The cup of Helga Hufflepuff in her left hand, her wand in the other, she hurried after Ron. Dust in the air and her lungs, lightning everywhere around them, screams deafening their ears. Some of them must have gotten in through an unknown tunnel because the barrier was supposed to still be intact. A blue bolt crossed their way. Hermione sized Ron from behind, pulling him back by the collar, the curse missing him by about five inches. Then she pushed him behind her, peeked around the corner.
“Stupefy!”, hit.
“Thanks!”, Ron panted.
“Any time! Come on!”
“Yeah!”
Corridor after corridor, left, right, right and left again, endless shattered walls already, people duelling as they hurried past between, no time to care for who the others were. Only one destination. Only one way to go. Running faster, sliding around corners, every now and then yelling out a defensive spell. Suddenly her breath was gone. She struggled, trying to get the rope off her neck, seeing Ron running on, coming to halt after a few yards, rushing about.
“Aguamenti!”
A fountain of water erupted horizontally from Ron’s wand, blasting the Death Eater back against a statue, knocking him out. Hermione could loosen the rope.
“Nice one!”, she laughed and heaved herself up.
There was an immensely loud bang from a blast, throwing Hermione to the floor again. A massive spell had hit the half open corridor and caused the arches and ceiling to collapse. She coughed and spat, trying to see just anything through the dust.
“Ron!”
“I’m fine!”, she heard his voice from the other side of the enormous heap of rubble. “Just an awkward déjà vu! You?”
“I’m okay!”
“Alright! See you at the bathroom!”
“Yeah!”
Angry, with her neck hurting a bit, she ran back to find another way. Back, right into the battles.
“Incendio!”, she screamed, pointing her wand as she ran by, on a Death Eater who was torturing a fist-year – the cloak of the man caught fire. “Petrificus Totalus!”, helpless, he would burn to death.
Curses hurtling, spells clashing, walls and ceilings collapsing. Hermione in between, searching her way through like a gazelle on the run from a cheetah, her brain working as fast as a fly’s. There was no time to care about her body. No time to bother her aching legs or lungs or her humming ears. As if only her mind existed, directing a machine, she sprinted through the castle that seemed to be blown away right around her.
Actually she did quite a nice run in her opinion, casting spell after spell, next to trying to figure out where by all those unleashed forces of Heaven and Hell she was, until – she felt something hot coming from behind. Flinging her head back at full speed, she could see a gigantic jet of fire following her with roaring thunder and heat. But before she could conjure a shield, she lost ground beneath her feet – and eventually got to see where she had run to.
With a high pitched scream she fell. The banister had been blown away and she found herself falling down past the moving stairs, people duelling on them. She could see the grand staircase; the long broad main marble staircase leading up to the moving stairs in the tower; coming closer. Someone was battling fiercely on it: it was McGonagall.
“Aresto Momentum!”, Hermione yelled, making herself stop two feet above those steps and fall down on them softly.
McGonagall spun in surprise. Her chin, hands and knees hurt. She was lucky she hadn’t bitten off her tongue, or worse, landed on McGonagall, both doing so. It wasn’t over yet though. Panicked, she rolled one stair down, as a dragon made of pure fire shot towards them from above.
“Protego Maxima!”, Hermione pointed her wand upwards, blocking the heavy fire spell to her grand surprise and relief, making it rush all the way back up and bursting a hole into the far away roof of the tower. “Oh no – ”, she panted, as the pieces began to rain down on them and she jumped up, grabbed McGonagall by the arm and dragged her downstairs.
“Fascinating, what an age one has to reach to see such an amazingly well done shield charm in probably the oddest situation possible.”, McGonagall chuckled when Hermione let go so they could defend themselves against more Death Eaters that had started to chase students. “Are you all right, Miss Granger?”, she panted.
“Yes, Professor. I’m f-”
Hermione felt herself lifted and pulled off the remaining stairs by an invisible force, crashing heavy on the flat floor at the foot of the stairs, deflated. Stars dancing before her eyes, she could see McGonagall pointing her wand at the attacker, who apparently stood somewhere between them and the shut front gates. As fast as she could, she jumped up, raising her wand as well. The Death Eater held a wand in each hand, both of them directed on one of the women, an ugly grin on his face. Hermione panted heavier, panic burnt into her eyes, but steadily holding her wand towards the enemy, who had been fair enough to wait for them to engage in the duel. The whole battle around them seemed to have no interest in letting them participate, luckily.
Just as Hermione meant to send the first spell, black fog was dropping down behind the Death Eater and she could feel her lips form a smile, excited and malicious at once, when she realised that it was an ally. The Death Eater froze, eyes gaping with shock as the tip of a black wand materialised from the fog, drilling into his right carotis-arterie. The hand holding it formed itself from the black whirls and slowly the whole man, a surprisingly calm look on his face, his eyes peering at the Death Eater from aside and his left hand clutching into the other’s dirty, short, brown hair so he couldn’t give in to any naivety.
“Get your wand out of my girlfriend’s face.”, he snarled, but the trapped only blinked desperately. “Now.”, horror writing itself onto his face, the man lowered both shaking hands.
“S-Severus? Is that – is that you? What’re you – ?”, the man stammered.
“Say goodnight.”, he smiled and a small green flash lighted up at the man’s throat.
Still held by the hair, the two wands slipped out of the Death Eater’s hands and fell to the floor, even before Severus pushed him down with disgust. Puffing their lungs out, they looked each other in the eyes for a moment. Two seconds and three hasty steps later, a pair of arms was thrown around his neck and a hand, still holding a wand, dug into his messed hair. Breathing through her bushy brown mane, he closed his eyes, pulling her tight. Nobody paid attention to the two, nobody except Minerva McGonagall, who lowered her wand in confusion as she watched them kiss. Hermione’s wand-holding fist against Severus’ cheek, they separated their lips, nuzzling. One more kiss.
“I thought I’d never see you again – ”, Hermione giggled.
“I can’t leave all the fun job to you, can I?”, he smiled back happily.
“You killed him – ”, despite the battle around, they couldn’t lose their smile, not even when he shot another green bolt at McGonagall, who jerked as it rushed past her head and hit a masked.
“Well, – ”
“Non-verbally!”, Hermione chuckled, but he just shrugged as if it was as easy as tearing a sheet of paper. “Luna was right. You really are more powerful than you seem.”, McGonagall came stomping downstairs now, flicking her wand randomly at Death Eaters trying to follow fleeing students.
“Explain!”, she shrieked in a much higher pitched, hollow tone, “Explain that!”, and wildly brandished her empty hand. “Both of you! Severus – what is this? You murder Albus and a year later, you are dating a former student and killing Death Eaters? Miss Granger! What is this madness! I don’t understand!”
“Polite people usually thank that person who saved ’eir arse twice in a row,”, Severus huffed.
“I beg your pardon?”
