Disclaimer: I own nothing but Snow!!!!!

Chapter 23: All She's Waited For

Snow woke up slowly the next afternoon. She blinked the sleep from her eyes and glanced out the dust-covered window. The sky, from what she could tell, was a dusky purple. As she rose from her pallet on the floor, she found herself to be dressed.

Had Remus dressed her last night? The thought left a small smile on her face. Speaking of the devil, the sandy haired, and very messy-haired, man shuffled through the doorway. Silence fell between them, letting thim smile to each other softly.

There was no need to say anything, they both knew what the other was thinking. However, neither would have had a chance to speak. As if it had sprouted legs, the house trembled as it shifted on its foundation. Snow was thrown forward, slamming her shoulder into the closet door to break her fall. Remus fell to the side also, and reached for the girl.

"What happened?" Snow croaked in a hushed voice. In a shout, a spell was called and the house jerked to the side this time. The couple slammed into each other, knocking them both on the hallway floor. Snow snapped her head to the side to look out the front door. There were only shadows of the house to meet her.

"We have to get out of here!" Remus said, wrenching her up to her feet.

Snow leaned against him and looked down at her body. Her jeans were still on the bedroom floor, along with her wand. "Wait, my wand!" She broke free from Remus and dove into the room. She pulled the garmet up her legs and fingered the wand in her pocket. She blinked as she spun on her heel, hearing the echoing voice behind her.

Remus was no longer there. Nor was the house shaking anymore.

Cautiously, Snow fled to the door way and let her eyes fall on the sight on the floor. A puddle of blood stained the aging carpet while Remus was the cause.

Laying face down, he seemed to have been attacked from the front. Snow circled his feet, her shaking hand covering her lips. She couldn't see his chest rising with his breath. Slowly, she reached down and touched the fabric of his shirt.

"Nothing you can do will save him." Snow flung herself back, slamming her shoulders into the wall behind her. Standing near Remus's shoulders, a dark figure loomed above her. A pair of silver eyes pierced hers, making her scream out.

"You did this, Rhiannon." His voice was so low but sounded like a freight train in her ears.

"YOU MADE ME DO THIS!" In one quick step, Lucius was over the body on the floor. Snow shakily reached into her pocket and wrapped her fingers around her wand. She pointed it into his face and slid up along the wall. "Get away from me." She growled, moving toward the living room. The sliding doors seemed like heaven in her eyes. If she could get out into the open, she could find help for Remus.

But, Lucius could have already killed him by then. If he wasn't dead already.

Snow choked on her sobs and backed into the living room. The upstairs loft was above her, dark and not a safe place to go. But, it seemed the only option.

As if he read her mind, Lucius lunged forward and attempted to stop her, firing a spell as he did so. "Deletrius!!!" He cried, as Snow spoke her own spell. "Incendio!" Their spells hit in the middle, flinging the magic upward. The gold and neon colored streams crashed into the loft's railing. Half of it split in half, falling to the ground in flaming bits. While the other half disentegrated in thin air.

A piece of debris fell, knocking into Lucius' forearm as he brought it to his face to shield his eyes. He howled in pain as Snow regained her composure. "Waddawasi!" She aimed her spell at a half broken chair, catching it in the air as if she had with her hand. With a cry, she flung it toward Lucius, knocking him on his side.

He didn't move, appearing to be knocked out.

Taking the little amount of time she had, Snow raced over the threshold of the hallway and collapsed near Remus. She rolled him over, screaming at what her eyes met. He was slashed across the chest; the wound still pouring blood. Snow pulled at the hem of his shirt and managed to rip a piece off to clean his wound. She pressed the strip of fabric to the wound and raced to the kitchen for water.

She could only carry it in her hands for she could see no bowl or cup handy. Fast enough to run, but slow enough to not slosh the water, she returned to remus and poured the liquid over his skin. She could almost feel the sting as she did so.

Before she could wrap anything around the cut, a hand wound its way through her hair, jerking her back. Lucius reached down and pulled Remus' head up with his hand, revealing a knife in the other. He placed the shining metal to the man's throat but didn't get any farther.

Snow lunged forward and placed her mouth on Lucius' wrist before she bit as hard as she could with her teeth. He gave a cry that sounded alien. As blood rushed over her teeth, Snow faintly saw the man raise his hand in the air. She let go before he could contact with her face and slammed her fist into his instead. The knife fell to the carpet, landing blade down and inches from Remus' face.

She took it and didn't hesitate. The blade slammed into Lucius' chest once before she pulled it out and plunged it back in. As he stumbled on his heels, moving his way across the hallway wall, Snow calmly reached down to pick up his wand. He stared at her, blood pooling in the corner of his thin white lips. The satisfaction of knowing she put it there, made Snow stand straighter while raising the ebony wand in the air.

