Chapter 29

Albus stroked his beard in deep concentration.

"You said that you own the venom, but that you haven't destroyed the four horcruxes you have already found yet. Is that correct?" The four students nodded. "And the boy from the prophecy, Harry Potter, destroyed them by using Gryffindor's Sword infected with basilisk venom, although a dark spell can manage to burn them down too… Am I right?"

"Yes, sir. We don't have the sword, but I figured any other weapon would be of use as long as it had the venom," argued Maria.

"Well, we don't need to look for any other weapon. The sword is in my possession."

The students felt like a big weight had been lifted from their shoulders. They would not have to waste time thinking about what could work to get rid of the horcruxes.

"That is not all… I know where the last horcrux is," added Albus.

"There are thousands of caves, sir. How can you be so sure?" Severus asked in a wary tone.

"Tom Riddle, the man you know as You-know-who or Lord Voldemort, was an orphan. He used to venture out into a cave nearby the orphanage. That would be an excellent place to hide Slytherin's Locket."

"We've got nothing to lose," observed Lily. "When can we go after it?"

"Tonight."

"Is there a reason we are doing this so soon when we are all feeling emotionally exhausted?" demanded Severus, arching an eyebrow. "It isn't sensible."

"We have no choice. Fawkes will die anytime now. The burning day will be either today or tomorrow."

They glanced at the decrepit phoenix with dimmed feathers, and although they were no experts, they could see that the headmaster was right. Right then, time and destiny were conspiring against them.

"We shall go to the Room of Hidden Things to destroy all the horcruxes now. You can sleep until midnight, when we will meet in the Astronomy Tower to go to the cave. You are free to stay in the castle too, waiting," Albus said looking at Regulus pointedly.

Going to a place where you knew you had died once couldn't be easy, that much he figured.

"There is no way in hell I am staying here, sir," he claimed, standing up with his shoulders back, as if urging them all to get moving already and get the tasks done.

They followed his suit and parted as soon as Dumbledore placed an invisibility charm on the sword. Regulus ignored the worried glares his friends sent him, or at least pretended to, on the way to the seventh floor. Careful that nobody watched them, they entered the Room of Hidden Things, retrieved all the horcruxes and laid them on the floor. Albus put the venom on the blade and beckoned them to get the sword.

"Most of us are slytherins, sir…"

"That matters not, Regulus. Only a true Gryffindor can take the sword from the Sorting Hat. That doesn't mean any other person can't use it. You have worked to hunt these horcruxes. There are four of them, and four of you. It is only fair that each of you takes care of one."

The four friends exchanged looks and nodded.

Lily started with Helga Hufflepuff's Cup. She took the sword and raised it despite the heavy iron. The first blow caused the multiplication of hundreds and hundreds of helmets, catapults, lamps, books and other items from the magical room. Her friends and Dumbledore's attempts to stop it were futile. Being a gryffindor, the fear didn't paralyze Lily one bit. On the contrary, she turned more determined than ever and, with the sword held strongly, she hurried to destroy the horcrux beyond repair before the objects suffocated them all. A smoggy figure that resembled Voldemort flew away from the Cup and finally evaporated. They were able to vanish all the objects that blocked the air to their lungs right after that, still shaking. They could almost feel how close to asphyxia they had been, the fragment of soul was still visible in their minds.

"Those were after-effects of destroying the horcruxes… Voldemort cursed the objects to avoid their destruction. We must stay alert," advised Albus.

The students nodded, trying to get rid of the nasty feelings in their stomachs.

Severus went next, feeling more secure now that he knew what to expect, or so he thought. He chose the Diary. He lifted Gryffindor's sword and mimicked Lily's moves, yet the book opened before the blade scraped the pages. The shock was enough to parry the weapon's trajectory midair. The Diary belched out a spiral of smoke that twined until it mirrored Maria, bar the eyes. The eyes of the replica were lifeless; the cheerful, warm air the real Maria carried with her was replaced with a calculating, cold one.

