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Chapter 38 "The Last Fight"

Severus stood over his sleeping wife, regarding her with an expression that was hard to read. Damius shifted beside him; he felt like he was intruding on a very personal moment.

Severus looked like he was trying to drink in Lily as much as he could, like he would never see her again. He was momentarily oblivious to Damius' presence. Bending slightly, he placed a tender kiss on her forehead and pulled her blankets up to her chin bfore straightening.

They had checked on Draco as well; he had ben awake but Severus gave him a light sleeping draught so he would nap until they returned. If they returned.

Damius glanced worriedly at his brother; he seemed distant and bothered. Wondering if he should ask what was wrong, Damius decided to but Severus answered his unasked question.

"I promised her, Damius, that she wouldn't be alone again. How can I guarantee that I come back alive?"

"Do you want to stay here?" Damius questioned, feeling like a fool for asking it as soon as the words left his mouth.

"No." Severus turned to his brother. "I will fight. I need to fight. But I'm afraid for Lily."

"You'll come back." Damius said firmly. "I know you will."

Severus reached out unexpectedly and drew his younger sibling into a tight hug. Damius smiled into his shoulder; he was still amazed that he had actual family that cared about him.

"Too bad we didn't grow up together." Severus said out of nowhere, releasing Damius. "Think of the fun we could have had."

"We can still." Damius pointed out. "I have a lot to learn. I need you to teach me about magic. When it's over."

Severus noded but still seemed unsure that there was even a future to look forward to.

"Come on. We need to go." Damius reminded gently. Sevreus took one last look at his wife before they both left, heading off to fight the Death Eaters.

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Elphias Doge was squatting next to Damius in the bushes in a small neighborhood park and Mad-Eye Moody paced behind them. Severus hovered, finding that his nerves were just about shot. All had their wands at the ready, waiting for the Death Eaters to arrive in the peaceful suburban town.

The darkness pressed upon their eyes as they watched the street and the houses for any signs of the Death Eaters arriving.

The other Order groups were stationed at different intervals in the town as well, waiting and watching.

Moody suddenly growled, pointing to a spot in front of a house halfway down the street. An odd ball of light was floating there. It grew larger to form a kind of portal. Out of the portal came a black-cloaked figure, its face hidden with a grotesque Death Eater mask. Others followed quickly. Moody hurriedly whispered a spell, and his three comrades felt their wands burn in their hands. This spell would alert the other Order groups that the Death Eaters had been spotted and the coordinates of their location would be burnt into the ground in front of them.

After a minute, there was a large group of Death Eaters standing around the portal. The light quickly dimmed and disappeared, leaving the large group in darkness. They seemed to be waiting, hesitating. Severus knew what, or rather who, they were waiting for: Lucius Malfoy.

There were several soft cracks behind Severus' group as the other Order members arrived. Dumbledore stood in front, and gazed at the Death Eaters in the darkness. Without hesitatating, he raised his wand to the sky, muttering a complex spell in latin.

Bright orange strings of light flew from his wand and encased the whole street, forming a kind of invisible dome that none of them, including the Order, would be able to get out of until the caster lifted the spell. They were essentially trapped inside with the Death Eaters. To escape they needed to fight to the death. The field cut off at the sidewalks, so the muggle houses on the other side were protected from harm. It also acted as a sound barrier and was invisible so the muggles wouldn't notice anything abnormal.

The Death Eaters noticed the jets of light and raised their wands in unison as the Order members emerged from their hiding spot. A few Death Eaters broke off from the group and it was clear that they were trying to apparate away, but they were unable to due to the shield. One Death Eaters managed to Splice himself clean in half, his top half appearing ten feet away from his bottom half.

"Well, that's one down, " Severus thought grimly as he witnessed the grotesque scene.

Spells started flying as the groups got closer and duels began breaking out between opponets. Severus felt a sharp tug on his sleeve and glanced around; Damius was standing there, his eyes wide with terror.

"Don't worry, little brother. Stay close to me and everything will be fine." Severus shook Damius' grasp off gently before jumping into the mass of bodies and spells.