“Professor – ”, Hermione half turned around dextrally in his arms. “Whatever you saw or believed, you were meant to.”, she laughed. “Everyone. Dumbledore was dying already. Severus just saved him from a very painful death, secondly preventing Draco Malfoy from becoming a killer. Severus has always been on our side.”, she knew she could speak rather openly – no one would hear them in the roar around, not even Voldemort, she at least hoped. “He’s never been loyal to – Tom Riddle. Fooled him from the beginning; joined him with the wish to infiltrate the whole party and put an end to the war.”, she prayed for this short version to do.
“Is that – that is too much for my old brain. I have acknowledged that Albus loved to concoct merry-go-round-stories, but why? Why all this? This disguise? Severus – ”
“There is no time for details now, Minerva.”, he panted, switched his wand to the left hand and a rattling chain flew through the air, picking someone in dirty black clothes from behind a young blond, who watched the other suffocate with bafflement.
“Damn it!”, he spotted Severus. “Where the hell has he come from?”
“Exactly there!”, yelled a girl from upstairs and shot a stunner over his head at a second Death Eater Draco hadn’t seen coming in his confusion, forcing him to duck.
“Hey! It’d be good to not hit me while trying to save me,”
“We can discuss that when we’re married! Come on! Second years trapped on the third floor! No trespassing without a Mark!”, Hannah raged on.
“Oh crap – er – ”, Draco was torn between looking at either. “Happen to know where that tousle-head with the scar and glasses is?”, eventually he was spared the trouble by having to defend himself, but against some students. “Bloody tramps! I’m on your side!”, he moaned, deflecting their spells at the architecture. “You should’ve joined the DA earlier!”
“AVADA KED-”
“Marlene!”, Hannah spat, bright red, when she knocked the girl over with a heavy swish of her wand. “Get the fuck off him and take some real Death Eater instead! AND YOU!”
“Right – I’m coming – ”
“AV-”, Marlene had been back on her feet by the helping hands of her friends while Draco already ran upstairs with Hannah, but thanks to Hermione, she slammed against a wall, passed out.
“That wasn’t really necessary, but thank you.”, Severus aspirated, his eyes travelling between Hermione’s wand and those held out by the little flock around Marlene.
“Oh my – ”, McGonagall panted.
“Don’t YOU look at me like that!”, Hermione barked as well, making both at her sides wince from the volume. “I might have been away for some months, but I’m still a Prefect and your little friend tried to KILL THE HEADMASTER AS WELL! IF IT WASN’T WAR, I’D REPORT YOU TO THE MINISTRY AND SHE’D GO STRAIGHT TO AZKABAN! Oh wait – she does, right? I mean you’re supposed to be a Death Eater and the Ministry’s – ”
“WILL YOU GET LOST ALREADY!”, Severus rampaged now too, which apparently scared them enough to heave Marlene onto their shoulders and run for their lives.
“This school is definitely going to the dogs since you are Headmaster,”, McGonagall sighed with an unnecessary look around.
“And that is exactly where you come into the plan, Minerva. Please protect the students at your best. Hermione – where’s Harry? In a very busy haste, I know, but I can’t – ”
“He’s searching for Rowena Ravenclaw’s diadem.”, Severus slightly let go of Hermione at last.
“Row-?”
“And Ron and I were heading for the Chamber of Secrets to destroy that one before we were separated.”, she waved the cup, Severus eyed it curiously. “He had the brilliant idea we could try destroying them with a basilisk fang. You know, since Harry had already destroyed one of them this way – ”
“Wait – ”, he backed away a foot, “You still have to – ”, he counted in mind, “Three more to go? Are you mental?”, he hissed, got a glimpse on a Death Eater farther away who attempted to attack a group of huddled up students and sent a silent Killing Curse at him, leaving the students running then, confused about the source. “You come here, start a battle like this and expect you can still survive long enough to destroy three Horcruxes?”
“And we still aren’t sure about how to get close to the last one – or whether the diadem is a Horcrux at all.”, Hermione bit her lip, feeling guilty.
“You – ”, he looked away, consciously ranting in Russian so at least one of the women wouldn’t understand him, but –
“I am not risking anything, nor do I think that I ever was a stupid goof!”, a man with Russian accent hurried by, making all three turn to him in surprise. “You better keep fighting, my friend! It is like a fayre here!”, Igor Karkaroff laughed like having gone insane – more than naturally. “Бомбарда!”, he grinned, slashing his ornate reddish wand at a still masked Death Eater, which forced some third-years to run from soaring blood, brain, teeth, pieces of skull and two eyeballs. “Whoohoo! I have been wanting to do this for twenty years! Got the others! They are coming! They will surely wait for your orders!”, he disappeared in the dust-filled corridor opposite to the Great Hall.
“At least you said the truth! He’s really gone mad!”, Hermione moaned distorting her mouth, over McGonagall’s still resounding shriek, making Severus laugh quietly. “And now I know what your nickname for him derives from.”
“Faintly, yes. Come. We need to find Ronald. Miner-”
He couldn’t finish his sentence, having to dive down beneath a stunner with Hermione. For once, Cho Chang proved courage. Unfortunately, she got the wrong man as well. But that one couldn’t bother less. Hermione just saw Cho’s eyes go weird when he pointed his wand at her and she turned at an instant, hurrying into the Great Hall. Then another Killing Curse hit a woman, running after a number of young students who were led from the corridor Karkaroff had vanished in, by Ginny and Luna, right between the couple and McGonagall. All of them ducked down when they noticed the flash, desperately trying to figure out who had been the victim.
“Snape!”, a voice from above yelled. “Why are you killing our kind!”
Yes, this time he had been seen – and the ones in the near heard it. Though to his luck, they saw no need to notify Voldemort, but rather wanted to finish him off right there.
“Traitor!”, the man spat. “He’s the mole!”
A dozen bundles of black fog rushed towards the three while most students around used the distraction for flight. Severus gave the air a stir of his wand and Hermione felt sliding over to the group of students now crouched by the gilded doors, along with a bewildered McGonagall.
“Oh!”, Luna beamed, having spotted him in the chaos at last. “He’s back!”
His wand was in the air for a second and a bluish bubble globed itself around him and the Death Eaters, all gritting their teeth, circling him like a hungry pack of hyenas. A red flash was blocked. A purple one, then a fireball. Lightning shooting at him. He fought off everything under the huge shield. The students and McGonagall just watched it with gaping eyes and mouths.
Now it was Severus’ turn. He swung his wand like it was as big as a sword, though not getting through the others’ blocks. He tried that several times, angry with himself that the spell had ever been too weak to break more powerful Shield Charms.
“Confundo Duodecim!”, Hermione shouted, moving her wand in a circle above her head, then sending it towards the bubble.
Luckily he heard her and let her spell in, causing the shield to flicker for a moment. There was a lot of blood. He had spun around with his wand held out. Half of the Death Eaters fell to their knees, some instinctively pressed hands on their wounds. Then, Severus raised his wand straight in the air, a white electric bolt rushing up, it’s intensity charging with every second. He snapped it down in front of him and everything went white.