"You think I love you?" taunted the clone. "You, fool! Who could ever like you, let alone love you?"

Her words were like daggers in his heart. She had been the first person to ever tell him she loved him. Now she was taking it back. It hurt so much he didn't hear the real Maria screaming. He wasn't aware that the others attempted to jinx and hex impostor he was transfixed by, albeit unsuccessfully. No spell affected her.

"Your father was right! You are pathetic!" kept jeering the fake Maria with a sneer on her face.

"Maria, you don't mean that…" the boy managed to let out, although his tone was anything but confident.

"Severus! Don't listen to her! She isn't me! The horcrux is playing with you! Come on!" his real girlfriend begged, taking his free hand.

He still didn't listen to her or feel her warm touch, his eyes fixed on the replica. Lily and Regulus began to worry, but Albus insisted that they had to wait. Severus had to come out of his trance, and the only one who could help him with that was the real Maria.

"You were supposed to be a realistic and intelligent guy, Snivellus… I thought you would realize that it would be foolish of me to be with you when I could have Sirius. He's handsome, funny, popular… Everything you are not. He and I had a good laugh when you caught us snogging… Can't you see? It was a prank, and you fell right into it. I will never feel anything but revulsion towards a greasy git like you!"

When the duplicated Maria mentioned Sirius Black and called him those cruel nicknames, something in Severus broke. Unshed tears stung in his eyes. His whole body trembled, and he kept shaking his head in denial. Fearing that Severus would let go of the sword, Maria caught his wrist firmly and moved her other hand onto his cold-sweated cheek, forcing him to look at her. The stab of pain in his black eyes evoked a sense of helplessness in her. She hated seeing him so vulnerable.

"Severus Snape, I'll be damned if you can't distinguish a pitiable copy from the real me!" she cried out.

And she kissed him. He didn't reciprocate at first, but something sparked in his chest when a salty taste invaded him. A single impotent tear had fallen down and reached their lips, he wasn't sure if it was his or hers. The Maria that had poked fun at him had appeared cold. This Maria was warm. This Maria was cupping his face as if she was holding her whole world. They couldn't be the same person. He twigged: the horcrux was playing with him. But then, if the real Maria was kissing him, what was the copy doing?

He forced himself to open his eyes. There wasn't another Maria anymore, only a slytherin boy he had never met. He was about to steal the weapon from him. Luckily, Severus was quick-witted enough to break the kiss and thrust the venom-filled sword into the Diary. The pages bled out while the slytherin boy screamed and writhed in pain before dissolving.

Maria, Lily and Regulus sighed in relief. Severus was breathing hard. He let go of the sword, the noise echoing in the room, and he hugged his girlfriend with his thin, slightly quivering arms. His right hand was pressing the back of her head onto his chest, while his left hand was on her mid back.

"Maria?"

"Shhh. It's me…"

He tightened his grip then and choked, "Merlin, for a moment I thought-"

"It was the horcrux influence, Severus. That wasn't me… I would never hurt you like that. You know that, don't you?"

Severus nodded and the girl pecked his cheek.

"You did very well," she assured, hoping to appease him. "I am sorry you had to go through that. Sirius and I haven't even talked since he gave me that love potion… You know that. There is nothing between us, there never was. And you aren't pathetic. You are far from it…"

While the couple kept holding each other, Regulus surmised, "The slytherin boy was You-know-who."

"He was," affirmed Albus.

"Do you think that He-who-must-not-be-named feels that he is losing a part of his soul when we destroy his horcurxes?" Lily wondered.

Albus shook his head and replied he didn't know. Lily and Regulus exchanged worried looks and gulped.

Maria let go of a slightly flustered Severus and took the Sword. Lily went to his side and grabbed his hand, trying to tranquilize him and let him know he shouldn't feel ashamed of what had happened. That brought a tiny grin to his lips. Lily had always been able to make him smile.

