Albus' heart froze in horror when Ron Weasley rounded the hill and arrowed towards them. The teens sobs, coupled with the small limp child in his arms had the Headmaster fearing the worst. Despite the invisibility spell that the teen was using, Albus could see all too clearly the grief etched upon the young face. Albus had borrowed Madam Hooch's broom and he hit Ron and his grandson with the counter spell that would make them visible to others.

"Ronald!" Albus called and the teen veered towards him blindly, coming to a clumsy halt beside his own broom, his sobs stuttering for a moment.

"Sir! They had Sev! The Death Eaters had Sev, and You-Know-Who was there, but Harry had caught Nagini and we swapped her for Sev only Harry killed her once I was clear and then he… he hit Harry with the Killing Curse and Harry went into the Lake! He's dead sir, he's dead because he was trying to buy me time to escape with Sev!"

The words were half sobbed, half moaned and Albus leaned over, his heart beating frantically to check that Severus was still alive. That Harry had been hit with the dreaded Avada Kedavra for a second time was horrifying news. That Harry had sacrificed himself for his lover and adopted son was to be expected, and on some level Albus knew that there was no other action Harry could have taken to ensure those he loved survived. There was a slim shred of hope that the Curse would actually not kill Harry, that the curse would in fact free him from the terrible burden that he carried in secret for so long. This past year had been one of numerous terrible secrets and Albus knew that soon they would all come to light.

Severus was still alive, possibly only stunned and that gave Albus some hope for the child's future. Ron pulled the child out from under his hand though, and turned the broom once more towards the school.

"Harry told me to get Sev to Madam Pomfrey," the teen sounded half out of his mind, and Albus thought better than to prevent him from fulfilling his mission. The school Matron would likely sedate Ronald as well as care for Severus, and that was probably for the best at the moment. Albus nodded and sent a message ahead of the teen, warning the Matron of his arrival and state, then sent a second one to Minerva, to the effect that he was going to retrieve Harry and to lock the school down in the meantime. With Death Eaters so close, and Albus had no doubt that Tom had established a small base in the hills beyond the Lake as a marshalling ground for an attack on the school, it was best that the Wards be put on a more defensive footing. The children would be locked in their dorms and Minerva could alert the Ministry. He could only hope that they would send Aurors. If they didn't it was likely that several members of the Order would suddenly find an excuse to visit the school for several hours.

Albus cast another series of spells on himself, including an impermeable and a bubble headed charm and then flew the broom into the lake. Brooms were surprisingly resilient objects and it was possible to fly one underwater for a short period of time. The charms on Rolanda's broom were especially reinforced for just such an occasion, as there had been the odd incident when a student had accidentally flown at top speed into the lake. Of course the Weasley twins had also tried it on purpose.

The water was murky, but clear enough for Albus to navigate towards the spot that Weasley had gestured incoherently to. There was a warm spot in the water, a distant touch of powerful Magic, and Albus knew that it would be Harry's body, at war with the Killing Curse. If Harry had killed Nagini, then all of the objects that Tom had infected with a piece of his soul had been destroyed bar one. That had been the focus of their missions for the past term, and that had been the reason that Harry was so drained and tired. The piece of soul that Tom had infected Harry with had become more of a burden as they destroyed the other pieces. Albus had spoken to Harry about removing the piece, though he was unsure how he would do so. There was no precedent for this sort of work, and Albus had been researching endlessly. He didn't want to sacrifice his grandson, the father of Sev, to Tom Riddle's insane lust for power.

The pulse of Magic drifted a little, and Albus corrected his course, recognising that the currents of the lake were pulling Harry's body away from him. The impermeable spells were keeping him dry, though his beard did wave in the water and his robes did cause a small amount of drag on the broom. He leaned forward a little more, pushing the broom to its limits.

The fact that Harry had sacrificed himself for Ron and Severus could very well be their saving grace. Harry's great capacity for love, coupled with his innate and instinctive use of Magic could well replicate the circumstances that allowed him to survive when his parents did not. The Killing Curse would be searching for a soul to destroy and with luck that soul would be the part that belonged to Tom Riddle, leaving Harry's intact. All Albus had to do was get to Harry before he drowned.

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