The next thing Hermione saw when raising her head and lowering the arm she had thrown in front of her face for eye protection, was a mass of grey smoke filling the whole, now vanishing cupola, faint flashes bickering on the ground. The horrid smell of burnt flesh and fabric rose. With a gentle wave of his wand, the smoke sank down. A quick green bolt shot at another Death Eater who was flying past without looking. The woman hit the floor with a muffled sound. Blood was trickling from the dead bodies around Severus, still filled with electricity. He wiped a small drop of blood from his cheek and eyeballed it as if it was the most boring thing he had ever seen.
“Thank you, Hermione.”, he frowned.
“Got to repay for all you did for me, don’t I?”, she chuckled, though distracted by a separate battle going on upstairs.
“That was beautiful!”, Luna aspirated, all heads on her then.
“I am aware that you have a different apprehension of what beauty may be like, but I cannot forbear confessing that this, even bothers someone like me.”, Severus smirked, visibly amused.
“There is beauty in everything, Sir.”, she smiled gently. “Even in death. Because, if there is beauty in life, it also has to be in death since they are connected to one another.”
“And there she goes, vindicating mass murder. Fancy working at the Ministry?”, Hermione mumbled with a broad smile, making Severus laugh lustily his eyes closed, which surprised the students behind her as much as this demonstration of his powers still amazed McGonagall. “Sorry. Don’t know where that came from.”
“Minerva?”, he could calm down for finishing his sentence, “Please try to survive. Hogwarts needs you.”, his colleague just nodded, slightly off. “Herm-”
“Avada Kedavra!”
Everyone only stared at where the spell had gone. Everyone but Harry upstairs, who disappeared without even realising that the castle had been partly overrun already, too focused on his task – not noticing that it had just been necessary for someone to save his life, especially not –
“Miss Granger!”, McGonagall aspirated to her heavily panting student who still had her wand raised.
“Hermione – ”, Ginny moaned, having gotten up from the floor to join them. “You – you just – ”
“Seems so – ”, Hermione swallowed, feeling her right arm being grabbed and looked up to Severus, not having seen him moving towards her too, in her shock. “But at least I’ve found Harry – ”
“Come.”, he said softly, sounding and looking exhausted. “We need to catch Ronald.”
“He’s hopefully still on the way to the chamber – or waiting there for me already.”, Hermione nodded.
“Good. Minerva, I count on you. Ginevra,”, he laid his other hand on her shoulder, “If homeless rats come by, paint the castle red for them. Otherwise make it as colourful as possible. It’s New Year’s Eve. And Luna, please let Helena know dinner’s ready. Sybill might also wish to leave her oubliette.”
“Of course. I will make her understand, that not even she can be able to predict the future with any means from tonight on, if she doesn’t use them properly.”
“Er – ”, faltered Hermione, though Severus only agreed with the girl.
“Wonderful.”, he said and took his hand off Ginny.
With this last word, Hermione found a familiar feeling rushing through her whole body. The next second, they were flying upstairs. Still no free hand, she tried her best to hold on to what she detected as being him. Even in their current state, she could feel his arms closing her in. She shut her eyes, not willing to look at any more ruined parts of the castle or duelling people. Her mind drifting away from the screams and names as well as orders being shouted all around; it seemed that the rushing air against them and his warmth could wash away all the death, all the pain, all the frustration and despair from the past years.
And while she herself tried to lock the full awareness into some corner of her mind although her burning heart told her different, she understood that he had only seized her arm to do exactly that; to prevent her moral from destroying her soul with guilt and shame about having extinguished a life, no matter whose it had been. Two, actually, a conceited voice that didn’t fit her current mood said in her head with hers, and meant forcefully to construct the image of burning clothes and blisters blasting on skin and even down a throat and melting eyes while their owner had likely not passed out by the pain he had been incapable of expressing.
Flying invisibly through between events that felt like being unable to touch them, she just wanted to remain in his arms forever and forget. Then, it was over.
Solid ground beneath their feet – a deserted corridor, away from combat, peaceful and unscathed as if being in a different place, as if not being in Hogwarts, unreal – a single tender kiss, eyes filling with silent tears – no words necessary – no words able to describe – no words that could heal as much as their eyes, staring deeply into the other’s, deeply into each other’s souls – understanding –
He gently held her close, leaning his head against hers. The cup still in her left and the wand in her right hand, she wrapped her arms around his back, cuddling to his chest, listening to the beating of his heart. He put away his wand, making it easier to comfort her. His fingers stroked through her hair, caressed her back and cheek.
Footsteps, from the other end of the corridor. Heavy breathing getting louder. Hermione looked up, not seeing the person yet. Realising that they stood in front of the door to Moaning Myrtle’s bathroom, she wiped her tears dry with her dirty sleeve, feeling the dust scratching on her already hurt skin. They separated, soon enough for not being seen like this. Stumbling around the corridor, Ron came heading towards them, his face redder than his hair. He slid to halt.
“YOU!”, he bellowed, out of breath. “GET – AWAY – FROM HER!”, his hand raised, slightly shaking, and he pointed his wand at the other man.
“Ron – ”, Hermione moaned, “It’s okay!”
“WHAT? NOTHING’S OKAY!”
“It’s alright, Ron! He’s on our side! Please! Put down your wand!”, she begged.
When he wouldn’t, Severus raised his hand, wandless. Both Ron and Hermione watched him lowering it again, making Ron’s hand move with it.
“Now get in there.”, he said calmly, nodding at the door. “The sooner you get rid of the Horcruxes, the sooner it will be over.”
“Over?”, Ron whined. “Hang on – you – ”
“I said, he’s on our side!”
“Since when!”
“Since – ever.”, Hermione sighed.
“And you believe him or what?”
“I do. If you don’t, ask McGonagall – or Luna – or Ginny – ”
“What do they have to do with it?”
“They also just witnessed him killing about twenty Death Eaters.”
“Tw-?”, Ron narrowed his eyes, looking from one to the other.
“Yes!”, she hissed. “Now – ”, there was a heavy bang in the distance and even louder screams than before; the corridor tremored dangerously, dust trickling from the ceiling and the cracks between the bricks.
“There is no time for asking questions.”, Severus said coldly, blasting the door open with a flick of his hand. “Come – ”
And indeed, there was no time, yet for him to finish and get going. More people came around the corner they had passed flying: a trio of blonds flounced towards the other three, a woman in the middle, with her massive narrow waves billowing and a ball of light rushing ahead. Before it reached its target, she let it vanish with a horrible sneer, torn between anger and satisfaction. Like her, the men that flanked her had their wands held out. So had Hermione, Ron and Severus now, but the latter’s determination fell off the moment he must have recognised the three. Hermione didn’t fail to notice.
