Chapter One:
The evening light filtered in through lace curtains, as Remus sat contemplating the fire. He watched the flames dance with purpose, and sighed when he realized that although their beauty did not go unnoticed, they would soon be snuffed out by unseen forces. Their existence, was temporary at best. Remus was beginning to see a parallel. His hands reached up and ran themselves through his golden-brown hair. He didn't believe...
A soft knock on the sitting room door wrenched the werewolf from his thoughts and he articulated that the door could be opened. The old oaken fixture creaked open, followed quickly by Molly Weasley carrying a tea tray. She placed it on the coffee table and sat gracefully on the couch next to her old friend.
"Remus," she weakly smiled, "have some tea." Handing him a cup of steaming Earl Grey, she continued by placing a worried hand on his shoulder.
"I don't think I can forgive him this time Molly," came Remus' unprovoked response. "How can I love him, if I can't forgive him?" A tear dripped into his tea cup, punctuating his question. He didn't expect her to answer. He didn't expect anyone...
"Remus," Molly's voice permeated the man's thoughts, "the man has done the unspeakable. He has gone against everything you, myself, and The Order stand for, and yet I cannot help but think there must have been a reason." Remus shook silently. "The man, though intricate, could not have, I believe, done such a terrible thing just for terrible thing's sake. He must have a plan."
Remus scoffed, still staring into the fire. "But to what purpose Molly? What purpose?" he asked, and the motherly red-head was at a loss for an answer. "I'd like to be a lone Molly," Remus said gently with a waver in his voice. Molly Weasley nodded and exited the room after one last pat on her friend's shoulder.
"Oh Severus, Severus," Remus questioned the fire, "what have you done?"
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Branches whipped his sallow skin, as a shaken Severus ran through the forest. He could hear them coming, he could hear the screams. "What have I done?" he asked himself despondently.
"Professor, you're hurting me!" came a cry from behind him. The boy. Of course! The boy. Severus did not stop running, but whipped his head around just enough to see the terrified blonde child out of the corner of his eye.
"Silence Draco," he commanded. "Do you want them to catch us?" Draco shook his head and ran faster, trying to match his teacher's strides. "Ex-teacher," Severus reminded himself. He had killed one of his two friends, lost the job that kept him sane, and all for what? For this? He yanked on Draco's arm for him to hurry up.
The pair reached an abandoned clearing, still being pursued by distraught voices. Snape did a double take, it was empty. "That demonic being," he hissed through clenched teeth. The port-key Voldemort had promised, was gone, if it had ever been. The voices were getting closer, and Draco's palm was beginning to sweat. He faced the boy he had sworn to two people to protect, and looked in his eyes.
The steel of a Malfoy was gone, and all the man saw was fear. A terrified young boy, who if found by either side of this war, would be crucified. Severus knew what he had to do. Pulling Draco into him, he muttered a few unintelligible words, and was gone. Only foot prints were left to tell the tale, and when the wizards and witches reached the clearing, even those were gone.
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