Chapter 33

Chapter 33

Severus stared out his room's enchanted window into the dark night. Several weeks had gone by, and his bones no longer ached every minute of the day. He breathed in deeply, rejoicing in the fact that his body had healed and he was now his normal, strong self.

Having rejoined the Order as soon as he was able to leave his bed, he'd found renewed purpose. He once again belonged to something where he could make a difference. Relief had filled him at his acceptance. He was finally back in the thick of things again.

At his appearance at that first Order meeting, turmoil had reigned. Albus explained all, and finally the sneers and suspicious looks had disappeared. Having been explained everything, they had welcomed him with open arms. Many had apologized profusely for ever doubting him, and some had even expressed annoyance at Albus for keeping his innocence a secret.

He had assured them that if they had known the truth, his life would have been more in danger than it already had been. Most had seemed to understand and accept that. Petunia had embraced him heartily, confessing that she had known something wasn't right from the start, berating Albus harshly for making them all think badly of Severus.

oooOOOooo

"So, you haven't heard from Harry at all?" came a voice from behind him.

Sirius Black had paid him a visit. He had been worried about Harry, who was still missing.

"I have not," Severus stated blandly as he continued to stare out the window.

He finally turned to Sirius. "Listen, they are on a mission commissioned by Dumbledore. The last I saw of them was right after I was attacked. He will show himself when the time is right."

Sirius gave Severus a quick nod. Their relationship had improved slightly since the trial. They were civil to one another and gave each other their respect usually. Severus had still been surprised to see Black at his door, but he understood the worry that Sirius was having about Harry. He was worried too and not just about Harry.

There was a loud rap on the door. He wondered who else could be calling so late in the night. It was Minerva. She had come to alert him to the attack on the school. He grabbed his wand before the two men followed her to prepare for the battle.

Sirius and Severus were quickly brought up to speed as they followed Minerva. They were both relieved to know that Harry and his friends were safely inside the castle. They quickly helped to usher all of the younger students through the exit in the Room of Requirement and prepared for the attack.

Dudley Dursley came up to the three adults.

"We have activated the DA coins. We should have all the old DA members here momentarily."

Severus turned to Dudley. "Have you alerted your mother? She is not always in close touch with the other members of the Order."

"I sent my Patronus to her. She should be here," Dudley said.

Severus nodded to him. "Stay here and organize the DA members as they arrive. I must find Harry."

oooOOOooo

The battle had begun in earnest, and Severus turned and ran to find the Boy Who Lived, but he was detained, fighting against his former comrades. He felled many of them as they tried to take over the school. Very few of them were any match for him. Even those that were, soon found themselves sprawled on the floor.

Racing out of the school he found himself dodging hexes and sending out his own. He cast his eyes around for Potter, but was unable to find him. Severus saw a giant spider scurrying toward him and quickly shot an Avada Kedavra at the creature. The spider turned over and wiggled its legs for a moment before becoming still. Severus rushed off, still looking for Harry.

He headed back to the school, dodging giants who had taken to stomping on their enemies, crushing them into the ground. A horrid sight met his eyes as he approached the entry of the school. Dozens of giant spiders were retreating from the building, chased by spells cast by the inhabitants within. Severus drew as close as he could and gaped at the throng as it raced away from the school. He caught Hagrid's shape being tossed about on top of the mass of legs and bodies as they disappeared into the night. Suddenly Harry Potter burst through the doors, running after the frenzy of spiders shouting Hagrid's name. Severus saw what Harry did not. A massive giant's foot was descending right where Harry had stopped to call after his friend. Severus ran like a shot and threw himself into Harry, effectively getting both of them out of the way of the huge foot. Severus tumbled and rolled with Harry until he was sure they were out of harm's way. They finally came to a stop with Severus straddling Harry. Harry blinked up at Severus.

"Thanks," Harry said. "I guess I owe you yet another life debt," he mumbled as they got to their feet.

"At this rate, Potter, I will be immortal," Severus told him.

Without another word, Harry began to run back to the building. Severus called to him, but Harry either didn't hear or chose to ignore his call. At that moment Voldemort called an hour ceasefire. Severus soon ran after Harry, who had gotten a good head start because Severus had stopped to listen to all of the narcissistic prattle coming from the Dark Lord's mouth, including an invitation for Harry to just walk himself up to Voldemort and lay down his life.