“And I thought, old Dumby had it all wrong.”, the newcomer snarled as she stopped a few yards in distance, with the men halting equally. “I believed he’d been fooled hilariously. And then,”, her voice; which sounded strangely familiar to Hermione; became a little like Bellatrix Lestrange’s when she was upset, “I get to hear stories, right when I am about to jinx a number of those useless Hufflepuffs! That you! You, the one he values most, have killed in his rows! And I ask myself, how am I to take that? So I grabbed my brothers – and went looking for you – and see! See what I found! You have actually huddled up with Mudbloods and Blood Traitors!”
“May I remind you,”, huffed Severus, freezing her display of bared teeth instantly, “That you yourselves had Muggle parents?”
“That is not the point!”, she spat after two seconds of pause and her wand sent some yellow sparkles as she brandished it in fury. “Get your wands down or we’ll blast you three through that wall back there!”
“Why don’t you slide of your throne a bit, hmm?”, Severus said grim but calm and with a soft gesture, he signalled a confused Hermione to lower her wand.
“Why don’t you kill – ”, she hissed.
“Shut it.”
“I beg your pardon?”
“I said, shut it!”, he grunted, with his look still at the blonde, but Hermione saw that the woman’s eyes were, why ever, suddenly fixated precisely on the fingers which held his wand.
“Where’ve you – ”, she aspirated.
“I’d say,”, Severus continued slowly and clearly, “You three lower your wands, turn around, and your brothers rejoin the battle, while you grab your legs and sweet bum and cart them off the grounds, before I blow your brains out through the back of your heads.”
“Rather I’d die in the battle before I flee like a mouse!”, probably without noticing, Ron gave a slight shudder.
“Then go die in the battle.”, Severus meant definite. “But please spare me the trouble to be the one who has to kill you, Ivory. If you’d valued those of your family who had died last, at least a little, you’d save your own life and start anew. You’d regret it if you don’t.”, finally, he lowered his wand now, and she did it with him. “Mark my words.”
“Let’s go.”, she huffed and turned on the spot to leave to where they had come from.
“What?”, one of her brothers hissed, utterly confused by the sudden change.
“I said, let’s go!”
With some last glances, they followed her and Severus nodded his former students to get into the bathroom. Still flabbergasted, Ron hurried in first, followed by Hermione and then Severus, who conjured a shield outside the open door.
“Why haven’t you – ?”, interrupting Hermione’s question, Myrtle came floating up from her toilet cabin, curious who meant to disturb the peace in the again only peaceful part of the castle.
“Oh – it’s you.”, she giggled. “I thought I’d recognised your voice. And now you brought your teacher with you as well. Not brewing that Polyjuice-stuff again, are you?”, Severus lifted an eyebrow.
“No. Not this time.”, Hermione pouted, keeping wondering silently why Severus had spared the three and what all that talking had meant.
“What then? Is there another snake down there?”, she pointed at the basins hiding the entrance.
“Snake – ”, Severus just whispered.
“What?”, Hermione rushed around.
“The snake – feeding so she can survive – there will be the moment when he – of course!”, he aspirated, looking into her eyes. “Myrtle, Helena needs your help, by the way.”
“Helena? Why would she need my help?”
“Dinner is ready.”, he repeated what he had told Luna, confusing not only Hermione again.
“All right, Sevvie,”, Myrtle giggled, “I’m off!”, and there she went, down the toilet with her usual shriek, splashing water.
“The snake, Severus? You mean Nagini?”, Hermione urged, deciding to dismiss the considerations about whatever kind of dinner that was.
“You call him by his first name?”, Ron hissed.
“Shut up, Ron.”, she silenced him. “What’s with the snake?”
“Actually, I meant something else. But if you are already talking about that – pet snake, you must make sure to kill it. The way he talks to her – treats her like an equal, that is no affection to a pet. That is actual care. He cares for the snake. I hope, you remember well what I said, Hermione. About his mother.”
“That he cared for her, at last. Only for her.”, she nodded.
“So why then would he care for a; to him; being as low as an animal if it wasn’t for her – ”
“Probably being a Horcrux?”
“Yes.”
“We thought about that too. Harry’s seen – felt – but – I’m not so sure. Yes, the evidence might be there, but it’s a living being. The others were only objects.”
“Exactly. Curious, isn’t it? Strange, that I didn’t have that in mind when I – ”, he paused with his gaze shortly at the windows, “Hermione. You need to destroy the cup and find Harry so you can get rid of the diadem as well. Each of you should take at least one fang with them, just in case you lose one. That out there is only the vanguard. A number of people acting on their own behalf, unwilling to wait for his orders. They have obviously discovered the oldest passageway, leading into the forest on the hills. It didn’t come to my mind that it could still be intact, when I destroyed all other passages into the castle. So yes, hell is still ahead. The entrance to the chamber is beneath?”, he pointed at the basins.
“Yes.”, Ron nodded, having decided to rather wait patiently for more explanation. “But we’d need Parseltongue to open – ”
“Step aside.”, he threw an annoyed smirk. “That piece doesn’t make any difference tonight.”
Hermione rushed behind him, and Ron into a toilet cabin, peering out. Severus directed his wand at the basins – and gave it a mere flick. An enormous bang – dust in the air and a pile of exploded stone and ceramic, as well as pipes laid on the other side of the room. Two windows had shattered completely, three partly and water fountains sprinkled the surrounding from where the working basins had been.
“Bloody hell!”, Ron gasped. “That was heavy!”
“Oh yes. A nice little blast.”, Hermione giggled, almost sounding like Myrtle, stepping towards the hole and looking down. “A bit deep.”
“Not really,”, Ron considered, coming out of the cabin again. “It’s quite fun, actually. Just Lockhart didn’t like it too much.”, he recalled.
“So that would be another of those moments I had to climb that rock for.”, she chuckled. “Alright. Let’s go. Severus?”, she turned to him, seeing him standing there with a gentle smile, holding his wand with both hands, each at one end. “Um – ”, his smile grew and he lightly shook his head. “What’s – no. No! You’re – ”, she moaned. “That’s not – no!”, she on the other hand, shook her head wildly, curling her bruised lips.
“I am needed elsewhere.”, he said calm.
“NO! Don’t you – stand there – and – smile at me – like this!”, she screamed, eyes watery.
“You do your job, and I do mine. I am still Headmaster. It is on me, to help my successor protect Hogwarts. If I went down with you, I couldn’t forgive myself. It would be like a captain abandoning his ship.”
“You are not.”, her mouth formed, soundless.
“Don’t worry. I’ll be fine.”, he softly patted on his own chest with his left hand. “She’s with me. They both are.”, Hermione understood, that he meant the locket, or rather, Lily and Harry. “They will help me to survive.”, she bit her lower lip; ignoring the ache it caused; watching him getting closer and taking the hand in which she tightly held her wand. “Just make sure, those are gone.”, he winked to the goblet in her other hand. “And Ronald, take care of her.”
“For sure, I will!”, he gave a moaning nod. “But what’s this all about?”
“Hermione,”, he stepped back, slowly letting go of her hand. “Remember the rule.”
“Speak to no one about it.”, she smirked with a rather pathetic laugh.
