24

AN: Thank you to Ayerf and Septentrion for their eyes and opinions, Ayerf for the original prompt, and everyone who has read and reviewed this story. I suspect you won't be thanking me, but this is how the story ends:

Hermione was still smiling and holding his hand as she stepped forward to join her friends. He didn't know quite why, but it reminded him of Nagini. Of how, after this battle was done, the war would not be over. Not quite yet. And how, if the Dark Lord was to rise again, it would be far better he think Snape was still a loyal follower.

She took another step and looked back at him in question when he did not move. She tilted her head quizzically.

"If I fight now, I will reveal my loyalties to everyone."

She frowned up at him, as if he were stating the obvious, but he saw when she realized the problem.

"Oh."

"Mm."

He could tell she was thinking hard, though he didn't see the point. With McGonagall, Kingsley and Harry as character witnesses, he wouldn't spend much time in Azkaban, if any. That the world would think he was getting off lightly was nothing new. He would survive. He might even be able to get his old teaching job back, if he played his cards right.

"I'll get Harry's cloak. You can fight without being seen, then!"

He blinked, brought out of his thoughts by the absurd suggestion.

"Pardon?"

She frowned at him again, but this time with a little disapproval. "We need your help, Severus. Even if it's just on the sidelines protecting our backs."

Snape looked around the field of battle and quickly came to the conclusion that she was right. "Of course, the problem of finding Potter still remains..."

Hermione smiled again, albeit with a small roll of her eyes, and released his hand. "Leave that to me."

And off she went. She was damn near skipping into a scene of violence and gore. He didn't know whether to worry, scorn, laugh or approve, though he found his lips were quirking up at the absurdity of the incongruity.

He backed up against the castle wall, doing his best to blend into it. He raised his wand and reapplied the Notice-Me-Not Spell Hermione had apparently put on him while he was unconscious, and refused to think about the feelings that had erupted to the surface knowing she cared enough to break the Sleeping Beauty Curse. Now was not the time.

Now was the time to watch as she ran through the field, dodging the hexes she saw, and keep an eye out for hexes she might not see. Checking to make sure no one was looking his way, he discreetly hexed Avery in the back when his former brother's head turned to follow Hermione's progress. Five seconds later, and just as Avery was about to fire off a hex, he fell to his knees, grasping at his chest.

Snape smiled in vindictive satisfaction. He'd wanted to do that for years.

Snape looked again for Hermione, but couldn't see her. He was still searching for her when there seemed to be a pause in the battle. Everyone turned toward the Dark Lord, who was looking with disbelief at Harry fucking Potter.

Snape's satisfied smile broadened. He had waited a very long time to see fear in the Dark Lord's eyes.

The Dark Lord did not waste time, but waved his wand. Harry already had his wand out and was shouting something – Expelliarmus, probably – when a killing curse came from above. The Dark Lord blocked it, but as he waved his wand to attack Harry, another killing curse came from the other side of the castle. Snape wasn't sure if Voldemort even saw it coming.

A hush fell as everyone watched the Dark Lord's body fall to the ground. There was a momentary lull as the Death Eaters still standing sought to grasp the reality that confronted them. A few dropped their wands right away. Others took a bit longer to surrender. But more than half of those remaining were not about to give up easily. And Snape knew a few who were going to kill as many people as possible before they were killed themselves.

The fighting resumed with a desperate kind of fierceness. Snape saw Macnair cursing everyone he saw, including his fellow Death Eaters. He was killed from on high quickly, though not until he'd killed or maimed more than a dozen people.

Mulciber's tactic was a little more intelligent as he sought cover and aimed at the snipers above. Snape groaned as he saw several seventh year Gryffindors charge Mulciber's position and fall almost immediately afterwards. He let out a breath of relief when he saw McGonagall send a squadron of animated suits of armor in his direction, while Flitwick snuck around and blasted away his cover.

Satisfied that Mulciber would be occupied for a fair while, Snape resumed his search for Hermione. He still couldn't see her, and he was starting to become concerned that she'd put on the invisibility cloak herself and been struck down by an errant curse.

Just as he made up his mind to go search the field for her, he felt something brush against his arm. A breath later, she was standing there, handing the cloak to him. He let out a sigh of relief, but resisted the urge to hug her.

"What took you so long?" he snapped.

Her smile faded a bit, but she didn't retreat. "I was guarding Harry."

He cursed at himself for his tone. "It's good to see his luck has rubbed off on you."

Her eyes narrowed, and her tone turned cold. "Yes, his luck has served me and Ron very well so far."

He took a deep breath in and let it out slowly. He couldn't understand why she was so dear to him when she was so incredibly infuriating. Though, the fact that she continued to stand up to him was a strong point in her favor.

"I meant--" But at that moment, he spotted a stream of green light heading straight at Hermione's back. Without thinking, he pulled her roughly aside, and they fell to the ground.

