Something was going to happen tonight.
Something big.
Something unstoppable.
It was in the air, as thick as the fog that surrounded the castle. You could almost taste the tang of fear and smell the musk of danger in every breath. Everyone was on edge, especially Hogwarts' Potion Master. After classes he wandered around the school's grounds; even after the sun slid down in the sky and night enveloped the castle, he continued his vigil. He was slowly making his way on the same route, his black robes billowing behind him. A scowl sat firmly on his face, and scowl firmly on his face, rosary beads wrapped themselves around his hands.
Severus knew about tonight's raid; Lucius' mind was easy enough to invade. Severus also knew that he wasn't supposed to know about it. He spent hours begging the Dark Lord for Lilly's life and spent weeks recovering from the Cruciatus he received for his weak spirit and insolence. After passing the information on to Dumbledore, the headmaster ordered him to stay on the grounds. Both of his masters wanted him there. So he took comfort in the only thing he had left.
Severus prayed that the Fidelius charm would be enough. He prayed that Sirius would be useful for one thing in his worthless life.
It was shortly after midnight, and Severus was walking along the lake back toward the castle, when a silver phoenix flew over to him. Not waiting for it to speak, he ran up to the castle. He was soaked by from a cold sweat by the time he reached the stairway leading to the Headmaster's office. He climbed the stairs three at a time, approaching the gargoyle that protected the door. He pulled out his wand ready to blow it into pieces to get through. Tonight it moved aside with no snide comment or complaint; even it knew something was wrong.
"Lily?" he said as he burst into Dumbledore's office. He looked around quickly, half expecting her to be there. The Headmaster was pulling on an outer cloak when he saw Severus.
"Severus." Dumbledore walked over to him as he finished fastening the clasp to holding his cloak together. He saw the what little color that was in Severus' face drain away as he got closer. "I'm sorry." Severus staggered like he'd been hit, and Albus caught him by the shoulders. "There is still…" Albus tried to catch his eye. The young man looked like he was about to pass out at any moment. "There is still work to do. I'm going to see to the Potter boy." Severus looked at the old man and tried hard to control the pain that washed over him. "You need to go move the girl."
Severus covered his face with both hands, taking a deep breath, and nodded. He pulled away from Albus' grasp and straightened his robes. "Of course, Headmaster." Severus looked up at the ceiling, still fighting for control of himself. Taking another deep breath, he turned on his heels and left the Headmaster's office.