“And hope, that you will never have to use that curse again.”, slightly sad, he spun around to go.
“Severus?”, this time, he did turn back fully.
“Yes?”
“When this is over – ”
“When all of this is finally over, then I’ll retire.”, he laughed. “I promise. No more lies. No more killings.”
“I could actually live with the killings, if they are as bombastic and well meant like down there. But what I wanted to say – we – we’ll have a huge bowl of dark chocolate and spearmint cream then.”, a hesitant, blushing smile. “In – Hogsmeade.”
“Are you asking me out?”, he half winked with a broad smile.
“Maybe?”, Hermione bit her lip again.
“Well, rather not Hogsmeade.”, another wink and he left, his wide cloak and hair waving behind.
“What was that?”, Ron murmured.
“Nothing.”, she smiled. “Come on. Let’s get this over with.”
“Blimey, Hermione! What’s going on here?”
“Remember the rule, Ronald.”, she said. “We aren’t supposed to talk about it.”
“Hermione!”, but she had jumped already.
~~#~~
“Get away from there! Quick!”, Minerva shouted, trying to make a group of bewildered students leave an exterior corridor she felt the need to evacuate because the substance of the corridor and the classroom they had been hiding in had gotten too weak. “Run! Run to the Trophy Room, through the outer passage, not the Great Hall! Miss Monahan – you know the way!”
“Professor!”, a boy screamed, making her turn on the heels and see the black rushes of fog moving along the sheer endless corridor as well.
“Oh my goodness!”
“Minerva!”, Horace came hurrying around a corner. “What are you doing here? That corridor is about to – oh no – they were still here?”
“Horace! Stop wondering about the students! Rather help me protect them!”, she pointed at the approaching Death Eaters.
“Oh Lord!”, he hurtled over to her, raising his wand.
A part of the black mass gained enormous speed, another person alike, joined in from the corridor Horace had jut come from. The latter threw a jinx, blocked with ease. Thorns of ice shot from Minerva’s wand, only to be pushed aside, hitting the wall. There was a massive lilac jet cast by Horace’s and fire erupting form Minerva’s stick, but neither of those had a chance.
“For Heaven’s sake, you two! You can do by far better!”, Severus sank down, stomping towards her. “How is that supposed to defend anyone? You know why he calls his followers `Death Eaters´? Because they kill without mercy and they are damn good at it! Magic like this will cost them a laugh!”
“S-Severus – no – ”
“It’s all right, Horace. But who are those?”, about fifty men and women behind him had closed up, landing as he did, in the still walking-safe part of the corridor, all of them wearing purple robes instead of black ones.
“The `others´, dear Igor mentioned. My little army.”, Severus smiled like he was at last ready to blow up the whole world. “Cinder, take your squad to the West Wing.”, a woman with ash blond hair nodded, a number of them; flying in shadows again; followed her out of the open archway. “Neil, Remus might need some help. The Northern Battlements are weak.”, another group parted off. “Igor, half of your troop will take those students to where Minerva said and wait for my orders in the Great Hall. I want the other half to guard the front meanwhile.”
Igor grinned, baring his shiningly yellow teeth. Seconds later, all students and defected Death Eaters were gone and the three teachers stood alone. A rattle – dust came falling everywhere, followed by cracks spreading on the floor. The corridor was about to yield.
“My eyes were really not lying. You are on our side. How does poor Tommy take that?”, Minerva smirked.
“He has no idea.”, Severus briefly wiggled his left eyebrow. “He is all clueless.”
“How can you say?”
“Because what his powers can hide, will still drift through his eyes when he looks at me. I knew what he was about to do almost every time I could see his eyes. Unfortunate for him, he does not share my talent at all, even though people consider him as the greatest Legilimens and Occlumens ever wandering the world.”, there was another quake and the cracks widened. “But this has got nothing to do with magic.”
“Yes, yes, I have seen what you are capable of. I have seen it when you were just a child. But yet I ask – why has it to be Harry Potter to finish him off, if you could as well?”
“Because he said so. By the moment Harry got his scar, it was meant to be him until the very end. You should have asked Albus for a little more knowledge, Minerva. He left you pretty much colliding with walls in the dark, didn’t he? It was all plan against plan, both doomed to fail at a single toe out of line. Hermione had made it hell for me to stick to my principles, but she has proven equally good in keeping secrets, eventually. She only mentions what doesn’t bring anyone in danger, in a way it does not unveil our very own, immaterial cloak of invisibility.”
“Granger is involved in – whatever complot this is?”, Horace aspirated.
“Since one and a half years. No one must know. Especially not Harry. Please try to shut up in front of him.”
Some parts of floor and ceiling sank in, the pillars outside gave away. The huge explosion had shattered the corridors below and it was a miracle this one still held. In horror, his colleagues watched yard after yard of the corridor tilting and sliding into the lightning struck night sky as they tried to balance on the spot. Severus took a quick glance over his shoulder.
“I hope, there aren’t any students in the upper corridors this wing?”
“They should be all gone. If not, I fear we cannot save them anymore.”, there was a heavy roar and the remaining corridors fell into the deep like sand running out of an upside-down held bottle of which someone had pulled the stopper.
“Enough of the talking!”, he moaned over the heavy noise, all three almost on the floor that was barely still there. “Hogwarts needs every wand it can get and it would be a shame to throw ours into the abyss! I will take you down and you show me your real selves! Hold on tight!”
They reached for his held out arms just in time. A moment later, the whole wing fell into the canyon below.
~~#~~
Their eyes widened in shock when they saw what had caused the tremor. Hermione sat on a broom behind Ron, her arms wrapped tight around him, wand and cup in her hands again, plus a basilisk fang in each. Ron had carefully put one of them into each of his pockets. They hadn’t bothered storing them in Hermione’s pouch in case they needed them quicker. Too many of them had sat too firmly to be torn out successfully anyway.
Now they left the huge pipe a lot earlier than expected. Half of it was blasted away, Myrtle’s bathroom gone. The whole front of the wing was missing, torn open rooms all down the building. The Quidditch pitch was on fire. Lost spells everywhere. Ron turned into the corridor he had come running through earlier. It was terribly damaged, but it could still be called a corridor. As fast as the old broom could do, Ron flew it in direction of the Room of Requirement – which wasn’t easy because half of the castle didn’t look like it had before they had arrived in Hogsmeade. It was like flying a chase in an entirely new place.
“Potter!”, they heard Aberforth Dumbledore shout from not too far away.
Ron landed the broom carefully, so Hermione could get down first. Not able to hold it any longer, she presented the corner with all food that was left in her stomach. She didn’t know what it was or why, but brooms – were just horrible. With fury, she rinsed out her mouth magically and wiped it clean, Ron’s hand on her back. Fury because she hadn’t forced Severus to teach her his way of flying.
“Are you okay?”
