You’ll never have to hear your mother crying like I had to, you’ll never see me strike her, you’ll never hear me beat her down, you’ll never hear the screams that I have heard

‘I want you to promise me that you will take it easy, stop over-exerting yourself and just calm down okay? Will you calm down?’

He could see that the tears spilling down her eyes had caused a little cascade of black smudges where her mascara was being washed away

‘My Aunt and Uncle’ she said quietly, looking up at him ‘Are they… dead?’

‘I don’t want the M-Monster to t-take her Daddy, I d-don’t like his eyes’

‘Tell me what’s going on Neville’ he said angrily ‘Where is Kingsley?’

He gave one nod of his head, and immediately the Wizards began to replace the sand. As Severus watched, a horrid jolt seemed to ripple his insides. He was unsure what had caused it, it was an odd feeling. And he could only recall ever feeling it once before in his life.

She wasn’t out of danger yet, not by a long shot. But he had the help of the Order on his side, and that was the best chance she had.

I sure as hell have never heard of him, but Kingsley must have done because it shook him up something rotten.
 
 
 
 

‘Do you… do you think we’ll get her back?’ she whispered, no louder than a single breath. Harry stared at her, feeling helplessly lost for what to say.
 
 

Her black curls where whipping around her head furiously as she stepped unsteadily towards the old tree that she so enjoyed playing under in the summer.
 

‘Go on’ Ophelia urged ‘Try and break it… I’m letting you’ she waved a hand towards the window.
 

‘-Daddeeee!’ a little voice cried.
 
 They both ran to the stairs and took the steps two at a time, for they realized the sounds where coming from Aurora and Silas’s bed room.
 

‘She’s s-special as well isn’t she daddy?’ she asked ‘She c-can see things too c-can’t she, like m-me?’

‘I’m sorry about the dark’ she stepped forward slowly into a thicker beam of light, and as the orange haze flickered over her face, Harry saw that her eyes were milky white, she was blind.

‘As you can see, I have no use for the light’
 

It was clear to him that Aurora had some sort of Seer ability, and he worried that if he looked into her thoughts he would see something of his future, of Hermione’s future. Something he would have no control over…
 

You never got a chance to escape boy… you were so young when Voldemort came into your life, and I’m sorry that he stole your life away from you… but you can’t do this
 

‘This is the room of requirement’ he said and laughed, his face broke into a horrid smirk, he thrust his shoulders back confidently and puffed his chest out as he made his demand to the room ‘I require the Shield of Gryffindor!’
 

He crumpled, his mouth filled with salt, his legs gave way beneath him and a wave of pain seeped in through his skin… he thought that he might be dying, he couldn’t catch his breath… not even to cry out.
 

‘I dreamt that y-you were all in an old house, that had br-broken walls and glass everywhere, and the Mon-monster had mummy and he cut her and her blood was on the big shield, but you and Uncle Harry c-c-came in to stop him, but it was too late because m-mummy’s blood was already on it’
 

He bent his head to kiss her neck but as his lips touched her skin he groaned and pulled himself back, cheeks ablaze and eyes dark with anger.
 

He reached the top of the stairs, and a sudden unsettling flutter clenched his stomach, the spare room was at the end of the rickety hallway, and in there was Hermione and Molly and Ginny. Down the end of the silent rickety corridor.
 

Aurora stood before her, her face a gothic nightmare. She was drenched through with sweat that clung to her skin in glassy droplets, her hair was soaked through and dipping, her eyes were inky wells, the whites were filled to the brim with blackness that reflected the blood red sky that held the setting sun.
 

‘Potter!!’ he said, needing Harry’s attention, Harry looked at him slowly, knowing that Severus was planning something stupid, something quite out of character for him, for it was Harry that made the stupid decisions, it was Harry that often wore that wild look he now saw in Severus’s face.
 

‘You… you didn’t have a real choice. Severus chose this… not you’ she said quietly, and Harry turned at that, he looked at her with a world of misery in his emerald eyes, so much pain… so much anguish.
 

They should have been here, the both of them, they should have been relishing in the reward of their selflessness. But they were dead, gone.