An earthquake shook the room while Maria destroyed Rowena Ravenclaw's Diadem. The teenagers gathered together while Albus cast protection spells with swift, secure moves of his wand that prevented the thousands of objects of the room from falling over and injuring them all. Voldemort's agonizing scream popped out from the horcrux, deafening for a moment. The noise deadened. The tremors melted away. That piece of soul existed no more.

Regulus took care of the ring next. The heavy sword was lifted in the air, ready to hit its aim, but something halted him. He felt drawn to the ring; he needed to put it on. Maria noticed it in his eyes, which turned a darker grey shade, and squeaked, "Regulus! Severus's father died because of that bloody ring! Don't you dare follow in his steps!"

Regulus snapped out of his trance. He locked eyes with Maria, who had concern written all over her face. He hated seeing her so worried. Suddenly, the invisible rope that had been pulling him towards the cursed object wasn't so strong. He could fight against his impulses. The point of the sword ravaged the ring and the group could finally breathe.

Only one horcrux remained to be found.

Albus reached for the battered stone of the ring and inspected it.

"Your suspicions were correct …" he murmured more to himself than to the youngsters. "This is the Resurrection Stone. It still works."

"James has the cloak," informed Lily.

"And I am the owner of the elder wand…" Albus added.

"You should to be the master of Death if we want to defeat You-know-who," deduced Severus. "You are supposed to be the one he fears, right?"

He gave a slow nod and Maria suggested, "Lily, you should explain everything to James… We need his cloak and I don't want your relationship to deteriorate more because of me."

The girl nodded and hugged her friends, one by one, lingering more on Severus. She let out a distressed sigh and took her leave, Albus right behind her.

Regulus looked at Severus and extended his hand, not really expecting Severus to shake it, but he did, and even though no words were exchanged between them, their looks transmitted everything. They made a silent vow that, no matter who didn't get to live after the Battle, they would take care of Maria.

Regulus faced the girl then, who was struggling not to cry again.

"Sis…"

That was everything he needed to say for Maria to crush him in a tight hug and tell him she loved him.

"Love you too," he whispered, caressing her hair and letting the familiar touch envelope and mollify him.

It seemed like he couldn't escape fate. He could very well die tonight. If Maria hadn't come, he would have died young anyway. At least, now he had lived a happier life, with no Dark Mark tainted on his forearm, with a sister to rely on. All in all, he was frustrated but essentially thankful he had met her.

Maria, on the other hand, hated there was a high chance she would not spend more time with him, no more crazy adventures, no more snowball fights or simple chit-chats. She would even miss the recurrent teasing about sex.

"I am sorry about everything…"

"I am not. Meeting you has saved me from the loneliness that the Regulus from your time probably suffered. Remember that if I slip away, okay?"

"Don't talk about it, please."

"You are the best sister ever."

Regulus felt her tightening her grip at that, as if telling him she felt the same about him. He kissed the top of her head and extracted himself from the embrace. He could see her face now. A single tear had won the battle and made its way down her freckled cheek. The boy wiped it away with his thumb and gave her one of his cocky boyish grins. He wasn't feeling happy, but he knew Maria needed to see him composed, and smiling, even if the smile wasn't entirely meaningful, tricked them both into believing he was okay.

"See you later, guys!" he exclaimed as if nothing bad lay ahead of them.

His steps didn't echo anymore. He was outside.

Suddenly, the Room transformed itself into the flowering field Severus and Maria were used to, as if it sensed they needed some fresh air and a palliative scenario. There were some mountains in the distance, and a couple of trees stood near the slytherins. The scent of poppies was what they needed to forget about the damned prophecy, even if it was for a fraction of a second.

A pair of arms enfolded Maria firmly from behind.

"Professor Dumbledore should have told me about the prophecy earlier. We would have been more prepared. I feel like time is going way to fast. I feel like I cannot control anything, and I hate it."

"We can do nothing about it now," he replied calmly, not willing to spend his last moments thinking about the old twat.

"How can you be so composed when you know that in a few hours we will be in the middle of a Battle?" wondered the girl, spinning to face him.