A Death Eater shot a curse at Severus, but he blocked and sent a stunning spell, which missed. He felt a sharp pain in his side as he was hit by another Death Eater with a stabbing hex. Warm blood seeped through his robes from the wound, but he hardly noticed it.

Severus spun, waving his wand so the Death Eater behind him was flung through the air, smacking into a Death Eater that was duelung with Sirius.

Sirius looked shocked as his opponent was crushed under the other Death Eater, but then smiled, nodding at Severus. Sirius quickly bound the two dazed Death Eaters, summoning their wands and snapping the wands in half.

A spell whizzed past Severus' ear and he remebered his previous foe. The Death Eater was chuckling hoarsely under his mask and Severus felt a surge of anger as he lifted his wand. They traded spells until Severus got lucky and hit him with a disorientating jinx. The Death Eater walked around in a circle, blabbering nonsense words and Severus waved his wand so he went flying into the two bound Death Eaters. Ropes wound around him as well and Severus summoned the Death Eater's wand, copying Sirius and snapping it in half.

A scream of pain from behind him made Severus whirl around; four Death Eaters were surrounding Damius and he could hear them taking turns chanting "Crucio". Fire blazed in Severus' eyes. He remembered everything these foul creatures had done to Lily, Draco, his unborn child..him and now his brother. A surge of power filled him up. His wand sparked with powerful magic as he raced to help his brother. Later on he couldn't even describe the spells he had used or even remeber how he did it, but in a minute, there were four more bound Death Eaters and four more broken wands.

Severus knelt beside his brother as more bodies fell around them and streaks of light lit up the dark. Damius was still screaming, a terror-filled scream now rather then a painful one. Tears ran down his face as he sobbed hysterically.

Severus held him close and Damius grabbed onto his shirt, crying. "It's alright." Severus soothed and was reminded painfully of Lily after she had been tortured with the same curse. He looked up as a Death Eater came flying at them.

Casting a repelling jinx, Severus caused the Death Eater to bounce backward but he was coming again quickly, sending a Killing Curse that blew an inch above their heads and hit a fellow Death Eater behind them.

One of the other Order members, Fabian Prewitt, took down the Death Eater from behind and the Death Eater crumpled to the ground.

Severus stood, pulling Damius up with him. The boy was still sobbing and Severus slapped him hard across the face, feeling a sting of pain in himself as he did so.

"Damius. Can you understand me?" Severus asked as Damius hiccuped and his tears lessened. He nodded, disorientated. "Then you need to listen. Stay right next to me. Do not leave my side. Keep your wand ready."

Damius nodded again, and Severus jumped back into the fight, making sure Damius was following. He shot a stunning spell at a Death Eater that was overtaking Remus. Remus looked up gratefully as the Death Eater fell to the pavement.

Dumbledore was making his way through the dueling crowd, taking down Death Eater after Death Eater like they were insects. The Order members fought vailantly, but they really were outnumbered by the Death Eaters.

Damius followed Severus as his older brother contributed, knocking down Death Eaters like bowling pins. The surge of power was still inside Severus, and the adrenaline his body was releasing kept his heart racing as he cried spell after spell to defeat the Death Eaters. Damius shot spells as well, trying to focus and help his brother.

The fight lasted for another half hour. Piles of incapacitated Death Eaters littered the street, but there were some fallen Order members as well. The last Death Eater fell, at the hands of Dumbledore himself, and finally, finally, there was blessed silence.

Severus was on his knees, struggling to keep conscious; he had gotten hit with another cutting curse in the very last duel he had been in, a deep slash that went diagionally across his whole torso. Blood seeped freely from the wound, joining the blood from the previous one in his side. His vision began to fade as he relaxed, now that the Death Eaters were defeated.

Damius shook him lightly. "Severus. Don't die. Please don't." Damius shook him harder and began screaming in panic. Severus wanted to tell him that everything would be alright, that he was okay, but he couldn't talk. His lips wouldn't work. The terror in Damius' eyes spoke clearly though; Severus was the only thing he had and he was losing it.

The last thing Severus saw before he lost consciouness was a thick white beard and half moon spectacles perched on a crooked nose.