A/N - Alright, I admit that eight years is a reeeeeally long time to wait for a chapter. I apologize profusely. I had put this aside to work on actual paying gigs, but I recently re-read it and got inspired to finish it. So, without further ado, another chapter. I will try to make the next one come sooner than another eight years. (I'm so sorry!)

Chapter 55 – So Many Partings

The day had dawned bright and clear, but by noon it had started to turn gray and by three o'clock it was raining. Kathryn looked out the window at the miserable weather and shivered from more than the chilly air.

Today was the day.

The lead in her stomach wasn't from the heavy porridge at breakfast. She had hardly eaten it, so wound up and tense as she'd been.

Last night Severus had turned to her in the middle of the night and pulled her towards him with a sort of desperation. He had pushed up her nightgown and buried himself inside her with few preliminaries. She had wrapped her legs around him and held on with all of her strength, fearful of the dawn and what it might bring.

They had clung to each other with a fierce desperation, as if through sheer willpower they could make the other live and breathe.

Kathryn looked out her office window at the pouring rain and prayed to all the Loa of her childhood that today she wouldn't lose all the people that she had come to love here.


Severus snapped at Weasley, as he stirred his potion in the wrong direction, but his heart wasn't in it. The redhead merely glanced up at him, hardly even noticing the vitriol, simply correcting his mistake and then ducking his head back down to wait for the color change that heralded the next stage in the brewing process.

Harry's eyes were not as haunted today as Severus was expecting, but he noted that the boy was watching him from beneath his lashes with an almost guilty expression. There was also something else, a quiet sort of satisfaction, a small happiness in him that made Severus somewhat suspicious.

He was running the various possibilities of things that Potter could have done to make himself feel guilty, but to be completely honest, he almost didn't care. There was a very strong possibility that the boy could die today, whatever he had been up to that gave him a sense of equanimity, it didn't matter.

At least he hoped that it didn't.

Hermione nudged Weasley and he grinned at her in response. Severus was happy that the three friends had patched things up between them, if only because it would give Potter a better chance of killing Voldemort if he was focused and supported by people who had his best interests at heart.

His only reason, of course. He could laugh at himself now, at least inside his own head. That he still thought up rationalizations to explain away his fondness for them was grimly amusing. He wondered if, after this day was over, he would be able to openly smile at Potter, to hold Kathryn's hand in front of the world, to show affection and love for those he cared deeply for, or if the world would be lost to darkness and death.

He had so much more to lose now than he had ever imagined that he would.


Minuet put the small vials of Fire Protection Potion into her pouch and then carefully went over to where the glowing jar of Holy Wrath glittered and gleamed in the dim light of Uncle Severus' lab. She uncorked it and with a steady hand and bated breath, skimmed the top layer of the poison with a golden spoon and dribbled it into another empty vial. She was careful to use the spoon to smooth down the gelatinous substance again, making sure that no traces of her theft remained.

She cocked her head, studying the vial and then looked around at the room, deep in thought. She frowned, and then nodded to herself and from her Guardian's stores fetched out a couple of Bezoars. She held them in her hand for a moment studying them and still thinking , before she tucked them into her pouch, along with the vial. She slipped away out of the silent room with an expression of smug satisfaction.

There was no way that she was going to allow those silly Gryffindors to get themselves killed, especially when a little forethought could save their lives. A dreamy smile crossed her face, as she thought briefly of the night before. She was determined that their first time would not be the only time for Harry and herself, she wanted a lifetime with him and she was going to do whatever it took to get it.


When it finally happened Harry was still taken by surprise. He had thought that he was ready, but the sudden shaking of the castle still came as a shock to him. At first he thought it was the Earth Elemental trying to warn them once more, but the roaring "Boom!" that followed told a different story.

Students were screaming around him and he looked up at Snape in confusion. The Professor was grabbing the students and herding them out of the room, instructing the older children to head towards the Great Hall. The younger ones were ushered off to the third floor girls' bathroom, where days ago Harry had opened the Chamber of Secrets door.