"I am trembling inside, Maria, but I refuse to let that stop me from doing what I want…"

"And what do you want?"

He didn't answer her verbally, but then again, most important things couldn't be expressed with simple words. Instead, he lowered his head slowly, and pressed his lips upon hers. He moved them tentatively, at an unrushed pace, and he felt her sighing into the kiss. Her arms wrapped around his neck while his hands found her hips. Severus drew back and took a moment to study her face. He traced her lips with his thumb, her cheekbones and jaw, her chin. He stared at the freckles he had long memorized and then looked straight at her chocolate eyes with greenish bits under her glasses. He kissed her snub nose and asked, almost shyly, "Can we cuddle while we get some sleep?"

The memory of him pushing her away and telling her he didn't like hugs flashed across her mind, and she almost chuckled at the irony that he was asking for them now. But she didn't because she wanted to feel close to him too, and cuddling would provide her that, although there was something else that had been in her mind for quite some time and that she wanted to try.

"Do you really want to sleep?"

He sighed. The truth was that sleeping sounded like a stupid idea when his heart supplicated him to hug her, snog her and go as far as Maria was willing to do far more intimate things. He just wanted to be with her, to be as close to her as possible. Nonetheless, the voice in his head was too loud for him to ignore.

"We should if we want to be wide awake to hunt the last horcrux and get through whatever is going to happen afterwards…"

"And what if I told you I am not ready to go to sleep just yet?"

Severus arched an eyebrow in puzzlement and Maria bit her lip.

"I want to do something first."

She took a short intake breath and kissed him. Warmth jolted through them as she cupped his face. He brought her closer to him and kissed her back just as gently as her. They parted and Maria gazed up at him with adoration and tenderness before her brown orbs sparked with something else. She had never looked at Severus that way before, and the intensity made him feel a deep smoldering heat within him. Suddenly, all the fantasies he had about getting intimate with Maria sprang to mind. Get a grip, he chided himself, seeking to conceal his corporal reactions.

She stepped back and removed her sweater and slytherin tie. Severus stood in shock until he comprehended what she intended to do. This wasn't a dream of his. This was happening. She was about to unbutton her shirt when he clutched her wrist.

"Maria, come on. There's no need to do this. You told me you weren't ready. I respect that."

"That was months ago," she reminded him.

"You are only doing this because you fear that I will not survive. If we do this, it shouldn't be because of that."

He grimaced while he spoke, as if he was in pain. He wanted to do this so much, but at the same time, he would hate himself if she regretted it, and the only plausible explanation for her change of mind was the bloody prophecy and lack of time.

"I want to do this because I love you."

He let go of her wrist and averted her fiery gaze, feeling overwhelmed by the wealth of emotions it held. Stubbornness was her middle name though, so she put a hand under his chin and forced him to look back at her. He was feeling exposed, utterly scared; she read it in his black depths.

"Maria, don't do this for me."

His voice had seldom come out so feeble. He sounded like he was struggling with himself, trying hard not to take up her offer.

The girl unfastened the first button, revealing some cleavage. Severus promptly turned his head and inhaled sharply, keeping the tempting sight out.

"Maria, please," he begged.

"Did you know that you were my first kiss?" she asked, as if she hadn't heard him.

Severus didn't make a move.

"You are my first boyfriend, my first love, and I want you to be my first everything. I know it may seem irresponsible, illogical. The thing is that right now I don't care. If there was no prophecy, I would still want to do this. There is nobody else I this world I would have ever considered to lose my virginity to."

Severus swallowed hard and closed his eyes, torn between the thin line between his head and his heart. He loved her. He loved her so much. And he desired her. Bloody hell! Why did she have to make things so complicated? Couldn't she see his common sense was extinguishing? Couldn't she see that if she kept doing that there would be no turning back?

"I want you. I have always wanted you… Don't you want me?"

In spite of keeping his eyes set on the mountains of the horizon, Severus sensed her insecurity and vulnerability in her voice, which quavered as if she was on the verge of tears.