“Yes, Ron. Thanks. I’m fine. I’ll just – never get used to brooms, I’m afraid. Come on. Harry must be somewhere down these corridors. Quick!”, they started running, Ron holding the fangs in his hands as well, so he wouldn’t accidentally stab himself, and the Marauder’s Map in between, searching for Harry’s name among far too many unknown. “Severus was – right – we had only been – looking at hell – from a mountain above! If we can’t – destroy the Horcruxes – before the mountain – collapses – we’re all doomed – the world – will be doomed!”
~~#~~
The doors of the Great Hall swung open as they approached it. Heads turning, screams. A man in purple came through the door at where normally the staff table was, leading to the back corridor and staircase. Severus dropped his stumbling colleagues shortly past the main door, conjured an invisible shield outside the big wings while heading on towards his warrior and landed gently in front of him.
“They are safe?”, he asked him, a hand on his upper arm.
“Yes.”
“Good. Get back down. Stay with Amanda. Send the injured students up with the others.”, a nod and the man was gone through the door he had come from.
Severus let his eyes drift over the hall, confused faces staring at him, bare fear crumpling them. There she was: bent over a table next to a badly wounded fourth-year Hufflepuff, two older Ravenclaws desperately pressing their hands on the bleeding wounds while Madam Pomfrey was busy mixing a basic tonic. He rushed over to her, making her startle and drop a pipette. Dumbfounded, she watched him unbuttoning the upper part of his robe and shirt, getting out the pouch. He sat down to the bleeding girl’s side, flicking his hand above the open, enlarged pouch. Flasks and phials and tiny bottles jumped out, staying floating in front of him. Done, he shrunk the pouch and tucked it back beneath his clothes, bringing them in order seemingly being unnecessary now. He then waved the vessels to the nurse’s table. She sighed in relief, understanding, that he was really there to help.
“What about her, Severus?”, she asked with a shaky voice, nodding to the girl.
“The wounds are too deep for those substances, Poppy.”, he huffed after having gotten an idea of what they were dealing with. “But not for me.”, eyes growing bigger with fascination, the nurse stared at him as he slowly moved his wand across the slashes accompanied by the quietly muttered healing spell he was most proud of, again and again. “That will do.”, he was done and the breath of the student flattened down. “Dittany takes care of the rest.”, he said to Poppy.
“Where have you learned that one from? I have never heard it before.”
“I needed to find a way to defend myself against James.”
“James? Not – James Potter, you mean?”, she recalled.
“Exactly him. How would it have looked like if I had ended up in the Hospital Wing three times a week?”, he sighed and stood up. “Unfortunately I have never managed to work it on myself.”
“Don’t say – you invented it?”
Though he left her with a soft pat on her shoulder and to her thoughts, right when his followers would come flying up through the door behind, landing around their leader and marching after him, towards the quietly discussing Minerva and Horace. Hasty feet were running down the staircase outside.
“What an interesting sight!”, the old man laughed, a pack of Aurors behind him, ordering some hurt students to get into the hall, the shield letting them through as they belonged to the exceptions Severus had spoken in mind when creating it. “And I thought I’d never see you again! Are they yours?”, he waved about the purple dressed people behind Severus.
“Yes.”, the latter nodded. “Grea’ ter see ye, Aberforth.”
“Same. So you send those strangers to the Northern Battlements? Thanks a bunch. We wouldn’t have held them any longer. How could they get in when the shield’s active and the tunnels are down? They didn’t find out about our new one, did they? Couldn’t go looking – ”
“I’m afraid tha ancien’ emergency exi’ was still intac’ an’ a nice number o’ solo-runners discovered tha’.”, Severus sighed. “Where’re ye headin’?”
“Main bridge.”
“Wonderful. Minerva, Horace, ye may join ’im.”
“I have sent the Armoury to the bridge long ago.”, Minerva noted.
“Seen tha’.”, he panted, wiped hair from his face and buttoned up his clothes. “Bu’ they wun’ be enough once tha shield’s down.”
“Down?”, moaned Horace. “You think they will be able to break it? Not enough they entered through this still open passageway – but breaking the shield? That would mean – ”
“Yes, tha’ would mean exac’ly tha’. ’E’ll be comin’ straigh’ through tha fron’ gate wit’ tha lo’. ’Undreds o’ Death Eaters an’ wor– .”
Several of his followers, unable to scream from the pain that sucked out their breath, clenched their hands on their left forearms like him. Squinting, he gasped for air and gritted his teeth, a slight smile rising when the pain, along with the images popping up faintly before his eyes, was gone.
“What was that?”, Minerva was worried.
“Thank ye – ”, he sighed with a slight moan. “’E ’as jus’ been brough’ one step closer ter die.”, Minerva looked confused. “Though I think, ’e may no longer be willin’ ter wai’ now. Filius is still in tha yard, I assume?”
“That is where I left him.”, Minerva confirmed. “He is holding it with some more Aurors and people from the Order.”
“Perfec’. We need tha bes’ forces ou’ there. When tha shield breaks, tha fron’ door mus’n’ fall. Gian’s will be comin’ over tha bridge. ’E ’as, as I said, a few ’undred Death Eaters still waitin’ on tha hills. Aberforth. No, I repea’, no Dementors mus’ ge’ in. I coun’ on ye.”, the old man nodded. “Half of you,”, Severus continued addressing his warriors with more caution about his speech, “To the docks. Harold, Elaine, Margaret, watch the fallen East Wing in case some might start thinking and see the open corridors as their chance to enter. Igor – I need you to assist Minerva. I cannot order anyone to kill, if their ethics are against it, especially not her. Finish what she starts.”
“With pleasure, my friend.”, Igor sneered and tightened his silvery white ponytail.
“The rest of you, with me to the Woodside Bridge. There are some Snatchers waiting to have fun. Let it be our fun instead.”
“Snatchers?”, Minerva shrieked. “But I have sent Longbottom and Finnigan there to take the bridge down! They’d be doomed if it doesn’t explode in time!”
There was a flashing light from the windows. Everything went silent, as if all sound had been sought from the world. Then, a massive cracking like the ice on a frozen lake breaking. Thin light blue glowing lines spread across the night sky. The shield collapsed. Burning pieces glided down like transparent silk in flames and paralysed, they watched the shield fall in for about a minute or more, unconscious, listening to the screams outside getting louder. The army was on the move.
“They are through – ”, Horace aspirated, being pulled outside by Aberforth.
“Quick, Horace! There isn’t much time!”
“Minerva – ye need ter – ”, he swallowed shortly, looking around. “I will qui’e likely no’ survive ’is nigh’. ’E does no’ know wha’ I’ve done, bu’ there is another reasons fer ’im ter kill me. If ’e should figure ou’ Albus’ secre’, we wun’ be seein’ each other again.”
“Severus – ”
Deafening silence in the hall once more, wild screams getting even louder outside, mingled with the sound of exploding stone and the roars of the Giants. They had reached the bridge. Severus took a deep breath, lowering his head, eyes closed for a moment of composure. Then he spoke to Igor, looking straight into his friend’s eyes.
