat.  He had a sudden desire to just go and stand under the cold water of a shower, and not come out till he felt clean and whole.  He also had a headache from so much talking, and reliving the horror that he had been through.

Dumbledore and Snape gave him reassuring words of comfort, that none of what had happened had been his fault.  They were there for him if he needed to talk.  The only good news about all of this was that Jacob Summers and Wormtail, along with all the other death eaters had been caught, and were awaiting trial.  Harry thanked them again, for coming to visit and listening to his story.  But he asked them to excuse him, as he was feeling tired, and wanted to rest some more.

They agreed, and after making sure that he was peaceful, left him.  But Harry wondered if he would ever feel peace again.  Hoping to feel some emotions coming from his friends, as he had done in the days before, he drifted off to sleep.