He finally found Harry in the Great Hall, mourning the fall of Fred Weasley. Severus looked sadly upon Fred's body and noticed not far away, Lupin was crying over his wife's broken body. He hoped that Lupin would survive the night. After all, he had a young baby who was now motherless. There had been so much death and despair already. Who else would fall in this battle? This had to end tonight!

He went to Harry and pulled him to a corner.

"Dumbledore has alerted you to the need for your demise, right?" he asked Harry.

Harry ripped his glance away from the dead and stared at Severus. "He explained everything a few minutes ago."

"What do you intend to do?" Severus asked.

Harry looked back at the death in the room. "I will do as Dumbledore asks. He knows what needs to be done."

"I cannot explain how I know this, Harry, but if you do this, Voldemort will be defeated."

Harry's eyes narrowed in confusion.

"You will be able to defeat him with your sacrifice, Harry, and I think all will right itself in the end."

"How can you know such things?"

"Just trust me. Everything will work out for the best."

Harry nodded. "Will you come with me?"

"I think this is something you need to do by yourself. I will just be in the way. I'll stay here and await your return."

"But I'll be dead."

"Perhaps not," Severus said mysteriously.

Harry gave him another curious look and readied himself to go. Severus put his hand on Harry's arm.

"Good luck, Harry."

"Thanks," Harry said and turned to leave.

Severus left the Hall too, hoping to help those who were wounded. He spied Petunia Dursley off in the distance. She was bent over a downed fighter. Frowning as he looked over the surroundings on the school ground, he noted how many had been wounded. There were bodies strewn everywhere. Most were students as the majority of the teachers and adults had stayed within the school, keeping it secure. As Severus walked, he heard moans from the fallen. He reached Petunia finally. She was still trying to help the wounded student. He stopped and healed the boy. Petunia helped the boy up, rising herself and looked at him.

"Are you hurt?" Severus asked.

She smiled at him. "No, it would take a lot more than this to hurt me, Severus, I had a wonderful teacher."

Severus nodded at her, and together they helped more of the wounded. He helped heal those he could as Petunia called to those who were still standing to shuttle the more seriously wounded back into the school.

Soon the hour of allotted time had passed, and Severus wondered what had become of Harry. He knew that Harry was alive when Hermione had traveled to the past and that had been years after this battle. He was unsure whether the timeline had changed and that now Harry would be dead, but he suspected that although he had willingly walked into a trap, somehow Harry would survive. He decided to secret himself on the edge of the forest, to wait for what would come.

"Is it all right if I leave you?" he asked Petunia.

She nodded to him. "Do you know if Dudley and Harry are all right?" she asked nervously.

"Dudley is in the Great Hall with his friends. He seems to be unharmed. Harry has gone into the woods to face Voldemort. I am not sure of his condition."

Petunia's eyes widened. "He could be killed, Severus."

"I know. I am going to go after him and see what I can find out. I will look out for Harry as best I can."

"What about Sirius, have you seen him?"

"I haven't seen him since the beginning of the battle. I did not see him in the Great Hall with the others, but that doesn't mean that he's hurt."

Petunia nodded but gave him a worried look. Her relationship with Sirius had been going on for over a year now. Sirius was wonderful to her, and she appreciated all of the things that he was. He had been so different from Vernon, she truly felt blessed to have him in her life.

"I will search for him then," Petunia said absently to Severus. She then looked at him more directly. "Be careful, Severus."

"I will be," he assured her and headed for the woods. Secreting himself behind a tree, he waited, not really knowing what he was waiting for, but something told him to be alert and keep his eyes open.

He was shocked a little while later to see Voldemort leading his minions. Standing out amongst them was Hagrid, carrying the body of Harry Potter. Severus' heart clenched within him at the sight of the lifeless Potter being carried by the half-giant. Had everything gone wrong? Had Hermione changed the future so much that the Boy-Who-Lived was now dead? How would they win this war if that was the case?

He grimly watched the procession. Harry seemed to truly be dead...but perhaps... Severus quickly extended his mind and used Legilimency to reach into Harry's mind. He found it to be quite alive. Harry brought the events of the last little while to the forefront of his mind for Severus to see. Severus exhaled deeply in relief, not even realizing he had been holding his breath. He readied himself for whatever useful thing he could do.

He was now behind the Death Eater entourage. Voldemort was calling to the castle for everyone to come and see the now dead Harry Potter. Severus watched as people began to appear from the interior of the school. He saw Minerva scream at the sight of Harry. Then Ron, Hermione, and Ginny were all yelling. Dudley, Petunia, and Black had emerged, hugging one another and crying out.

