The Stars Shine Still

Author's Note: None of these characters belong to me except Mariana. I've used an OC that I've paired with Severus in another story which I'll be putting up later hopefully. this story is a rather grim one-shot of the battle. I was inspired by these lines that I was reading in the Duchess of Malfi and The quotes are taken from there:) Please read and review.

" I could curse the stars. And those three smiling seasonsof the year into a Russian winter: nay the world to its first chaos."

The words echoed dimly in Mariana's mind as she looked up at the peaceful starry sky. It was from some muggle book she'd read long ago…what was the rest of it? She couldn't remember. Never mind. It didn't matter anymore. Nothing did. Chaos had exploded though, she thought vaguely, unmindful of the cold that seeped into her skin from the damp ground. She had become numb long ago, far before she had ended up here on the once green grounds of Hogwarts. Voldemort had attacked, the Wizarding War had happened and chaos had exploded. Now, there was peace…or so it would be said. Everyone was here but nobody was left. Except her.

Was Severus alive? Her heart clenched at the thought and pain flooded her chest. She was a little surprised. Then there was silence again. Where would she search for him? The sea of bodies that surrounded her couldn't reveal the one person she had been searching for so desperately. Was he alive? She wondered again, the thought clanging loudly in her rapidly quietening brain. Again that pain. And what about the others? Where were James, Lily, Sirius? She hoped they had survived. Had she been mistaken? Had Remus cut through the deadly cloak of green that had surrounded him? The wind blew then and Mariana shivered as it trailed its cold fingerprints across her face. She realized then that she was crying…softly…quietly…though there was no was else to hear.

But what if there was? Surely if she was alive, then so must be other people. A dim light of hope penetrated through the fog of darkness that was surrounding her. Slowly, achingly, she turned her face to the side, her nerves screaming with pain. She gritted her teeth and forced herself to turn that last inch, her body almost drowning her with its heaviness. But she did turn and then quickly squeezed her eyes shut again. The face lying right beside her was someone she had known once…when those blue eyes had shown laugher, anger and then hate. She wondered if the girl had realized when she had chosen to join Voldemort that she would never live to see him rise or fall. When she'd raised her wand to Crucio Mariana, would she had even imagined that she would die a second later, attacked by a stray curse. What was it worth, Mariana despaired, what was all this worth? Who had won? Did it even matter?

Severus. Ah, the pain was less now. Maybe she was dying. It would be a relief. But she would miss her friends…and Severus. She needed to know, she thought with a sudden burst of determination that cut through her numbness, she needed to know if he was alive or if not…then he would finally be free from all this pain and the torment and bitterness that had tainted his entire life. Had he known she loved him? She hoped so. She would forgive him anything, she knew, if only she could see him once more. Suddenly, the silence seemed to suffocate her, overwhelm her, drown her…gulping, she pressed her battered palms down on the damp earth but she couldn't lift herself up. The pressure on her chest was getting heavier and heavier and it was becoming easier and easier to give up. Mariana dug her bruised fingers into the ground once more, gouging up more bloody earth…and then her fingers relaxed again, lying limply on the ground, the life bleeding out of her. The sky above was beginning to fade, the stars shining out brighter than before. Closing her eyes, she took a stilted breath and slowly started letting go, her thoughts fading…Severus…

She was being pulled back from the gentle lull of sleep by relentless hands. The weight that had been crushing her chest lifted suddenly. Mariana's eyes fluttered open with mild curiosity. Severus. He was alive…here. He must have sensed her waking up for his dark gaze immediately slid to her face. Looking into his eyes, Mariana felt a small pang of happiness. He looked weary but he was alive. What did he want with her though? He said he'd never wanted to see her again…and she'd understood why. Enemies weren't allowed to fall in love and despite Hogwarts being a common ground; Mariana knew that one day he would have to choose. He'd chosen and so had she…and the war had begun with them on opposite sides. And now there weren't any more sides to choose.

She didn't protest as he lifted her up gently, his arms going around her. Mariana placed her weary head against him, scanning the battlefield with flickering hope. It was in vain. The grounds now belonged to the ghosts. Those that could have been saved, had been. Severus and she were the only ones left. She let out a painful sigh for the time for tears was long past. Quietly, they moved through the aftermath of greed and chaos, heading towards sanctuary. Raising her eyes to the sky, she finally remembered the words that had eluded her…

"Look you, the stars shine still"

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