Betrayal of the Best Kind
Fall
By Draco664
Fall
Even though it was nearly eight o'clock, the late afternoon sun was yet to dip beneath the southwestern horizon. Days were long indeed in early summer in Scotland. Harry sat, his back leaning against the base of the old stone lighthouse, looking out over the cliff, just watching the simple beauty of a sunset.
The lighthouse had been build at the highest point of the shear cliffs that ran along this part of the coast. Anyone foolhardy enough to get close enough to look over the edge would see waves crashing against the base of the cliff, then receding enough to make out the floor of jagged rocks below, before the next wave covered them with white foam.
Had he ever watched a sunset? Harry couldn't remember.
Faint footfalls sounded on the grassed land behind the building. Harry stood and walked around the lighthouse.
Cho stood there, a vision of beauty. He dark, silky hair was tied back in a long ponytail, her small frame clothed in simple school robes. Her perfect features were caught in an expression of anticipation.
"Harry?" she sounded shocked.
It took Harry a second or two to figure out what caused Cho such confusion. He was dressed in tattered robes, not having the ability to purchase new ones nor the wand to transfigure a new set. His long dark hair framed his gaunt face, making his pale skin look almost white. Harry's skeletal frame gave mute testimony to the hardships he'd endured.
He smiled and nodded. "It's me, Cho. It's Harry."
Cho made her way towards the lighthouse on the cliff. She knew behind her in a copse of trees were a dozen aurors and two professors, all covered in invisibility cloaks. Walking next to her was Harry's friends, Ron and Hermione, also invisible under a cloak.
A painfully thin tramp appeared from the far side of the lighthouse. Cho cursed under her breath, the last thing they needed was a muggle in the way when they caught Harry.
The tramp saw her and walked straight towards her. A smile appeared on his thin face. A vaguely familiar face.
Cho drew a sharp breath in shock. "Harry?" she asked.
A smile and a nod. "It's me, Cho. It's Harry."
Malicious glee flooded through Cho's small frame. Here was her tormentor, the murderer. The thoughts of the obvious trials he had gone through were delicious to her vengeful mind. It looked as if he had gone through more pain than she expected. The thought warmed her.
The murderer walked towards her, his arms outstretched. Cho clenched her jaw, and held out her arms. She had to get him away from the cliff, he may be prepared to jump rather than be captured again.
The embrace almost overwhelmed her. Harry's familiar hug sent her mind back, recalling the blissful times she spent in his arms. Without thinking she tightened the embrace holding him close. Emotions long thought buried under all the hatred she felt for this man rose painfully. She let out a quivering sob.
Harry did nothing but hold her. He felt all the barriers he had erected in Azkaban disintegrate into nothing. It felt like he had been colour-blind, and was now seeing a rainbow for the first time. Holding his crying girlfriend and feeling all the love he felt for her banished the memory of every accusing look she ever gave him.
Everything was suddenly alright in the world.
Victoria Pritchart looked at the sobbing girl in alarm. She couldn't allow Potter to forgive the girl. She had to act now, even though the pair were still only a few metres from the edge of the cliff.
Whipping off her cloak she shouted, "Good girl Cho, now get out of the way, we'll get him!" She aimed her wand at Potter's astonished face.
Cho leapt back at the Defense professor's unexpected voice. She had been supposed to lead Harry towards the trees where the aurors were waiting. Memories of Harry tracing their initials on her bare chest had set her shivering. Though she had broken her physical contact with him, she couldn't bring the loathing she knew she felt for him to invade her bliss. Wanting to hate him with all her mind, and loving him with all her heart. The pain of the two conflicting emotions was too much.
"I hate you!" she shouted at the pain. Desperately trying to regain the mask of control she had worn so well during the year, she shouted what had almost become her mantra.
"You killed him! I hate you!" she shouted, her heart not believing a word. "You killed Cedric just because you wanted me!" The poisonous story fed to her for nearly a year could not penetrate the love Harry's touch had ignited in her, the love she still felt for this young man in her heart. Desperately, she tried again.
"You killed him! I hate you!" her voice became hoarse, she had no more air in her lungs. Cho collapsed, still whispering, "I hate you, I hate you." She was unable to draw breath. She knew she was lying.
Hermione and Ron jumped at professor Pritchart's sudden and unexpected outburst. The invisibility cloak slipped, and fell from their shoulders.