He listened as Voldemort spun his lies about Harry trying to flee. Leaving the shadows of the tree line, he snuck up behind the line of Death Eaters, awaiting his chance to attack. Soon it had come. Neville Longbottom had slashed the head off Voldemort's snake, Nagini, and defenders came at the Death Eaters from all sides.

Severus had been keeping his eyes on Harry the whole time, so he saw the young man disappear under the invisibility cloak. Severus shot hexes at the backs of the Death Eaters, who were busy fighting off the onslaught of centaurs, teachers, house-elves, and students that were attacking them.

Assuming that Harry was heading into Hogwarts, as that was where Voldemort had disappeared to, Severus quickly ran to the school. He cut down as many Death Eaters that he could as he headed for the castle. Entering the Entrance Hall, he saw Voldemort backing into the Great Hall. He could see no trace of Harry, but he knew he was here, getting close to Voldemort.

Severus entered the Hall and joined a fight against the nearest Death Eater, Rookwood, who happened to be dueling with Aberforth Dumbledore. Rodolphus Lestrange had just joined Rookwood, and they were battling Aberforth together. Severus and Aberforth both shot spells at the Death Eaters, who shielded themselves and shot their own back at them. Between Aberforth and Severus, Lestrange hit the floor, unconscious, and Rookwood was finally stunned into submission.

By that time, most of the other Death Eaters had also been subdued. Only Bellatrix Lestrange and Voldemort himself remained, each fighting three Order members at a time. Severus watched as Bellatrix shot a curse straight at Hermione. Her body flew into the wall near them and crumpled to the floor.

"No!" Severus yelled as he rushed to her side.

Stooping down to look at her, he noticed that she was still breathing. He closed his eyes in relief. Opening them quickly, he waved his wand over her, making sure that she was all right. She opened her eyes groggily as he stooped over her.

"You are all right, Hermione," he told her as he extended his hand to help her up.

She gave him a beautiful smile that made his heart constrict within him.

"Thank you, Professor," she told him as she grasped his hand.

How he wished she were his Hermione, so he could shower her with kisses and hug her until she became a part of him, but she wasn't. He tempered his feelings and quickly helped her to a standing position, checking on her one more time before turning to the battle scene still going on in front of them.

Several things happened at once. Molly Weasley cried an expletive and felled Bellatrix Lestrange, and Voldemort, in his wrath, blasted Minerva, Horace, and Kingsley away from him and took aim at Molly. Harry tore the Invisibility cloak off of him and shielded Molly. He warned everyone that he had to take on Voldemort himself. Severus moved forward and took it upon himself to keep the crowd from becoming heroes. He aimed his wand at the onlookers, making sure no one came to Harry's aid.

"Severus, I thought you were dead, but it only seems that you have become the lackey of Harry Potter," Voldemort cried.

Severus shot a look of loathing at Voldemort. "I am ecstatic that I lived to see your demise, Voldemort!"

Voldemort's eyes grew wide. "You dare speak my name?"

"It holds no more power than any other name in this room. I no longer fear uttering it."

Voldemort eyed him furiously, almost forgetting that Potter was right in front of him. Finally he came to his senses.

"I will destroy you when I have finished Potter. It will be my finest victory to see your two broken bodies at my feet!"

Severus narrowed his eyes at him. "You don't even realize you've lost already."

"No!" Harry shouted. "This is between Riddle and me!"

Severus backed off immediately. "Of course, Harry. By all means he is yours to destroy," Severus encouraged and turned back to the crowd to keep them from Harry. However, he never let his guard down on Voldemort.

Voldemort turned to Harry and guffawed at him.

"You foolish child! You think you can defeat me? Lord Voldemort? Your silly parlor tricks are no match for the wizard that I am!"

At that moment Dumbledore raced in, his wand extended. Severus pointed his wand at Albus and motioned for him to lower his own. Albus stopped and put it down, knowing that this showdown was between Voldemort and Harry alone.

"What? The mighty Dumbledore is afraid to confront me?" Voldemort cried.

"He knows that I must be the one to kill you! Oh, yes, that's what the prophecy said, that neither could live while the other survives."

"And you think that you are to be the one to survive? You are truly an impudent little brat, aren't you, Potter?"

They raised their wands and began circling each other.

"All of your Horcruxes are destroyed now, Riddle," Harry cried.

