I came up, ready to change once again, but he was no longer in front of me. I looked around me, unsure where the beast stood, and unwilling to let him get the jump on me. Yet, there was no longer a battle being waged; the only sound was that of a young woman.
My eyes went to the wailing woman, but I couldn't move. I didn't budge as I watched Ron Weasley hold Hermione's dainty, quaking body against him. It hurt, it hurt worse than every mark Voldemort had succeeded in inflicting, and I felt the loss more sharply than I'd even felt when Lily had been killed.
Harry Potter walked toward me, his eyes fixed on something behind me, and I turned to distract myself with whatever had the boy's undivided attention. A large man shrouded in white light walked from the woods. He slowly moved toward us until finally I was able to make out Albus Dumbledore.
"Professor Dumbledore?" Harry spit out the blatant observation. I didn't even have the heart to comment.
"Harry. Severus," he greeted us with a smile, stopping several feet away, the light glaring against the darkness, straining my eyes.
"That was a very brave thing the two of you did." He clasped his hands in front of him, rocking on his heels as he watched us.
"Indeed?" I spit. "Care to explain a couple of things to us?"
"Yes, I am the wizard who cast the double edged curse." He looked down in shame, knowing full well how many lives he'd affected in his ill placed words. "I had no idea at the time that he would become as he did and I cannot express my gratitude enough for righting my wrong. I had almost feared it would never be."
"So you just spouted a couple of words and ended up cursing us all?" Harry asked in disbelief.
"Words are, in my not so humble opinion, the most inexhaustible source of magic; capable of both inflicting injury and remedying it." He looked at me ending on the last part, after a poignant pause turning back to Potter. "You are meant for great things here, I'm only sorry I will not be here to witness it. I wish you well in your future endeavors, Harry."
"You're leaving?" Harry's voice was filled with disappointment and disbelief.
"Of course, there's no need for me here any longer."
Harry stepped forward, interrupting the old wizard. "But so many have died, others have ran, we still have so much to do…"
"Understanding is the first step to acceptance, and only with acceptance can there be recovery. Many residents here were oblivious until tonight of this dark underworld. It will take time, but all will be well." Dumbledore bowed, starting to back away as the light began to fade around him. Standing here, taking in his appearance, he truly did remind me of the wizards written of in medieval times, men praised for their skills in the magical set forever remembered in minstrel's songs. He had been staring us in the face the whole time, but had never even hinted that he was at fault, that he could have prevented this…
"Sir?" I stepped forward, a question of my own that needed an answer. It would be now or never, for I doubted I'd ever see him again.
"Yes, Severus?" he grinned. The old man had always been a sly dog, but by the look in his eyes he still had a card up his sleeve.
"Why am I even here?" I knew deep down I had died, but now I was alive? What magic was this?
"Love," Dumbledore's face turned serious, nodding at my doubtful look. "Love is the most powerful magic of all; even I don't dabble with the explosive consequences of that substance. Good luck my friend." He glanced over for barely a second, "I believe you'll need it."
I nodded as Dumbledore disappeared into a small white light and floated into the sky, taking his place among the stars now scattering above the island. I stood in awe, but turned back to the few people left on the beach. Harry stood beside me. Ron still held Hermione, now on their knees, he rocked her slowly, but even from here I could see his eyes narrowed in my direction.
The boy would be good for her, he'd managed to distract and even wound Voldemort as I'd fought him back up the cliffs. At least this Weasley could vouch for his bravery for the rest of his years. I turned to make my way up my trail to my home. Harry reached out, catching my arm. I looked up in challenge to the young man, and he arched a brow above his broken glasses. I jerked away, eager to leave before my body revealed my heart's pain.
It was all I could do to make my way home and not to the dark depths of the acidic ocean. It mattered little to me whether I lived or not, there was nothing for me.
AN: Sorry, I lied on the last one. There are 2 more chaps after this one... Thanks to Lily S Potter for being an awesomely patient and great beta!