“Igor, do your duty. I thank you truthfully for having sent me on this insane trip.”, he took the bewildered man in his arms for some seconds and stroked his shoulder when they parted. “Minerva, it was an honour ter ’ave known ye.”
“Severus?”, she chuckled, having thrown panicking looks outside ever since the shield was completely down. “What are you talking there? What do you mean?”
“Remember me words. Try ter survive.”, he begged and took a another deep breath for composing himself. “The Wizarding School of Hogwarts is yours, Headmistress Minerva Diana McGonagall. I shall leave all command to you. May you name as your Deputy whom you consider worthy.”, there was a slight tremor going through the school walls and a ringing in their ears; he lightly bowed his head. “Albus wanned it like ’is an’ so do I.”
“Severus – ”, Igor started, “He is not – ”
“’T’s been qui’e a while since I’ve seen Lily.”, he said with a prepared, but teary smile. “I think I am ready now; it’s time ter pay ’er a visi’.
“Severus – no – no, no, no, no! Нет, мои бабочка!”, he whimpered and tears were filling his crystal blue eyes as he grabbed Severus face, his hair growing longer and becoming grey. “There must be another way!”
“No.”, Severus replied honest, fighting back his own tears at the sight and he pulled Igor into another embrace. “Sh. Don’t cry.”
“You can’t forbid me to! You can’t! As much as you can’t allow yourself to simply kneel down and die!”
“If I die, I promise, I will not kneel down.”
“That is – n-no difference!”, Igor chuckled. “N-not to me! You are the o-only one I have! Don’t go! Don’t l-leave me alone! I need you!”
“You won’t be alone.”, Severus bit his lip. “You will have a family.”
“You are my family!”, he was pushed off by two strong hands on his shoulders and the others found their way back onto Severus’ cheeks, trembling.
“We’ll meet again, Gorij. You know we will.”
“But when! What use is living – ”
“There is much use in living.”, he wiped the tears off Igor’s face and replaced them with a kiss on each freckly cheek and his forehead, then brushed one of the grey strands that had loosened by the growth, behind Igor’s ear. “Live for me then, if you see no other use. Seek the eye of the storm and live.”
“Severus – ”, Igor curled his lips with another moan, shushed by a brotherly kiss.
“Я люблю тебя.”
“Я знаю – я тоже тебя люблю – пожалуйста – не улетать – ”
“До за́втра. My lot?”, Severus then let go as he addressed the rest of his army, still waiting behind. “The students at the Woodside Bridge might need our aid. Minerva, Gorij, good luck.”
With that, he rushed off in black fog, followed by the rest of his pack and a hand that had reached after him, fell slackly into the encouraging palms of an elderly woman, who didn’t believe herself either that she dragged him from the hall.
The Giants were already attempting to cross the bridge, blocked by the massive stone statues and suits of armour. Death Eaters – Aurors – older students – volunteers – in between everywhere, running and flying. The air was filled with the light of the cast spells and curses and their incantations. A heavy explosion. A big part of the tower around the moving stairs collapsed; burning roofs all around.
Shooting Killing Curses on every secure target, he led his delegation through the chaos above the grounds. There was another loud bang, followed by a grand fire ball that sped across the canyon. The bridge broke in, taking dozens of Snatchers with it into the deep. An enormous rest of them, too shocked to move, was still on the other side. Yet those further away from the bridge, ran screaming from a pair of flickering, bumping, madly circling pair of white as well as red lights that knocked over whoever was in their way.
Severus rushed into the yard and settled between the broken spring and the remains of the roofed bridge. Seconds later, a small group of students came hurrying towards him and his people.
“Snape!”, Neville Longbottom yelled, his voice shaking with exhaustion, Ginevra Weasley running at his side, seeming to have regained strength. “You! That’s not true, is it?
“Nice work.”, Severus smiled satisfied, when they slid to halt, only six feet away, all of them; except Ginevra; raising their wands. “You have depleted them quite effectively. Though, the biggest number of them is still on the hills. They will find other ways, now that the shield is down.”
“Severus – ”, Ginevra aspirated, “They found you?”, she nodded to the people behind him. “Great! What now?”
“Enjoy life while your blood is still running through your veins. Show those little runabouts what real magic is.”, his smile widened and the remaining warriors took off, flying across the canyon. “Get inside. All of you.”
“What the – ”, Neville lowered his wand, his yes rushing between him and the girl.
“Where have you brought Hermione?”, Ginevra urged.
“She is safe. So should be you. Get inside, then I can shut the door be– ”, something distracted him.
He pointed his wand to the sky. Awestruck, the group watched a green bolt rising and forming a horizontal spiral when he spun his wand. Then he pierced up, right when some shadows came rushing over the last piece of the bridge. The curse spread like a wheel of bolts, each of them hitting one of the shadows. About ten Death Eaters fell from the sky, lifeless.
“What was that?”, Cho Chang muttered.
“There’s something like an advanced Killing Curse?”, Ginevra asked flabbergasted. “And you can cast it nonverbally? Amazing!”, her face just cost him a grin.
“There are still a few things Lord Voldemort doesn’t know, and if simply because he was too lazy to pay attention to the nature of things. If he did, we all would have had to dig our own graves the moment we had been born. Get inside.”, he repeated. “Hold Hogwarts from within.”
Neither of them understanding, they followed Neville into the castle. Ginevra however remained, watched by the others who spun around once they had passed the doors and noticed that she wasn’t with them.
For a second they just looked into one another’s eyes, then Ginevra threw her arms around his neck and he pulled her to his chest, as close as he could without hurting her. His face buried in her shoulder, his fingers dug into the clothes on her back like hers did at his shoulder blades. Some moments only passed, but they let go with gratitude that they had had that chance, and Ginevra brushed her free left hand over his face, her palm coming to rest on his right cheek then, which she stroked while she placed a soft kiss on the other.
“Thank you – Dad.”, she whispered with a smile of sadness, tears successfully fought back, and turned to go already, but he foiled her attempt by holding her face in both his hands, returning the kiss to her forehead.
“Anythin’ fer tha lo’ o’ ye, me foxy.”, he smiled back, his hands now on her shoulders.
Granting her and himself just a couple more seconds, he gently patted her head. But she dragged his hand off there, squeezed it tightly two times as she stepped backwards, and their fingers lost touch when she had fully turned for the doors, running already. Completely perplexed, her friends accepted her wordless in their middle and she rushed around to see him a last time, when the heavy doors were closing on a wide wave of his wand.
The doors fell shut, right when another number of Death Eaters flew towards those. Some of them screamed with rage, others tried to bomb the doors away, but the castle would refuse this time. Severus was standing right behind them, looking at them with an evil smirk. He didn’t know why, but seeing them fail at something as simple as an old gate when the walls above were broken, gave him the brightest pleasure, yet it was disappointing to find mankind fallen that deep.