Voldemort cried in fury at the use of his given name and the knowledge that his lifelines were no more.

"You have nothing left. When I kill you, you will remain dead forever. There will be no more returning of your shattered soul."

"But you cannot kill me! I am Lord Voldemort, the greatest wizard who ever lived!"

"No, the greatest wizard who ever lived would be Albus Dumbledore. You are just a cheap imitation, Riddle."

"You will show me respect and call me by my true name!" Voldemort demanded.

"I just did!" Harry shot back.

"Avada Kedavra!" Voldemort cried and sent the curse at Harry.

Harry rolled forward, and the spell missed him completely. The two wizards' wands danced as they began to shoot spell after spell at one another.

"Is something wrong with your wand, Riddle? You don't seem to be able to shoot straight today," Harry baited.

Voldemort's eyes narrowed in fury as he shot another Killing Curse at Harry. Harry dodged it.

"That wand seems rather familiar, Riddle. It seems to be the stolen wand of Albus Dumbledore. Did you think you could only defeat me by using the wand of such a powerful wizard?"

"It is the Elder wand, you fool! Not that a mere boy like you would know the significance of it! I am invincible with it!"

"No one is invincible, Tommy," Harry told him as he shielded himself from a giant burst of flame that Voldemort had shot his way. His charm crackled and sputtered as the fire engulfed it and then disappeared, eliciting gasps from the crowd of onlookers.

"As a matter of fact, I do know about the Elder wand. Dumbledore explained the whole thing to me long before his wand was stolen. I'm surprised you didn't try to kill him, Tommy, but I guess you knew that was impossible. You're... too... weak!"

Severus was not fully familiar with this story, as he had been in the midst of recuperating when Dumbledore's wand had been stolen. All he knew was that someone had cast a deep sleep charm on the Headmaster and snuck into his chambers, brazenly taking the wand. Curiously, no harm had come to Dumbledore.

"I tried to kill him, but he must have known I was coming," Voldemort shrieked in fury. "He had done something to himself, so the Killing Curse just bounced off him!" Voldemort's face was livid, but suddenly, he calmed himself and was his normal gloating self. "No matter... I took possession of the wand, and I am now the rightful owner of it."

"Oh, yes, Tommy, he knew you were coming."

"Don't call me that!" Voldemort screamed.

A huge wave of water came from Voldemort's wand and crashed toward Harry. Harry quickly shot a spell at the water, turning it to steam. It quickly filled the room, blinding everyone, and then dissipated. More hexes were thrown about, each man dodging the other's onslaught. Voldemort transfigured some chairs into daggers and sent them racing towards Harry. Harry crossed his arms and cast a special shield that Severus had taught him. He seemed to be encased in a bubble as the daggers bounced off the shield. Harry dropped the shield as the last dagger fell to the floor and sent a swarm of bees at Voldemort. With a flourish of his wand, Voldemort had turned the bees into butterflies. They flitted around his head for a few seconds, making him look like a crazed flower child from the sixties, before flying off.

"Dumbledore planned on you coming," Harry explained as they continued circling one another and throwing hexes. "He wanted you to get the wand, because he knew it would be your downfall,"

For the first time Voldemort looked confused.

"That's right. Do you remember the night Professor Snape attempted to kill Dumbledore? When he pretended to try to kill him, I mean... setting himself up to be your right hand man and spy to the Order?"

Voldemort narrowed his eyes at Harry, looking furious.

"Yes, well, you missed out on an important fact. Dumbledore lost ownership of the wand that night."

"Voldemort's eyes snapped to Snape, and he sent the Killing Curse straight at the other man's chest. Severus had been keeping a close watch on him, expecting nothing less from the cowardly despot, so he reacted quickly. He rolled onto the floor while shooting a Scattering Spell at the group of people he was standing in front of. The crowd was thrown back before the curse hit any of them.

Severus rolled back to a standing position and took a stance against Voldemort, awaiting another attack.

"He's not the owner of the wand, Riddle," Harry said blandly.

Voldemort's attention was once again drawn to Harry.

"Severus didn't disarm Dumbledore, Draco Malfoy did. He was the true owner of the Elder wand."

Voldemort sneered in frustration, searching the crowd for a sign of the blonde haired boy who had just come out of hiding to fight against him in this battle. He could find him nowhere.

"But he no longer is the owner either," Harry went on as if nothing was amiss.

