CHAPTER TWO

THE BURROW

It was evening when Blaire reached the Weasley's home. She knocked on the door and was greeted by Molly Weasley. "Hello Blaire! Come in! Everyone is here." Molly said as she let Blaire in. When she went in to the living room, she realised what Molly meant by 'everyone'.

The Weasleys were there, Percy's wife and children and Fleur, Bill's wife, was there too. Ron Weasley was chatting with his best friends, Harry Potter and Hermione Granger. Blaire smiled to herself as she saw Ron holding Hermione's hand. Remus Lupin was chatting to his wife, Nymphadora Tonks and playing with their son, Teddy, who was pulling Sirius Black's nose.

"Blaire, you're here!" said Hermione, jumping to her feet. Blaire grinned and gave Hermione a hug. Being muggle born like she was, Hermione grew close to Blaire. The two were practically like sisters. "Anyway, is it true? Are you going to be the new Muggle Studies Professor? I hope so! It would be exciting to have you as a professor!"

"Hermione, will you let Blaire sit first? We've just won a war and all you can think about is school!" Harry grinned at Blaire, making Hermione blushed and everyone laughed.

"Yes, that's true. I will be starting tomorrow!" Blaire sat in between her best friends, Fred and George Weasley and took out the grumpy Tigger from his cage and stroked him. "Who told you?"

"Dumbledore. He said he offered you the position three months after the war." Harry said.

"I see. Yeah. He kept insisting that I take the job." Blaire frowned and shrugged. "I wasn't very sure at first, but I accepted it anyway."

"So Dumbledore is resuming his old post as Headmaster?" asked Lupin.

"I guess so. He said he'll see me back at Hogwarts."

"What about Snape?" asked the suddenly curious George.

"Professor Snape will resume his old post as Defence against the Dark Arts Professor." Molly emerged from the kitchen with her daughter Ginny, with trays of goblets filed with pumpkin juice. "Now that we learnt the truth, it would not hurt to show him some respect." Sirius snorted and Molly shot him a disapproving look which he ignored.

"Show Snivellus who's the boss!" a sly grin formed on Sirius's face as he looked at Blaire. It was not a secret Severus Snape and Sirius loathed each other since school.

"Would you stop calling him that?" Blaire snapped angrily at Sirius suddenly. Everyone stared at her, surprised and her hand flew over her mouth. Even Blaire was surprised at herself. Severus Snape was her former potions master in school and Blaire had disliked him for a long time. She did not know what made her defend Severus. Maybe it was that she, like everybody in the room, had finally learnt of Severus's "innocence" and that he was well, good, all along, or is was the fact that she had died by his side during the war. Literally.

Blaire muttered a sorry to Sirius and stared at Tigger and shifted uncomfortably in her seat.

"Blaire's right." said Lupin quietly. "I think it's about time you put our grudges aside, Sirius." His wife nodded but Sirius just kept silent.

"Maybe it's time all of us start our life in a new, good and without any hatred. We have a lot to be thankful off." Molly said with forced cheerfulness.

"Like the fact we're breathing and alive. Again." Fred muttered, rolling his eyes and grinned at Blaire. George's smile faded. Blaire looked around. She along with Fred, Sirius, Lupin and Tonks were what they believed, "reborn". She did not know why, they did not know why, but they were. Dumbledore believed they were alive again for a reason. What reason? They did not know yet.

Molly soon announced dinner was ready. Since there were so many of them, tables had to be joined together so all of them could sit together. Everyone was back to their cheerful selves except for Blaire. There was something bothering her.

"Blaire? You alright? Is the food not to your liking?" Molly asked her, concerned.

Blaire shook her head. "No! The food is delicious." She forced a smile. "It's just that…" she turned to Harry, Ron and Hermione. "Guys, what happened? You know. It's been bothering me since I was alive again." She laughed shakily.

Harry exchanged looks with his friends. "You don't remember?" he asked and slapped his forehead for asking such a question and Blaire laughed and shook her head.

"Well, when we were at the Shrieking Shack, you arrived just as Professor Snape was attacked by Voldemort's snake. We went to him just before he died and I bottled his memories. You went to him just as Goyle entered. Before we could react, he casted the killing curse on you. We managed to stun him, but we had to leave your body there." Harry explained softly. Blaire frowned, trying to get everything in.

"And..." Harry was about to say something but when he exchanged looks with Ron and Hermione he kept silent.

"And what Harry?" Blaire demanded.

"When you were hit by the killing curse, you fell and your hand, it seemed as if you were holding Professor Snape's hand." Harry continued slowly, giving her sheepish smile.

"Seemed? She was bloody well holding it!" Ron whispered loudly.

"She wasn't actually holding it." Hermione said. "It was just well, on top of his hand. It seemed pretty sweet, dying by his side actually if…" Hermione stopped talking when Harry coughed loudly.

Blaire turned red and was suddenly hungry. George slammed his goblet on the table loudly, Fred choked on his juice while everyone stared at her in amazement.

Now I really wish I was dead. Blaire thought to herself. Fred and George had managed to change the conversation topic to their plans to expend their joke shop, but Blaire was not listening. She was too busy thinking.

Blaire held back a gasp. She watched in horror as Severus Snape yelled and the snake encased him, head and shoulders. Voldemort moved his lips and the snake pierced his neck and Severus let out a terrible scream. His knees gave way and he fell on the floor.

"I regret it." said Voldemort coldly. He used his wand to lift his snake off Snape. Voldemort left the shack, almost smirking.

She saw Harry using his wand to lift a crate that was blocking their way. It was taking too long and she pushed one in front of her with all the strength she had. The crate she pushed had a sharp edge which caused a deep cut on her hand. A sharp pain lingered at her hand. "Blaire! Your hand is bleeding!" she heard Hermione cried but she ignored it and ignored the blood that was flowing down her hand.

She rushed to Snape, she didn't know why. She saw the wound where he was bitten by the snake, blood was flowing and she pressed it against her hand trying to keep it from flowing. Snape's black eyes met hers. "Blaire." he struggled to speak. He said her name. He never called her by her first name; usually he called her by her surname, Watson, in class. She felt another sharp pain and realised she was holding his wounded neck with her injured hand, which was by then covered in blood, both hers and his.

Harry came next to her and Snape grabbed his robes. Silvery blue, neither gas nor liquid was leaking out from him.

"Take…it…Take...it…"

Harry stared, not knowing what to do. Blaire conjured a flask from thin air and thrust it into Harry's hand. He took it and when the flask was full to the brim, Snape's grip on Harry's robe slackened and he looked pale, as if he no longer had blood.

"Look…at…me…"he whispered.

After a while, his hand holding Harry's thudded on the floor and his black eyes were fixed, blank and empty. Blaire held her breath. His weak pulse stopped and with a shaky hand, she closed his eyes. They stared at his body before Blaire got up first.

"Harry, you better see it." Blaire looked at the flask Harry was holding. Harry nodded, but before he could do anything, the door where Voldemort had left through, slammed opened.

A large man stood at the door, his wand pointed at Blaire. She didn't have time to react. A jet of green light hit her on her chest and everything was gone.

"NO!" Hermione screamed as they watched Blaire's body fell right next to Snape's, her hand falling on top of his, almost like she was clutching it lightly.