"Dammit, Maria! Of course I want you! How can you even doubt that?!"

"You aren't even looking at me!" she countered back, pointing to him.

"I am not looking at you because I know that I will lose all sense of reason if I do it!" he blew up.

There was a pause. The air was thick. Their breaths were ragged.

"Severus. I've been thinking about doing this for a long time now… I haven't acted on it because the thought of giving myself completely to someone frightened me… But you know what? I am no longer afraid because I have the absolute certainty that, if we choose to do this, you will give yourself completely to me too. This will bond us deeper. This won't hurt us. If you are holding back because you think I am only thinking about you, because I pity you or don't want you to die without doing this, then think twice. I am a little more selfish. I am doing this because I need you."

"The war…" he muttered, his voice wobbly. He was shaking his head, as if convincing himself. "The war is clouding your judgement."

"The war is opening my eyes. Without the war, I wouldn't have travelled back in time, I wouldn't have met you and fallen in love with you… Without the war, I wouldn't have been brave enough to be straightforward and ask you to make love with me, despite knowing that that is what my heart desires. The question here is whether you feel the way I do. I won't force you to do anything."

Severus made the mistake of glimpsing at the girl, who had unfastened yet another button. That crumbled the little resistance he had. He grabbed her by the cheeks and crushed her back against a tree, making her gasp before he delved his tongue into her mouth. He had been more aggressive than intended, but by the way Maria was responding to his hungry kiss, he could tell she didn't care. Hence, he slanted his head further, deepening it, an ardent feeling blossoming inside them.

Severus broke the kiss to breathe and saw that her eyes were a darker shade of brown, her green flecks almost disappearing, her pupils dilated, filled with lust like they had never been before, so different from the way Maria's replica glared at him.

"Maria, I… I have never done this before and this will probably be far from perfect but-"

"Shhh. We'll figure it out together… I bet it isn't that complicated," she ended with a teasing tone while she put her index finger on his lips.

He had the urge to kiss it, so he did. It wasn't like he had the time to be shy by then. He was determined to show her just how much he cherished her.

The girl wondered why she had ever felt afraid of taking that step with him when there was no way in hell he would ever hurt her. Despite feeling no fear, she had never done this, and she couldn't restrain a nervous yet excited giggle. Severus felt a smile threatening to appear on his face. He didn't fight it.

"I love you," he muttered in a thick voice.

"And I you."

"You are my first everything too…" he murmured, his breath warm on her lips.

She smiled fondly and glanced at him with shimmering eyes.

"We are doing this," he mumbled, as if trying to convince himself that this wasn't one of his fantasies.

"Well, it took me more time than planned to persuade you," she quipped. "But yes, we are about to get intimate."

As if he hadn't heard her, he kept babbling, "Merlin! We are finally going to- umph."

Maria cut him off with a firm kiss which drew out a low groan from him, her fingers curled in his hair, amazed that she could make him produce such sounds. She went from feeling powerful to be at his mercy with a simple kiss on the tender area at the base of her neck. A little bite and her breathing accelerated in anticipation. When he licked the prickling zone while his hands slowly unbuttoned her shirt, she gave the sweetest whimper he had ever heard. He was determined to hear that again. He was so into it that he almost didn't listen to her husking, "I don't really want you to stop, but it would be nice to continue this on that bed…"

He shot his head up and followed her gaze. Amongst the sea of poppies there was a big mattress.

He smirked mischievously and said hoarsely, "I adore this room."


Maria and Severus were lying face to face on their sides. Their legs were intertwined and Severus kept playing with her wavy brown locks while their breathing evened.

"Was it g-good for y-you?" he stuttered, cursing himself for sounding so insecure.