For about a minute or two, he watched them arguing like little children in front of the thick, huge doors. A man let out a cry of anger, throwing his wand away as if it was a tool that had stopped working from one second to the other. Then his arm hurt similar to before, though he swallowed it down. The Death Eaters clutched their arms however, some gasping in surprise. Harry’s shields meanwhile were that good, and the connection of the cracked pieces of soul so feeble, he saw even less than he had in the hall. End was nigh.
“Does it not open, Nott?”, Severus sneered, making the Death Eaters turn, forgetting about the pain. “Pity.”
“It is, innit?”, Nott laughed and walked over to the archway to get back his wand. “I s’ppose we need ter fin’ another way then, righ’?”
“Oh I fear there is no other way.”, Severus sighed, slowly pacing towards them.
“What?”
“Yes, you heard me, Avery. No, other, way.”, the intensity of his self-satisfied smile dazzled each of them.
“What do you mean by `no other way´, Snape? There are plenty of other ways. Come on. With you, we can strike them d-”
“No, no other way than this specific one.”, there was a jet of green light and Avery fell to his knees, dead.
“What’s this madness, Snape?”
“And you will join your son as well, Crabbe.”
“My son? What’s with my son?”
“According to Draco Malfoy’s emotions, your son just died by his own inability to control the by far most powerful magic he had ever unleashed. You may wish to join him, don’t you? I couldn’t live a second, knowing my son to be dead. Luckily, mine isn’t; moreover owning the night, I can gladly say.”
“Sn-”, another flash and Crabbe was down as well.
“You foul bastard! Avada Kedavra!”, one of them yelled, but the curse was blocked with ease.
“Achoo! Bless you, Jugson.”, and that one died as well.
“You can’t be meaning this!”, a woman yelled. “You loathsome bugger! Trait-”, she collapsed under another of his green glowing spells.
There were more Killing Curses, but each of them was directed straight back to their casters. A black mass of fog came floating into the scene, in such an awkward way it looked almost like a torn cloak had sailed down from the ruins. Completely off his senses and unaware of the situation he had gone off into at the deep end, a man with long blond hair, beard unshaved, robe and skin dirty, landed in front of Severus, terror in his swollen, crying eyes.
If it hadn’t been for Severus’ reaction, he would have been killed by the next curse that had also missed Severus by an inch. He had grabbed him and pushed him forcefully to the stone floor, sending back a green flash at the same time. Gasping, Lucius Malfoy looked around, crawling behind Severus who blocked every incoming spell, resulting in green fireworks, the one and other spell hitting another Death Eater. Some seconds later, darkness returned to the yard, only lightened by the fires on the roofs and the battle in the distance. He turned around and pulled Lucius back up with ease.
“Sorry. It was only for your best.”, Lucius nodded, still seeming rather absent.
“Thank you.”, he aspirated. “I don’t know – what I thought.”
“What are you doing here? You shouldn’t be on theses grounds. Where is Narcissa?”
“She – is – she’s f-fine.”, whispered Lucius.
“Good.”
“S-Severus – where is my son?”
“I don’t know.”, Severus said honest, eyes narrowing with sadness as he saw that the once so proud man had crumpled back to this miserable wreck he had been after returning from Azkaban.
“The Dark Lord – he – sent me – f-for – you – ”
“You tell me no news. I was already waiting for that.”, Severus sighed.
“Severus – you don’t think he knows – what have you done? How many else have you killed?”, Lucius pleaded for answers, but Severus would just shake his head with a smile.
“He does not know. Not that. Unless he has seen any of my warriors – “
“Warriors?”
“Remember the list he had given me? The list of deserted followers?”
“Yes – ”
“I didn’t kill a single one of those. I recruited them. Hermione Granger had brought me on an idea, which she had actually gotten from the Dark Marks. Coins. Manipulated Galleons that work very similar to the Mark. Together with Igor I travelled around the world on that weekend, seeking for them, only to give them one of these coins. They are all here, fighting for me in the very moment.”
“B-but – the curse – you showed him – t-that was – Igor himself! At – at last – ”
“No, just deathly ill Madam Canham I had given some Polyjuice Potion before I released her. I killed her, fully dressed in Igor’s clothes, in the middle of Knockturn Alley. So the rumour of his death even reached the Ministry. He himself, disguised as a Ministry employee who coincidentally had happened to be there at the moment, pretended to fight me and brought her body away before she transformed back. Although we could have done better if he had told me sooner how he had survived that other attack down in Kielder.”
“Severus – that is – just – brilliant! I didn’t know that this spell could be fooled so easily!”, Lucius gaped, visibly having stopped paying attention before his last sentence. “And he – the Lord – he doesn’t know anything at all?”
“No, he does not know. But I am afraid, he knows something equally fatal. Lucius – stay with Narcissa – take shelter.”
“And Draco – ”
“He will be fine, don’t worry. Your son is strong and an amazing dueller, if necessary.“, he finally stuck his wand into his left sleeve and embraced Lucius. “Go.”, he whispered into the other man’s ear. “Go, my friend. Take care.”, he let go, brushing Lucius’ arms.
“Severus – he – won’t – ”
“Go.”
Lucius nodded acceptingly, becoming just a whirl of black when Severus removed his hands. His friend flew off across the collapsed walls, vanishing inside the school. Severus took one more deep breath and looked further up at the destroyed towers and walls, over to the area around the entrance courtyard where the battle had unfolded. From the forest, screeches joined the already distant screams of the fleeing snatchers. He needn’t search the sky, as one in the sky had searched him: Two Thestrals shot down into the ruins and, accompanied with surprised screams, they picked Seamus Finnigan and Ernie Macmillan by their collars, flew them back out and simply dropped them one after the other, easily behind Luna flying a brief circle on Buckbeak, who didn’t even protest on the increase of weight
The bewildered boys clinging to her, she threw Severus a wave and smile and shot off with half the Thestral herd on the Hippogriff’s hooves. Although the scene had reassured him, it had not been enough to vanquish Harry’s despair he felt throbbing hard against the insides of his own heart. Only seconds after the creatures had gone from his sight, he spotted an enormous black mass drawing near the front courtyard, coming from the bridge. He could just see it through the arches, and a flicker of the grey creature lighted by the spells around, as it dove into the yard.
He wanted to fly over too, but something else inside him told him, he had settled his affairs and was not to help. Now it was their turn. All he could do was trying to make his heart push inward the hammering and send it back to Harry with hope and love and to keep up the more than justified faith in Luna’s abilities.
Then, a flash, of bright silvery blue illuminating what was still dark, putting those hundreds of Dementors to rout with seeming ease at last. No tears, only preparedness.
“Thank ye, ye brightes’ o’ moon’s beams.”, he aspirated, no tears this time, from either side of his heart, just an ultimate calm smile. “I’ll miss ye all. Harry me swee’har’ – I love ye.”
His cloak spinning, he flew off in curls of black fog, down to the Whomping Willow with the small dots of running Harry and Hermione and Ron disappearing in the corner of his eye, past its whipping branches that pestered a number of Snatchers who had escaped, and into the tunnel, magically drilling through the rubble before the tree could even get notice of him.
~~#~~