Disclaimer: After twelve chapters, I still don't own Harry Potter. It's all J.K. Rowling's, guys…

Hey guys!

I know…it's been a ridiculous five months since I updated, and I know that I said there might be two more chapters, but this is the last one. I didn't want to try to stretch it into two chapters and be unhappy with my work, so this is the grand finale of The Burdens of a Lioness. I'm sad to see it go, but I know I have to do this in order to be able to do another ADMM fic.

Once again, I apologize for taking so long to update the last few chapters. I've been applying for college, doing homework, finishing and getting ready for another dance concert, studying for academic competitions, auditioning for company and Miss Hawaii, getting ready for my trip to Japan next month, recovering from a cold, and a whole bunch of other stuff. It's all paid off, though. I got into the college I wanted to go to (I'm not altogether ready to leave home just yet), and I got a four-year, 100 percent tuition scholarship! Yay! And our Japan Team won second place in a competition we were in this weekend and we won a five day trip to Japan this summer, so we're going to Japan twice this year (once with my school and once with all the other teams that won)! As you can see, a lot has happened this weekend….

Anyway, I hope you enjoy!

saiyanwizardgurl

Chapter 12: Moving Forward

The soft scratching of a quill on parchment had died with the sun's setting. Green eyes gazed gloomily out the window, which was glazed with the flickering from the fire. Minerva McGonagall sat sideways in her chair with her head leaning against the back. She sighed for the umpteenth time that hour as she shifted in her seat.

The Transfigurations teacher stood up suddenly and walked to the window. She leaned against the frame and gazed outside. The stars are bright tonight, she thought, trying to take her mind off her husband. Unfortunately, her plan did not work too well; the twinkling of the stars reminded her too much of his eyes.

McGonagall stood upright and took to pacing in front of the fire. She felt the warmth of the flickering flames on her skin, but she still felt cold. Or she thought she did, at least. The Transfigurations teacher was shaking enough. She sank back into the chair behind her desk and subconsciously drew her arms around herself.

She was so distracted that she barely heard the knock on her office door. "Come in," she said softly.

The door swung open. "Minerva."

She looked up. Severus Snape stood in the doorway, looking slightly disheveled. "How may I help you?"

"I thought you should know that the headmaster has returned."

"Oh! Thank you very much." She stood up and forced herself to walk calmly towards the door that connected her private quarters to the ones she shared with her husband.

"He's not in his rooms," said the Potions Master quietly as he watched her.

McGonagall stopped. "So then he's in his office?"

"No, he is not. I've come here to take you to him."

The Transfigurations teacher narrowed her eyes. "Why? Is there something wrong?"

"Let's go."

"Severus – "

But Snape was already walking out of the room. McGonagall, in her haste to follow the Potions Master, tripped on the rug. "Oof! Hey! Wait for me!"

When she poked her head out of her office, she saw the edge of a pair of back robes flutter around the corner. "Severus!" She had to run down two long hallways before she finally caught up with the younger wizard. "Severus!" she called again. This time he stopped and looked back at her. She nearly crashed into him. "Severus! What's going on?"

"He wants to see you," he said as he began to stride down the hall again.

"I want to see him too," she said, catching up to him and matching his pace, "but where are we going?"

"We are almost there."

"But you haven't answered any of my questions."

"Minerva, be quiet. He may be sleeping."

"Sleeping? But I thought you said – "

The Transfigurations teacher looked around; they were outside the Hospital Wing. "He was exhausted when he returned, so – "

"Why are we here, Severus? What happened to Albus?"

"Calm down – "

"Calm down?!?! How can I calm down? You haven't told me anything! I don't know – "

"Minerva!" said Snape sternly. He stopped himself when he saw that the witch in front of him looked like she was going to cry. "Minerva, Albus told you that he was looking for a way to defeat the Dark Lord. Both you and I know that a task of that caliber is no small feat because there are countless dangers involved. He returned earlier, but he had sustained an injury."

"What – ?"

"I've managed to stabilize him, but there is some permanent damage."

"Permanent damage?" asked McGonagall weakly.

"Yes."

"What is it?"

"His right hand has been injured by a strong curse or perhaps by a series of strong curses guarding a – " He stopped.

"A what, Severus?"

"Perhaps I should just let you see him." He pushed open the door quietly and moved aside to let her in.

She saw him as soon as the initial shock of hospital white cleared from her eyes. Dumbledore's midnight blue robes stood out against the bed sheets. The Transfigurations teacher stepped into the ward slowly and made her way over to her husband's bed almost as if she was in a trance. He seemed so far away as he lay motionless. When see stood over him, she noticed the slight paleness of his skin and the tint of pink barely visible in his cheeks. McGonagall reached out tentatively to touch his face, but she drew back before her hand made contact. "What happened to him, Severus?"

"I'm not too sure myself," said the Potions Master, walking up to the bedside. "From what I understand, he was looking for a way to defeat the Dark Lord somewhere in Little Hangleton."

"Little Hangleton? What could possibly be there?"

"I'm not exactly sure, but you know that the headmaster is always trying to make connections with the Dark Lord and his past."

"Do you know if he succeeded?"

"I think he did," said Snape. "But he paid a price, as you can clearly see."

The Potions Master started slightly when the Transfigurations teacher grabbed onto his arm for comfort. "Sorry," she whispered, letting it go quickly.

He sighed. "Shall I tell Poppy that you will be waiting with him?"

"It's not necessary," said McGonagall, conjuring up a chair. "I'm sure she'll find out soon enough."

Snape nodded and turned to leave. He stopped at the door. "Don't worry too much, Minerva. You will only make Albus worry."

The Transfigurations teacher gave a small smile that did not quite reach her eyes. "Thank you, Severus."