"Avada Kedavra." She spoke the spell as if it were a word she used daily. There was no regret, no fear to it. There was only absolute hate. Sparking from the wand, a beam of red and silver silk streamed out and slammed into the man's chest. He gave no cry. Snow didn't know if he didn't have time to, or didn't want to show her the satisfaction...but all that matters was he was gone.

As a stream of smoke rose from his body, it collapsed against the kitchen counter and silence filled the room. Snow dropped to her knees and spun around to Remus. He was breathing and he had no more serious injuries that she could tell. As she used the remaining strength to lift the man up, Snow felt odd. All her recent life, this was what she looked forward to.

She kicked the door open and drug Remus out, laying him on the porch. She collapsed on the top step and sighed. This was not how she imagined it would feel like. It was all she's ever waited for...And yet, she felt useless now.

From behind her, Remus moaned. She spun around and put her hand to his forhead. "It's ok, don't try to move. You've been cut pretty badly. Uhm, do you remember anything?" She asked, clearing the hair from his brow. Remus smiled. "I remember seeing you put your pants on....Then something hit the back of my head." He coughed and winced in pain.

She hadn't noticed a wound on the back of his head. Reached around, Snow felt for blood, but found nothing. "He must've knocked you out..."

"Oh no. Did you kill him?" Remus blinked and attempted to sit up. Snow pushed him back down. "Yes."

"Oh God, no! They're going to put you in Azkaban!" She could only guess that he meant the Ministry when he said 'they'. With a shrug, Snow sat back on her heels and smiled. "They have to catch me first. Don't worry, I'm not going to Azkaban. You're going to go to St. Mungos...and...get better."

Remus was quicker than she anticipated him to be. He frowned and reached up to cup her cheek. "Will you find me again?" His voice broke, making tears spill out of Snow's eyes.

She brushed the hand from her face and turned away. "I'll send an owl to Dumbledore and make sure he finds you..."

"Snow."

"You'll be fine, I promise...And everything will be back to normal."

"Rhiannon." It was more of a question, but it made her turn. Remus' eyes were only slightly watering. "I can't stay. There's nothing left for me here. But, you...you already have everything you could ever wish for...except for a job, but that's nothing." Snow ran a hand over her hair, pulling it away from her face. It was wet with sweat and Remus' blood. She smiled softly to the man and bit the inside of her cheek.

Before Remus had a chance to speak, a screech interupted him. Snow lifted her head to see a snowy- grey owl land on the light post in the yard. "That's Snape's." Remus muttered, managing to sit up. He looked up the gravel road and saw a shadowy figure standing. The tall, pointed hat gave them all they needed to know. "I suppose that's my cue." Snow whispered, leaning down to kiss Remus' temple.

"Snow, don't."

She stood and crossed the porch, flicking her eyes up to Dumbledore as she did so. "Albus! Stop her." Remus winced as he struggled to his feet. "Do something!" He shouted, leaning against the porch railing for support. The broken house moaned under the stress. Snow jumped down from the porch and walked up the road. She shrugged her shoulders at the elder as he smiled. "Look, I know I'm wanted for murder now...and if you wanted me to, I'd go to Azkaban...But, I don't feel as though I deserve it."

From behind her, another man spoke. "I guess we can assume that we won't be seeing you anymore?" Snape said, crossing his arms over his chest. Snow smiled and wagged her finger at him. "Assuming makes an ass out of you."

"Correct me if I'm wrong, but doesn't the term state that assuming makes an ass out of you and me?" Dumbledore asked, smiling softly.

"Mostly Severus." Snow said before she turned on her heel to make her way back down to the porch.

"I hate goodbye's and this is already as cliche as it's going to get." Snow said, blowing a strand of hair from her eyes. She made her way to Remus and ran a hand over his shoulder. "I defeated my evil, got the prince, and now I'm going to ride off into the sunset. Alone. I don't want to drag you down. Go get better." Without waiting for his reply, she lifted herself to her tip-toes and kissed him across his lips.

"There she is! Albus, don't just stand there! Help me get the criminal!" Snow spun around and saw the Minister waddeling his way down the path followed by a few guards. No doubt from Azkaban. Snow reached into her pocket, pulled out a strip of paper and placed it in Remus' hands before she apparated away from the scene. The Minister shouted a curse into the air as Remus stared at the space where she had been.

"Blast it all! Well, this is exactly what I need. A bloody murderer on the loose, a dead convict and a round of witnesses from a school with children. Perfect!" The Minister threw his hands in the air as Remus opened the papter in his hands. It was an address scrawled across a piece of aging parchment. Hope rose in his throat. This was where she was. It had to be! He would find her again, after all.

AN- This...is..not my favorite chapter...I think it's too...wordy. I spent too much time on the goodbye's and it's a complete and utter disgrace. But I've kept you waiting way too long. My appologies. Oh, and sorry for this crummy chapter. Hope you review still. One more chapter, kiddies!