Chapter 6 ~ Mission Complete

Todd leaned over his dead wife, lamenting her death as Tobias slowly climbed up out of his hiding place. The boy stared at Todd hatefully, then looked over towards the oven that held the charred remains of Mrs. Lovett, the only person in the world that had ever treated him kindly. If she had done wrong, it was Todd's doing. He corrupted her, Tobias knew it. He had tried to warn her, asked her to report Todd to the Beadle, but . . . it had all gone wrong. She wouldn't listen. Now, she was dead and Todd was left. Todd and all his evil.

But . . . wait . . .something glittered on the floor in the firelight. Something sinister, beautiful, something that Tobias could use. There was no need for the law . . . Todd was beyond the law.

Tobias bent down and slowly picked up the discarded razor, his eyes hard and young face contorted malignantly.

"Oh, no! No, Tobias . . . " Hermione breathed as the boy crept up behind the barber, his intentions clearly visible on his twisted face. Hatred had never looked visceral before, or felt so palpable. It was as if waves of it pulsed off the boy.

Snape was silent as he watch Todd's expression become knowledgable, then peaceful as he lifted his head, exposing the flesh of his throat, his eyes closing almost blissfully as he waited for the final end to all this madness.

"He knows," Hermione whispered, horrified as the image of the boy and man were reflected redly in her brown eyes by the flames. "He's not trying to stop him. He knows Tobias is there . . ."

"Yes, he knows," Snape replied softly as Tobias halted just behind the kneeling Todd's right shoulder. "He's waiting for it. Waiting for . . . peace after all his torment."

Suddenly, Tobias' arm moved swiftly and surely as he slit Todd's throat from ear to ear. He backed away, then dropped the razor and exited the bake house.

Todd's head slumped slightly as blood poured like a river from the deep wound, flowing freely from his throat, bubbling over his chest, coursing over his lap, then slipping under the body of his beloved and over the filthy floor in waves. There was so much blood. It seemed impossible that so much blood could come from one man. One could think that he held the blood of all his victims in his veins like some kind of vampire. Still his eyes, those haunted, shadowed eyes rested on the face of his wife as life drained away.

Snape and Hermione removed the Disillusionment spell, and Hermione walked as close to Todd as she could get without stepping in the great pool of blood. She pointed her wand at him.

"Avada Ked—" she began before Snape snatched the wand out of her hand.

"Are you insane?" he demanded furiously.

"No, I'm not insane. I only wanted to end this for him. It would be an act of mercy," she retorted, grabbing for her wand.

"It would be an act of suicide! The moment he dies, this world ends. This world ends, we end? Understand?" Snape snapped at her.

Hermione's eyes rounded. In her horror and sympathy, she didn't think of the consequences. She forgot this world was the construct of an author's imagination.

"Death by blood loss isn't the fastest demise," Snape said, handing Hermione back her wand and scooping up the bloody razor from the floor. He quickly took out a parchment bag and dropped it in, sealing it. "But we still have to hurry."

"Ew. Aren't you going to clean that?" Hermione asked him, her face screwed up.

"No. It carries the blood of the innocent and the guilty. A very powerful combination. This razor will be my most treasured of the set. Now, come along."

Snape rushed for the bakehouse door and up the stairs.

"But we aren't Disillusioned!" Hermione said, running behind him as his robes billowed and they came out in the shop. People were there, but they were moving as if in slow motion. Snape threaded his way through them and out the door, then up the stairs that led to Todd's shop. Everything around them was graying and darkening.

"It's . . . it's getting rather hard to breathe," Hermione gasped as she followed him up.

Snape didn't reply as he darted into the barbershop. There was blood everywhere, on the walls, floor, in the barber's chair, and bloody footprints leading out of the shop.

Snape grabbed the box of razors off of the sink, opened it and looked inside, satisfied. Hermione was clutching the sink, her breathing harsh as blackness settled around them.

"I can't . . . I can't breathe," she choked.

Snape tucked the box of razors under his arm, grabbed Hermione around the waist and spun the Time Turner . . .

The next thing Hermione knew was she was on her hands and knees in the grass gulping down gobs of air as Snape's robes billowed away toward Hogwarts castle.

"Hey!" she coughed, but he didn't stop.

"Bloody git," Hermione wheezed, sitting up on her knees.

Snape uncharacteristically gave Hermione three days off to recover from their adventure. She put the time to good use.

Snape was in the lab brewing away when Hermione entered, letting the door slam behind her for emphasis. She tossed something on to the table beside the steaming caldron. Snape glanced at it, but said nothing as he counted his stirs.

"Do you know what that is?" she demanded.

"No, but I'm sure you'll tell me," Snape responded sarcastically.

"That's Sweeney Todd, the musical. I watched it. All of it," she told him.

"Well, huzzah for you," Snape replied, placing the lid on the cauldron and turning to face her.

"Yes, and the actors are identified. Did you know an actor named Alan Rickman looks just like you? And an actress named Helena Bohiem Carter looks just like Bellatrix. They're Muggles. And the one who play Sweeney Todd, he's a very popular actor named Johnny Depp."

Snape cocked his head at her.

"And?"

"And what?" she snapped.

"Don't you find it unsettling that you aren't familiar with Muggle actors? I mean, really, Hermione, are you that wrapped up in the magical world that you're completely out of touch with your Muggle heritage? Tsk. Even I take in a flick now and again, just to stay on top of things," the wizard said with a frown.

"Well, I like older movies," she said in her defense.

"You need to get with the times," Snape replied archly, then turned and began cleaning around his cauldron.

"Well, I have. I also rented another DVD, called Alice in Wonderland and Rickman, Carter and Depp were all in it," she said.

Snape turned to her with interest.

"Did you really? That's excellent," he said with a small, unpleasant half smile. Hermione immediately became suspicious. Anything remotely connected to Snape smiling in any manner couldn't possibly be good.

"Why is that 'excellent?'" she asked him.

"Because," Snape replied. "I'm dying to get my hands of a bit of Jabberwocky blood. It will make a marvelous addition to my stores. Keep your weekend free."

"Oh, bollocks," Hermione hissed, throwing up her hands.

Here they go again.

THE END

A/N: And that's it. Thanks for reading and for being so patient. A crossover like this isn't really that creative, but it did give me a chance to write and finish something as well as maybe interest a few people in seeing the Sweeney Todd movie. It was wonderful. Thanks all.