Kathryn's map of the hidden byways of Hogwarts had revealed that the Chamber was both larger than they had imagined it was and it also had a passage that led to the hills around Hogsmeade. Madame Hooch had been tasked with the protection of the first and second year students; she would be waiting there for them and would lead them out and away from the school and hopefully away from danger.

Of course that was predicated on the idea that Voldemort wouldn't have people waiting outside that passage for just such an escape attempt, seeing as how few people knew the Chamber of Secrets as well as he did.

Dumbledore and the Order, who were planning on stationing people of their own to guard against that possibility, had overridden Harry's protests. It was a calculated risk, but one that Harry disliked intensely. Still, he had had no visions from his nemesis to back up his gut feelings, so there was little that he could say about it.

Screams pierced the air and Harry found himself running towards the front door of the school. A hand clamped down hard on his shoulder and he turned to see that Snape had grabbed him.

"Mr. Potter, you forgot your sword," he growled and Harry flushed in embarrassment.

"Sorry sir!" he cried and turned to head back to Gryffindor Tower.

"Gryffindors!" he thought he heard behind him as he ran, but he couldn't be certain.

As he ran, he realized suddenly that that could have been the last time he saw the Professor alive and something hurt in his chest. He thought about Minuet, Professor Leblanc, Hermione, Ron, and even Draco, and wondered if they would live through this battle. He dashed past the Pink Lady's portrait and took the stairs to the Tower two at a time, wishing he had thought to bring the sword with him to class. He wasn't sure how he would have explained a bloody big carving knife to the student body, but it didn't change the feeling of having been caught off guard, despite the warning.

He pulled the blade from its hiding place under his mattress and the familiar voice was there in his mind, strangely subdued now.

"Not to worry, boy, you have me now and there is work to be done," it told him and he wasn't certain what the lack of insults or epithets meant.

He was out of the room, down the steps, and heading out of the tower ,before the thought was really complete, knowing that he had to move as fast as possible right now.

Minuet was waiting by the door and she shoved two potions at him.

"Drink quickly!" she urged and he took the first and drank it in one gulp and then the other one right after.

"I love you," he informed her and then kissed her with the same speed as he had drunk the potions, their vile taste mingling with the sweetness of her lips and then he was running down the stairs.

"I love you too," rang after him and then he was focused on what was ahead. He had no idea what she had shoved at him, but his suspicion was that whatever they were they were probably not something Dumbledore would have thought of. His girl was subtle of thought and it pleased him no end to know that she had his back.

Of course, had she been evil that would have been a good moment to poison him, but the thought was an amused one rather than an actual worry. Min might be Slytherin and sneaky, but she was far too good a person to follow Voldemort.

He reached the front door and found Dumbledore, McGonagall, and the other teachers, standing there in a semi-circle. The Order of the Phoenix, who had snuck into the castle one by one over the last few days were running as well, and were taking up positions with the teachers.

The older students were arriving now as well, in groups or singly, and the hallway was filling up with determined faces. Harry looked over his shoulder and saw how many there were, Ravenclaws, Hufflepuffs, Gryffindors, and even Slytherins, all standing behind him, ready to fight for what they loved.

"All right Harry," Neville Longbottom called out as he strode forwards, Ginny Weasley holding tight to his hand, her face as strong and resolute as Neville's was. "We're ready, lead on."

There was a moment when he didn't understand and then it rushed over him. They were waiting for him, they were ready to follow him into battle. It was overwhelming and he wanted to tell them it was all a big mistake.

The sword jerked in his hand and he found his arm going up, the sword raised in a pose of strength and victory.

"Just get moving, boy, before they lose heart!" the sword growled and he nodded and moved up to the ring of teachers.

"Any suggestions, sir?" he mumbled to Dumbledore who looked down at him rather grimly.

"Stay alive and hex anyone who gets between you and Voldemort," came the answer and Harry rolled his eyes.

"Great plan, sir," he grumbled and the Headmaster grinned at him.

"Not to worry Harry, we'll figure something out!"