Harry looked from Cho to them, astonishment and pain evident on his already tortured features.
Professor Snape forced himself to focus on the task at hand. The outburst from the Defense Professor was inexcusable in such a situation, but dwelling on that would not make the current circumstances any better.
He took off, running directly at Potter and Chang, who was now slumped on the ground. Potter was too far away to fire a stunning spell with any accuracy. For now, he simply had to run as fast as he could. Even when confused, Potter had an uncanny way of getting out of situations like this.
Hermione recovered first. "Harry," she started.
She watched Harry flinch at her voice. He looked down at Cho, who lay quivering on the grass, still unable to breathe. The torment and pain Cho had just inflicted on her friend was too much.
"Harry, wait!" she shouted as he looked up in horror and turned to run. Hermione risked a quick look behind her and saw the aurors burst forth from the trees.
"Damn you!" she heard Harry shout. "What do you want from me? What?" His agonized voice pained her.
Suddenly, his features snapped into a mask of determination. No trace of pain could be seen.
"So be it." was all Hermione heard him say, before he ran and threw himself off the cliff.
Harry snapped his head up at the unexpected voice of his Defense Professor. His heart stopped at Cho's outburst. His mind shut down, trying to register Hermione and Ron's presence.
"Harry," came Hermione's familiar voice. Harry flinched and felt reality intrude on his private world of heartache.
He looked up and saw the potion professor appear from beneath an invisibility cloak, sprinting towards him. The idea of Snape charging in his direction shocked Harry into moving.
He spun on is heel, and ran towards the lighthouse. "Damn you!" he shouted at the top of his lungs. "What do you want from me? What?" Harry couldn't keep the anguish from his voice.
Months of bringing pain and anger to mind and banishing it just a quickly saved Harry. Like flicking a switch, he shunted all the agony he felt to the side. He could transform, and escape, but he had to keep his new power a secret.
Turning to face his attackers, Harry simply said in a normal voice, "So be it."
He turned back to the cliff, and jumped.
Ron watched as his best friend threw himself over the cliff. Time just stopped. He heard a voice scream, "No!" as Harry slowly disappeared. With the apparent speed of continental drift, he moved to the edge of the cliff and looked over.
Hermione's heart shot into her throat as Harry lunged to his death. She screamed, "No!", and tried to run to the edge of the cliff. Her legs would not obey her. Desperately, she crawled to the edge, horrified at what she expected to see.
Snape ran like never before. He was almost within range when he watched the boy who defeated his former master willingly leap from the cliff. He didn't remember slowing to a walk, picking Cho up, or making it to the edge.
Professor Pritchart watched as all her work counted for nothing. Potter had killed himself. Her master would not be pleased. Not pleased at all. Gathering the cloak around her shoulders, she apparated away.
Four figures stood at the top of a wind swept cliff on the west coast of Scotland. They looked down at the body of a young man lying on the rocks below. His head lying on its side, arms splayed, and skinny legs propped against stone.
Slowly, twelve others wearing the same uniform joined the four at the edge of the cliff.
Cold waves washed over the body, knocking the glasses on its face askew.
Two figures apparated to the woods near the cliff. One immediately transformed into a great canine. Both ran out of the woods, but stopped when they saw all the figures looking over the cliff's edge.
The enormous dog let out a gut-wrenching howl. All the people standing at the cliff face turned and made their way towards the headmaster and the animal.
The dog sped past them and stopped at the edge of the cliff. Looking down it wimpered. Holding its head low, it turned and trotted back to the headmaster.
Professor Snape began recounting the events of the past few minutes.
"So professor Pritchart's action disrupted the operation." Snape concluded. "I haven't seen her since."
A somber group stood around in the beautiful, warming golden rays of the sunset.
Hermione was crying into her boyfriend's chest, Ron's arms gently held her around her shoulders. Cho had been taken back to Hogwarts by a couple of the aurors, suffering from shock. Sirius lay whining in his canine form.
Dumbledore sagged at the story. "I cannot believe Harry is gone. I have been so short-sighted in this that I've caused the death of an innocent boy."
"Innocent?" A collective gasp of astonishment.
"Short-sighted?" Came Hermione's voice, not accusing, but thoughtful.
Everyone looked at her. "That little ..." she started. Breaking away from Ron, she sprinted from the group back to the edge of the cliff
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