Chapter 771: I'm Afraid He'll Blow Up the Office!!
"Can you make him wait? I'd really rather not have my office blasted apart…"
Dumbledore said it weakly, as if he could already see what was about to happen.
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Harry stood there, not knowing what to do.
About Snape…
He didn't know how to face him anymore.
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He couldn't hate him.
Not now.
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Especially after learning that Darren carried Snape's blood…
That alone made everything more complicated than he could handle.
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And when he thought about everything Snape had done over the years—
Harry felt a tightness in his chest.
From beginning to end…
Snape had been protecting him.
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Even when Harry had hated him.
Even when he had cursed him.
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Guilt pressed down harder.
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Thankfully…
Darren had saved him.
Otherwise…
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Harry didn't get to finish that thought.
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Because the next second—
The door to Dumbledore's office was kicked open.
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Snape walked in.
His face pale.
His breathing uneven.
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His eyes swept across the room—
past Dumbledore—
past Harry—
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…and then stopped.
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On Darren.
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Everything in him seemed to collapse at once.
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Snape dropped to his knees.
Almost like his strength had been pulled out from under him.
He crawled forward—
reached Darren—
and pulled him into his arms.
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He held him tightly.
Too tightly.
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And then—
he broke.
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He cried.
Not quietly.
Not restrained.
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It was raw.
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Harry instinctively glanced at Dumbledore.
Dumbledore only gave a helpless, bitter smile.
He spread his hands slightly.
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"This," he said quietly, "is exactly why I didn't want him coming in just yet."
"I wasn't even planning to wake Darren up now."
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He paused.
"…Darren would probably agree with that."
"He didn't even bring himself back to the castle."
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Harry swallowed.
"…Then what do we do?"
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Dumbledore looked at him.
"Why don't you try comforting him?"
"I think… Severus rather likes you."
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Harry almost laughed at that.
It sounded impossible.
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But since Dumbledore said it—
he stepped forward anyway.
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He approached carefully.
"Professor… Headmaster Dumbledore said… Darren can still be saved…"
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Snape froze.
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Then suddenly—
he turned.
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His eyes locked onto Dumbledore.
There was something desperate in them.
Something close to begging.
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"Albus… please…"
"Please save him…"
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His voice broke.
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"I can give anything… whatever I am worth… take it…"
"Take everything!"
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Harry looked at Dumbledore too.
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For a moment—
Dumbledore looked almost… embarrassed.
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He shook his head slightly.
"If you hadn't come in just now… Harry and I were discussing exactly that."
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He paused.
"Perhaps it's best if Harry explains everything to you."
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"And… I'll go fetch Hermione and Ron."
"They should hear this as well."
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With that—
Dumbledore turned and left the office.
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Now it was just Harry and Snape.
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Harry tried to smile.
It didn't really work.
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Snape didn't care.
He didn't even look at him properly.
He just demanded—
"Speak."
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If this had been before—
Harry would have refused.
Or snapped back.
Or said nothing at all.
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But now…
After everything—
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He couldn't.
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So he began.
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Slowly at first.
Then faster.
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He told everything.
From beginning to end.
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By the time he reached the middle—
Hermione and Ron arrived.
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They looked exhausted.
Grief still clinging to them.
But they stayed.
They listened.
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Harry had to start again.
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Then came Luna.
Ginny.
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He explained it again.
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Then Fleur.
Tonks.
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Again.
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By the fifth time—
Harry suddenly had a strange thought.
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Was Dumbledore doing this on purpose?
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Did he already know people would keep coming in—
one after another—
so he let Harry explain everything instead?
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The thought lingered for a moment.
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Then Harry shook it off.
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No…
Dumbledore wouldn't do that.
Right?
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Even so—
Harry didn't feel annoyed.
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Each time he told it again—
he understood something more clearly.
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Every step.
Every plan.
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Almost all of it—
had been Darren.
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Darren thinking.
Darren planning.
Darren pushing forward.
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And in the end—
Darren choosing to die.
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Harry didn't know what Darren had been thinking in that final moment.
But he knew one thing—
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Darren must have been desperate.
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Because of him.
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Because of the distance he had created—
that quiet rejection—
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It had been enough…
to push Darren toward death.
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By the eighth time—
Harry couldn't continue.
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He covered his face.
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He had never felt this ashamed.
Not once.
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"I really hope no one else comes in," Snape said suddenly, his voice tight with urgency.
"We should be thinking of a solution—not listening to Potter repeat himself endlessly."
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"But we still don't know enough!"
Kingsley snapped.
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Their voices blurred into the background.
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Harry didn't care.
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Because at that moment—
he finally understood what he needed to do.
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He looked at Snape.
Hesitated.
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"Professor…"
"…is there anything we can do?"
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Even now—
it still felt unnatural to ask him like this.
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Snape shot him a look of clear irritation—
then looked away.
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He was silent for a while.
Then spoke.
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"There is one way."
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"A contract."
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"If someone forms a binding contract with Darren…"
"He will be restrained by it."
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"Even if he wants to die… he won't be able to."
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Harry leaned forward slightly.
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"There are several kinds," Snape continued. "Life-sharing contracts. Master-servant contracts."
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"And…"
He paused briefly.
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"…marriage contracts."
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Hermione's eyes lit up immediately.
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"What does that mean?"
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Snape answered calmly.
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"If one party dies… the other dies as well."
"Their life force becomes linked."
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"The Weasleys likely have such a contract."
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"But…"
He sneered faintly.
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"It's not unbreakable."
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"With sufficient cost… it can be undone."
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"If Miss Granger believes that alone will stop him from choosing death—she is mistaken."
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"The price to break it is not severe."
"He would only need to sacrifice one-tenth of his lifespan."
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Snape's voice turned cold.
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"Do you really think he wouldn't do that?"
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But Hermione didn't falter.
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Her eyes were still bright.
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She smiled.
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"…Then what if it isn't just one person?"
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Everyone turned to her.
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"I mean…"
She took a breath.
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"Me, Ginny, Tonks, Fleur, Astoria, Greengrass , Luna ,Kassandra…"
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"And more."
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"Pansy, Lavender, The Patil sisters…"
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"If they're willing…"
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"They can all form contracts with him."
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Her voice steadied.
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"If it's just one person… he can sacrifice his life to break it."
"But if it's ten… twenty…"
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"He won't."
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"Because that would mean harming all of them."
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"And he wouldn't do that."
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Hermione's eyes softened.
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"He's too kind."
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A quiet breath escaped her.
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"So… if he has a reason to live…"
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"…then what bloodline he has won't matter anymore."
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