Chapter 40

"Someone please shut those alarms off!" Augusta ordered as she and Minerva briskly walked towards the Ward Master and his apprentice the Board had employed.

"We can't!" The elderly man shouted to be heard. "Not until we find the thing that is triggering this!"

"Well, where is it?" Minerva asked while grimacing due to the excessive sound. She was going to have a migraine tonight.

"I'm as flummoxed as you," The Ward Master shouted. "The castle wards are indicating somewhere on the seventh floor."

"Can't it be more precise?" Minerva shouted over the noise.

"It can but it won't! It's saying it's in a place that does not exist!" As the Ward Master spoke he added "It would have been a lot less accurate had the Castle wards not been recently replenished. So kudos for that,"

Now Minerva groaned. "I know the spot you speak of."

"Well then let us go," Augusta uttered, already turning on her heels.

"Wait!" Minerva stopped her. "Perhaps it is best to call the Aurors for the search. Merlin knows what the wards are reacting to."

While that was happening at Hogwarts, Harry was having a not-so-mild crisis at the Prince estate.

"This can't be happening!" Harry exclaimed as he wore a hole in Severus's carpet. "This should not be happening!"

The romantic mood had quickly shifted once Harry had freaked out. Snape sat on the bed, still somewhat disheveled from their previous activities as he watched his partner pace. "Let us think about this logically. Has it always... worked?"

"YES!" Harry exclaimed. "I might have the mind of an octogenarian but believe me everything was working down there before I time-traveled!"

Snape thought for a moment before asking "When you were imprisoned did Albus force you to drink something that stopped you from becoming aroused?"

"Besides all the Veritaserum, no," Harry grumbled. "Besides I can become aroused... mentally! I just can't...." He made a motion to his nether regions. "It just refuses to cooperate! And trust me, Snape, you're hot by my standards."

Severus's cheeks stained pink as he asked "Just how much Veritaserum were you fed?"

"Mr. For-The-Greater-Good started visiting once a month. He'd use three drops at first and I tried to resist. I managed to only give him scraps for the first year. The next few years he started coming twice a month. He dosed me with that damn potion and asked me questions until he was satisfied or until my mouth started bleeding. To avoid answering I would always bite my tongue. If I didn't give him what he wanted he'd leave without giving me the antidote. It took days for me to come out of that trance. I missed the one meal I got each day countless times and I'd end up dehydrated."

"At some point... I stopped fighting," Harry sighed while running a hand through his messy hair. "After years of that, I started wondering, was not spilling the beans even worth it? Was I ever going to leave that prison? I'd rather have a meal and water instead of being near catatonic for days, starving, and dehydrated."

"I'm ashamed to say but I gave in. The Headmaster got what he wanted. Future events, people's fates, their descendants, future politics and laws passed....."

"I like to think that he screwed himself though," Harry gave a bitter chuckle. "If he hadn't pushed you to stay so adamantly in fourth year that it seemed suspicious then you would have never been my greatest ally."

"And, I don't know how to feel about it but, if your Harry hadn't passed I would have never seen the light of day." He admitted. "I probably would have been killed as well in 1998 when Voldy decided to off Grindelwald. He was in the cell net to me ya know,"

"Harry, before I touch upon your... affliction... there is something I need to get off my chest," Snape admitted. "I've long held a feeling that your counterpart's death was not... accidental. When Ms. Weasley mentioned me possibly being obliviated my suspicions started to grow."

"I see... wait... you know what is causing me to not fuck you into the mattress?!" Harry exclaimed.

"I will explain in due time but I have to get this off my chest. I have debated countless days how even to tell you this,"

"Now you are just making me nervous Snape,"

The morning I rescued you, your counterpart's ghost appeared before me. Overly cryptic as usual but they did relay to me a different prophecy. One that Dumbledore and Grindelwald witnessed together," Severus thought for a moment before reciting it.

In the shadows where destinies entwined,

The world shall tremble before the aligned.

For he who holds the Master of Death,

Shall wield dominion with each whispered breath.

From the depths where shadows conspire,

An empire shall rise, fueled by fire.

But beware the cost, for power is blind—

In the dance with the dark, true strength you may find.

Master the Master, and you shall ascend,

But remember, even power has a bitter end.

Harry took a breath before asking "This is something both Dumbledore and Grindelwald witnessed?" Severus nodded.

"The first part is.... rather ominous...." Harry muttered. "Though considering that I was not part of this reality when this was made it is highly likely that it referred to this reality's Harry becoming a Master of Death." At Snape's inquisitive look Harry classified "Death can choose his masters. If he chooses just one then theoretically it will be so for all realities. If this was made before my arrival then this prophecy alludes to your reality's Harry becoming the Master of Death as well. However, that would not seem to be the case here. As your reality's Harry passed away the prophecy would be considered null and void."

"I do however have a feeling that this prophecy would have spelled the end for that blasted Bumblebee in this reality if it had come to fruition. The whole thing is just too vague, An empire fueled by fire??? Master the Master? How? Slavery, bribes, fucking them into the mattress,"

At Snape's look, Harry uttered "I can't help it! I was ready to shag you silly!"

"So... Severus.... Sev.... Are you finally going to tell me what you theorized?!" Harry questioned. "You've been looking at me like I'm some prized specimen,"

Severus had the decency to look ashamed.... Only for a few seconds though before he uttered "Of course you look like a prized specimen. No Potion master has ever had someone exposed to this much Veritaserum in their lives."

At Harry's confused frown, Snape elaborated "There is a reason only three drops are administered to someone. Some ingredients in the potion are potent and known to cause side effects on their own. No Potions Master has ever dared to actually test the excess use of the combined ingredients on human test subjects before. It would be considered unethical, to say the least. One of the side effects that the test animals did exhibit was... erectile dysfunction."

"ARE YOU SAYING THE HEADMASTER GAVE ME ERECTILE DYSFUNCTION?!" Harry shouted.

"As distasteful as it is, yes," Snape replied. "The Headmaster would have known what the side effects were before administering that much to you. He is well versed in Alchemy and thus also in Potions,"

"Please tell me there is a cure!"

Harry deflated at Snape's face. "No known cure exists but... if the toxins from the ingredients have settled in your body then one possible way would be to see if they can be flushed out with a herbal bath," Harry's face lit up at the possibility. "Harry do know that this is only an experimental idea. No human has ever ingested this amount of veritaserum before."

"It's better than nothing!" Harry stated. "I'm willing to try but first I have to hunt down Albus and kill him,"

"What happened to taking everything from him first?!"

"That was before his actions prevented me from all the smutty things I wanted to do to you. NOW THE MAN WILL DIE!"