……………………………

She could not sleep. It was late, and all other Hogwarts inhabitants were sleeping silently (except maybe Peeves), but she was not. She felt lethargy prick at the corners of her eyes every now and then, but she fought the temptation to close them. She was afraid of what her dreams would bring. She was afraid that she would see Albus alone in some desolate town far away, hurt and in need of help. She did not want to see him battered, worn, bruised, beaten, bleeding, utterly broken. She was scared of what she would see, and so she remained awake.

"Minerva?" She looked up. Even though it was quite dark, she could see something moving in the confines of the curtains. "What are you doing here?"

"What am I doing here?" she whispered indignantly. "What am I doing here?! You should know perfectly well what I'm doing here, and if you weren't already injured, I would hex you, Albus Dumbledore!" she exclaimed, whipping open the curtains to let in the moonlight.

She regretted her actions immediately when she saw him flinch. "I'm sorry, Minerva; I'm still a little drowsy. Where are we?"

"The hospital wing."

"Oh, that's right. How long have I been here?"

"A few hours."

"Not too bad, then," he said, yawning widely.

"How can you say that?"

"I'm alive, aren't I?"

"Yes, but only just!" she raged as she began to pace in front of the bed. "Do you know how scared I was?! Do you know how worried I've been?!"

"Minerva, calm down – "

"Don't you 'Minerva, calm down' me! What in Merlin's name were you doing?!"

"I told you that I was finding a way to defeat Voldemort – "

"And how were you precisely going to go about doing that? By getting yourself killed?"

"Of course not. I just did not expect that things would be so…messy." He winced as he pulled his right hand into his lap. It was bandaged heavily, and a dark tinge could be seen at the edge near his wrist. "At least the arm is no longer black."

McGonagall stopped pacing and stared widely at the injury. "How could you go head on into this without being prepared?"

"I was prepared. Now sit down and stop lurking," said the headmaster. "You'll work yourself to death."

"You're one to talk," muttered the Transfigurations teacher, but she sat down on the bed by her husband.

"There now, Minerva," said Dumbledore, wrapping an arm around her and smiling as she rested her head on his shoulder. "Everything will be just fine."

"What's going on, Albus? Please tell me what's going on. You know I hate being in the dark."

"Minerva – "

"Please?"

The headmaster sighed. "I wanted to wait – "

"Albus – "

"But I can see that that won't do." He turned to her, and his expression became very serious. "Would you happen to know what a Horcrux is?"

McGonagall blinked. "A what?"

"I'll take that as a 'no,' then. A Horcrux is any object that is used to conceal part of one's soul."

The Transfigurations teacher opened her mouth as if to speak, but closed it again contemplatively. After a few moments, her eyebrows rose in realization. "So Voldemort has a Horcrux?"

"I wish he did," said the headmaster. "You see, I believe he has more than one."

"More than – ? Is that possible?!"

"I didn't think so at first, but he has found a way to do it."

"Are you certain?"

"Do you recall the incident involving the Chamber of Secrets?"

"How could I forget, Albus? Hogwarts almost closed because of that."

"Correct. Do you remember what caused this episode?"

"A possessed Ginny Weasley, but we know that she was not responsible – "

"Do you recall how she came about being possessed?"

"She said something about a diary – "

"And who had the diary belonged to?"

"Tom Riddle, but I don't see what…." She stopped. "Do you mean to tell me that part of Voldemort's soul was in that diary? That was what Ginny Weasley was possessed by?"

"I do, and I also believe that there are more Horcruxes out there in addition to the diary."

"How many more?" she asked, turning to look him fully in the eye.

He sighed. "Five."

"He split his soul into six parts?!"

"Not six parts, Minerva. Seven. A piece of his soul remains in his new body, but he has made six Horcruxes to house the other parts. The diary was one."

"So then you've destroyed a second?" she asked, placing a hand on his right forearm.

"I have," he said as he placed a hand over hers. "And as soon as Poppy releases me, I will be searching for the next. If I am correct, there are four more Horcruxes out there, and Voldemort will not die as long as at least one of them still exists. They must all be destroyed before anyone can hope to destroy him."

"Will there be anything left of you by then?"

"I hope so. Don't look at me like that, Minerva, I'm only kidding," he added hastily as his wife's eyes narrowed.

She sighed. "Who else knows about these Horcruxes?"

"Voldemort's most loyal supporters have been made privy to this; Severus told me so himself. And now you know. And soon Harry will have to know, and he will have to be prepared for what is to come."

"How will you do that? Lessons with Severus again?"

Dumbledore smiled. "Severus asked me the same thing. No, there's too much animosity between those two. I will be giving Harry lessons. Needless to say, Severus was thrilled to hear that."

"I'm sure he was," said the Transfigurations teacher as she settled herself closer to her husband. "So what will you do now?"

"The only thing I can do, my dear. Move forward."

"Move forward?"

"Yes. In a few months, the school will be bustling with students again, and we will need to protect them from what lurks outside the castle walls. Until then, all we can do is prepare and hope that that will be enough."

"And if it isn't?"

"Then we'll continue to stand against Voldemort as we always have, and we will not stop until he is no more."

"Will you let me help you?" she asked as she looked up at him.

He smiled down at her. "Do I have a choice?"

"No."

"Then I guess I will have to let you help me."

"You're too kind, Headmaster," she said, kissing him softly.

"On the contrary, my dear professor," he said, kissing her back, "it's quite the other way around."

FINITE


A big, big THANK YOU to all who have read and stuck with this story, and another big, big THANK YOU to all who took the time to review and give me suggestions. I really could not do any of this without all your help and support. I appreciate all reviews (unless you're gonna cuss me out or give me flames), and I would be thrilled if you just left me a few comments. Thanks again everyone, and I look forward to reading and writing more fan fiction!

Until we meet again…