She looked at him with a frown, and he pointed at the scorch mark on the wall above them. Her eyes got rather wide, which only infuriated him further. He didn't have time for comforting her now. He placed the cloak over himself and sneered, "We can argue when this is over," and then strode into the battle without a second glance at her.

It was probably not a coincidence that his first target was the person who had tried to kill Hermione, but he didn't let the whys of his motivation bother him. He also didn't let himself think about why his progress through the field led him to Harry, or why, when he found himself there, he stayed at the young man's back, besides the fact that most of the Death Eaters were concentrating their effort on killing Harry, of course.

It wasn't long before most of their attackers caught on to their invisible foe and Snape himself became a target. They fought hard, though, and managed to hold their own. And, after a few minutes, they got reinforcements in the form of Hermione. Snape saw her slash her way through the fold of Death Eaters with a fierceness he didn't know she had. He had to cover for her, though, when she bumped into him, and nearly stumbled into the arms of his old friend Mulciber as she started backwards.

He grabbed her with one hand, pulling her into his chest, while aiming a quick Conjunctivitis Hex at Mulciber. She immediately figured out the situation and was soon standing beside him, hexing and shielding with as much verve as Harry and him. It wasn't long before he was grateful she was there.

It seemed to go on forever. There were moments when he felt they were the only three people fighting the horde of Death Eaters, though when he could spare a second to look around, he saw many more battles around them. And he also saw that they were winning. Slowly, but surely, the Death Eaters were being taken down.

And then, all of a sudden, it was over. The three of them stood there with their wands raised and looked around at everyone else left standing, all of them on their side. Death Eaters littered the ground. Many were dead, but some were just bound or unconscious.

Neville was the first one to crack a smile. Finnigan was next, and soon the whole crowd was whooping with victory. Snape did not smile, though. He noticed Harry and Hermione didn't either. Like him, they were looking at the fallen. Snape's breath caught when he noticed Minerva's motionless form on the ground in the distance.

"So many dead," he heard Hermione whisper.

"Can you see Ginny?" Harry said with a note of panic.

They all three looked around, until Hermione said, her voice wobbling, "Over there."

Snape and Harry looked in the direction she was pointing, and Snape had to swallow a cry of despair. The entire Weasley clan was gathered around Hagrid who had been crushed by Grawp's fallen form.

"No," Harry whispered. "Not Hagrid."

Everyone else seemed to be realizing the cost of their victory as the cheers died away. Snape felt cold seeping into his bones as he saw more and more of his few friends among the fallen. Even more chilling was the number of students lying still.

Snape felt despair wash over him, as he thought of all the people who had died, not just that day, but throughout the war against the Dark Lord. The people who had sold their souls, his own among them, for the illusion of power. The lives that had been wasted, the accomplishments squandered or misused... All this waste to fell one wizard, and yet, the next wizard to make trouble on this scale was almost certainly already alive.

What was the point?

Snape let out a shaking breath, and looked around with sightless eyes. Though the day had been bright, the sun seemed to go out suddenly. Darkness overwhelmed the field, and he watched in curious detachment as people all around them fell to their knees in grief. He could feel Harry and Hermione beside him shaking with misery as well. Harry fell to his knees with a muted wail as the emotions finally overwhelmed him.

Snape felt like a fool. He'd believed in Lily, but she'd betrayed him for his enemy. He'd believed in the Dark Lord, but he'd killed Lily. He'd believed in Dumbledore, but the old man had made him tear his soul in two. He'd actually brought himself to believe in Harry, and now he was useless at his feet.

There was no point. There was no point in anything. He felt Hermione claw at his shrouded arm, but he didn't reach out for her. What was the point? If he placed his trust in her, she would betray him too. That was how the world worked. Everyone betrayed everyone else. Hell, he was the star betrayer.

He had betrayed Lily by being seduced by the illusion of power. He honestly hadn't cared that the power would be gained by smothering the rights of others. He hadn't cared, not if it meant he wouldn't be on the bottom anymore. He hadn't cared.

He had betrayed the Dark Lord, to whom he'd sworn his fealty. His word was worthless even before he'd turned spy by continuing to love Lily even though it was counter to the Dark Lord's creed. His promises were always so empty.

He had betrayed Dumbledore. He had endangered the plan and the entire wizarding world in a moment of weakness. He had let the Dark Lord see Hermione. He hadn't even cared about her at that point, except as a protector of Harry, but by thinking of her, he'd laid waste to Dumbledore's careful machinations and manipulations. He'd destroyed forty years of planning with one thought. He was so weak.

"D-Dementors."