Maria smiled radiantly at him and purred, "It was more than good, Severus…" Suddenly, she became apprehensive. She furrowed her brow and mumbled, "Why are you asking? Wasn't it good for you? Did I do something wrong?" She gasped as the realization hit her. She covered her eyes and cried out, "Oh my Gosh! You regret it, don't you? That's why you-"

"Maria!" he yelped, cutting her rambling and uncovering her flustered face. "I have never felt so… satiated, so complete. You did nothing wrong. In fact, you did very well… It was marvelous, the most perfect thing in the world." No fantasy I've ever had can compare to what we've just shared, he added to himself.

The comment turned her cheeks crimson and swept off her doubts.

"It meant a lot to me. The only thing I regret is that time isn't on our side," he confessed while he stroked her cheek, his black eyes filled with hopeless longing.

"Severus, don't," she implored, trying to make him understand she didn't want him to refer to his possible death.

He didn't listen to her though, for he kept talking, "You have been the best thing in my life. You never judged me. You made me feel like it was okay to be myself. You made me laugh. You supported me. You taught me how to live and be happy. I love you, always will. Whatever happens tonight, whatever happens tomorrow will not change that."

Unshed tears brimmed over her eyes.

"If I am the one who slips away, take care of my mother for me."

"Severus," she choked.

"She has already lost my father. She wouldn't bear my loss, not without your help, so promise me, please."

"I promise," she rasped.

"Don't you lose the fire inside you, your kindness, your willingness to fight for a better world… That's why I fell in love with you."

That was the last straw to release the tears she had blinked back. She tried to turn around to keep him from seeing her so affected, but he rolled them over so that she was under him and couldn't escape, his hand still caressing her now wet cheek.

"Please don't cry… You know I've always hated to see you cry. If I really have to go, I don't want to remember you like this…"

Maria covered her mouth in an attempt to muffle the sobs that were racking her body. Severus lay next to her again, and she quickly snuggled into him, pursuing comfort. He held her as he drew patterns on her nude back and whispered words he had never thought he would pronounce, even less in such a gentle tone, surprised at how natural it felt. When her crying subsided a few minutes later, he smiled and murmured sweetly, "That's my Spanish Princess…"

The pet name made the girl giggle.

"Will you ever get tired of calling me that?"

"Never," he said dead serious. "Your reactions whenever I call you Spanish Princess are too hilarious to even think about ever dropping the nickname…"

She smiled and leaned forwards to peck his thin lips. Severus pressed her head and turned the innocent kiss into an ardent one. It was slow, as if he tried to memorize every single detail of her, from her tear-salty taste to her sensitive touch and the fragrance of poppies that her hair had been impregnated with.

"Guess we should sleep now…" he panted, after pulling back.

"While cuddling," she bossed.

"Obviously," he replied, letting out a low chuckle.

Maria took her wand and transfigured a poppy into an alarm clock. She set the alarm and settled comfortably next to Severus, who snaked his arms around her and spooned her from behind, almost possessively. They assumed that they wouldn't fall asleep, yet the presence of the other was enough to allay them.

The last thought Severus had before drifting off to sleep was that he should have followed Lily's advice and asked for Maria's hand before they found themselves trapped in this deathly labyrinth with no exit. He had already attained the engagement ring, but he wouldn't be able to give it to her. She wouldn't agree to marry him even if he woke her up and asked her right then, not when he probably had less than a day left in this world.


Fawkes burst into a flame and was reborn from the ashes a few minutes after midnight, right after Dumbledore apparated with the four students near the cave. The burning day had come, and the one who followed the Dark Lord once would not live to see the dawn.

A/N: So this chapter has not been betaed. I apologize if any grammar mistakes have made you cringe. I'm actually looking for a beta, so if you are interested, pm me :)

GUEST REVIEW: I can't help but notice a whole scene seems to have been cut out. The one detailing their bedtime activities. Plz repost.

ANSWER: Hello, guest reviewer! This story is T rated, so I cannot go graphic into sexual matters. I can only hint at sex. That's why I 'cut' the scene. However, if you or more people are interested in reading their detailed bedtime activities, as you put it, I could write the scene and post it as a separate story. Of course, that would be rated M. Let me know what you think ;)