Voldemort looked at Harry in confusion again.

"You see, when Dumbledore awoke from his coma, he explained everything about the wand to me. He knew where Draco was because the Order was hiding him. We secretly met with him, and he and I dueled. I won. It was a fair match. We explained it away as a training exercise. Draco had no idea what was at stake. I was the stronger duelist. I think that the wand in your hand believes its allegiance to be with me now."

"Nonsense!" Voldemort cried.

In an instant Voldemort cried out the Killing Curse once again, and Harry simultaneously cried Expelliarmus. Before anyone knew what had happened, the Elder wand was sailing into Harry's hand, and Voldemort's Killing Curse had rebounded off Harry's Disarmament spell and shot into Voldemort's own body, sending him crashing to the ground.

Voldemort finally lay dead in a crumpled heap on the floor. Severus could hold the crowd back no longer as cheers rang out and they rushed to touch the Boy Who Lived. It took quite a while, but Severus finally made his way through the throng and was face to face with Harry. Dumbledore was giving Harry a hug as Severus approached. Harry pulled away from Albus as he caught sight of Severus. He gave him a huge hug.

"I wouldn't have been able to do it without your help," he confided to Severus.

"It was you who fought so bravely," Severus told him emotionally as they parted.

"Without your training I would have been killed within the first few seconds. You have saved my life numerous times, Professor. I owe you multiple life debts."

"I'll just think of it as life insurance," Severus joked with him. "You must never leave my side for the rest of my life."

Harry laughed. "Somehow I think you'll tire quickly of my...how would you put it...incessant babble?"

"No doubt," Severus said dryly.

oooOOOooo

Severus scanned the Great Hall. Most of the jubilance had fallen to a calm quiet. Many had come to the realization that everything was over and sat quietly with loved ones. Those who had lost family and friends were grouped around their deceased. Some cried, others stared off blankly into space while holding a now cold hand. Remus Lupin sat on the floor next to his dead wife, staring down at her, tears falling on her now serene face. Severus eyed the long row of honored dead. They had given the ultimate sacrifice for the cause. To Severus, even all he had done could not come close to the sacrifices these valiant fighters had given.

He moved to the Weasley family, who were surrounding Fred's body. He looked sadly down at the young man who'd had such great things ahead of him. He smiled ruefully, noticing that Fred had died, as in life, with a smirk on his face. He glanced up at the sad faces of the Weasley clan, noticing one was missing. In place of Ron, Harry was there, his arm supporting Ginny as she cried into his shoulder.

He moved on, leaving the Weasleys to their grief. He spied Petunia, Sirius, and Dudley seated on the floor against the wall. They were all hugging one another with Petunia in the middle, each of her men having a supportive arm around her. Severus nodded his head as he went by.

The Malfoys huddled in a corner. Draco's return had finally turned the tables for them. From Harry's memories, Severus had gleaned that Narcissa had saved Harry to look after her son. The couple had turned at the last minute and fought against their Death Eater friends. Severus knew it was all for Draco, or perhaps to avoid Azkaban. He was unsure whether they would be prosecuted or not. Lucius had been a Death Eater, true and true, up until the very end. Narcissa had been one too, except she protected the ones she cared about which were her son and Severus himself. The Malfoys' fate could go either way.

Suddenly, Severus took in a breath. His heart stopped within him. Ron and Hermione were sitting on the floor against the wall, kissing. Severus closed his eyes. Their relationship had started. He supposed that their being on the run had cemented the relationship as they relied on each other.

He took comfort in the fact that Hermione had said that it hadn't lasted long. In something like six months, she should be rid of Ron. That was, of course, if history followed what Hermione had said. She had told him that he had almost died from a mauling by Nagini. That had not happened. Certain things had changed. He only hoped that Hermione's relationship with Ron was not one of them. He chided himself for being so horrid. He should be happy that she was happy. Part of him was, of course, but he would be so much happier if she were not with Ronald Weasley.

A/N: Next up: Filler: a.k.a. What happens between now and when Hermione returns?

Well, not everyone died. Sorry about Fred. Unfortunately, not everything turns out as we would like it in war. At least Severus escaped the snake. Voldie's dead too, that's a plus. There's just this next chapter of in-between time and then Hermione's back! Wow, I can't believe she's finally coming back. It really seems like it's taken twenty-five years, doesn't it? (Oh, come on, you haven't been reading this story for that long!) Thank you, everybody. I appreciate your reading and reviews.