The word was a mere breath before Hermione fell to her knees. He looked down at her, curling up into the fetal position, and thought about how he'd betrayed her. He was supposed to be her hero, her protector, her rock of strength, and yet he had shown her nothing but weakness. She was the one who had comforted him. She was the one who had challenged him. She was the one who had protected him by placing her trust, her body and her mind in his control. And where did it get her? Curled into a whimpering ball.

His knees hit the dirt hard, but it was the least of his pains. He had failed Hermione. He had let her into his heart, let her befriend him, and all he was doing was shrugging her off as if she were a pest.

But she wasn't a pest. She was the best thing in his life. She was his friend.

He looked down at her again, this time actually seeing her. Her face was in a rictus of grief as she sobbed and moaned weakly for Ron and her parents. She seemed caught in the worst memories of her life.

Her hushed last word came to mind and he looked around. Dementors were everywhere. There were so many, they blocked the sky from view. He could see a few of the students who had been members of Dumbledore's Army trying to cast their Patronuses, but most petered out before they made it out of the wands.

Snape summoned his strength and cast the spell. "Expecto patronum!"

Only a pale thread of silver came out. He concentrated on Lily laughing with him in their heyday and cast it again, but with no difference. He swallowed as the Dementors neared. He could feel all the scraps of joy he'd found in this miserable life being sucked out of him. It was getting harder and harder to think of anything good that had ever happened.

It was like his friendships had never existed. Minerva was dead, Flitwick might be as well. He'd killed Lily and Dumbledore, and Hermione was about to get Kissed...

He looked down at Hermione, and his face softened as his heart filled with warmth. She was still there. She'd been there for him, and he would be there for her. Her and the world she'd fought so bravely for. She had to survive, if only so he could see where she would go. Besides which, they had an argument to finish!

"Expecto Patronum!" he cried again, and this time, a silver being shot out of his wand. It sped for the nearest Dementors first, but soon was circling the entire field, warding off the dark creatures. As the Dementors were forced to retreat, he saw more Patronuses joining his. Soon, Harry raised his head and his stag joined the widening perimeter.

"Hermione, you've gotta see this!" Harry said, reminding Snape that she hadn't yet moved. He looked down and saw her pale face looking up at his fearfully. He offered her the smile he felt within, and held out his hand. Her smile back was tentative, but her grip was strong.

He watched with an awed smile of his own as she looked around them in wonder. The Patronuses had combined into a dome of undulating silver, circling around all of them in a great shield. Outside the dome, they could see the Dementors were finally fleeing.

Another great roar went through the crowd, though this time it had a ring of pathos to it. It was also rather short-lived; everyone grew quiet as their Patronuses returned to them. Snape could see Harry's stag coming toward them along with another, shorter creature.

The three stood up to greet the Patronuses, and a moment later Snape heard the other two gasp as they saw what the new form of his Patronus was.

"Erm..." Hermione said. Snape could tell she was looking up at him, but he refused to look back. He wasn't sure how to react yet.

Harry cleared his throat and said, "Um, it's rather--"

"Potter, if you say noble, I will hex you."

"No-o, I wasn't going to say that..."

"I think it's very fitting," Hermione said. Snape looked down to judge her expression, but saw she was serious. His lips thinned and he frowned.

"How so."

Hermione looked up at him with clear, guileless eyes and smiled. "Well, it's a very dangerous animal, for one thing."

He narrowed his eyes at her. She smiled even more, a glimmer of amusement there. "I think it was highly prized, as well."

"Dead."

"Well... yes, but they're not that easy to kill! Which is why they were highly prized."

"Humph."

"Oh, Severus, it's not a pretty doe, but then, you aren't a pretty doe. You are a fierce warrior, wild and dangerous and underestimated only to your foes' detriment."

Snape harrumphed again, though in a slightly mollified tone. Of course, she had to add, with a damned twinkle in her eye, "And of course, your temper matches a boar's pretty well, too."

"Not to mention the snout," Harry added sotto voce.

Snape aimed a stinging hex at Harry and smirked at the yelp. Hermione tried to glare at him, but couldn't keep her laugh under wraps.

His smirk twitched into a brief smile, which softened at the edges as he looked back at his new Patronus. It was the ugliest Patronus he'd ever seen, and yet Hermione was right: it did suit him. He liked it. It looked up at him and wriggled its nose with what would have been a snuffle in a real boar before dissolving away.

Their eyes were drawn up and they looked around themselves, at everyone left standing.

"Do you think they've captured Nagini?" Harry asked after a long moment.

Snape raised a shoulder in a shrug. "Perhaps. But if not, there is little Voldemort can do without hands, followers or a wand just now. We have the upper hand this time."

"Constant vigilance?" Hermione asked.

Snape looked down at her with a smile. "I was thinking more along the lines of knowledge and time. But yes, constant vigilance will help. As will friends."

Hermione smiled back at him and grabbed his hand. He squeezed her hand back.

"Let's go tend to the fallen. We can worry about the future another day."

The End