For the first time Harry really understood why his girlfriend got so exasperated at him sometimes. Gryffindors really were a little crazy. He shrugged and, shoulder-to-shoulder with the most powerful wizard in the world, he strode out to face Voldemort.

The shuddering of the ground continued and the cause became readily apparent as they stepped out of the castle. Ranged across the lawn of Hogwarts were a line of Giants, above flapped a bunch of the lesser dragons, chains and magical bindings controlling them and driving them towards the Castle. Dementors circled overhead and the chill of their presence reached out to him, only to stop and leave him untouched.

He really wondered what the damn potions had been that Min had shoved at him, but decided that he'd just kiss her a lot when he got back.

If he got back.


Kathryn stood, sword in one hand, wand in the other, and readied herself for combat. She was standing with the rest of the teachers, minus Severus.

Somewhere, on the other side of the battlefield, the man she loved with every breath in her body was donning robes and a mask and getting ready to fight what could be the final battle for all of them.

She took a deep breath and the gun in the small of her back was a hard heavy weight. She had an arsenal of weapons on her person and yet, she was worried that none of their preparations would be enough.


Severus stood quietly next to Lucius, waiting patiently for the end. Miss Mangle slipped up beside him, tucking her hand into his. Her fingers were icy cold and he could feel the emotions whipsawing through her as she stood, trembling beside him.

"Focus," Fenchurch hissed, coming up behind them both so silently that only the sudden silence of the Hissatsu blades in his sleeves had alerted Severus of his nearness.

"I am focused," Brinna snapped back, her eyes gone red with fury at the other demon. He grinned then and the pale, priest like creature, seemed suddenly leaner and his teeth were far sharper and more pointed than they had been a moment before.

"I meant on killing those pathetic lumps across the field," he retorted and the ancient child in her demon's body hunched up, her own face distorting with her hatred and rage.

"I don't need you to tell me who to kill!" she replied, her voice sibilant and her eyes narrowed and now a deep, bloody red. Fenchurch snapped about on his heel, his cassock flapping behind him and stalked off.

"Trouble?" Lucius asked Severus.

"Ever since the other one died, he's been more unstable," Severus informed Lucius, with a shrug, putting the suspicion on Fenchurch and directing it away from Brinna. She looked up at them both and shrugged as well.

"They were strongly connected, her destruction has shaken him, but he'll fight, there is sustenance out there for him," she explained, waving at the army of teachers, students, and Aurors across the way. A thought that terrified Severus nearly speechless. That 'sustenance' was all the people he most cared for.

"Hm," Lucius answered, glancing mistrustfully after the retreating form of Fenchurch and Brinna squeezed Severus' hand tightly in hers. He was doing what he could to shield her from the others, sowing seeds that ought to protect him from the repercussions that came from killing Fenchurch, but it was still a tricky proposition. Brinna was staring out at the field as well and it occurred to him to wonder if she was looking for a shock of red hair.

He focused his mind back on his immediate problem. Demon killing was always dangerous, but to do it in the midst of the battle, surrounded on all sides by people trying to kill each other was probably insane.

Still, as Kathryn's favorite writer liked to say "You do the job that's in front of you." He kept repeating that over and over again in his mind as he watched for Voldemort's signal.


Minuet was still in the doorway, watching the others and mentally preparing herself for what was coming, when Thomas put a gentle hand on her shoulder.

"Hey," she made herself smile up at him and he studied her solemnly.

"You ready?" he asked her and she shrugged.

"I've done everything I could think of to prepare for this," she told him and pulled the flame retardant potion from her pouch and downed the whole thing in one gulp, making a face at the foul aftertaste.

"We really are related," Thomas teased and then looked back over his shoulder.

Thumiel, in his worn jeans and white t-shirt, wandered up to them both, looking calm and unruffled, as if there wasn't an army of screaming monsters across the bridge from them all.

"I'm going to have to unfurl," he told them in that soothing, musical voice of his. "We both are, so brace yourself."

Minuet had no idea what he meant by 'unfurl', but the angel stepped past her and then there was a shimmering around his body. He started to glow, light radiating off of him, and Minuet fought to keep her mouth shut, as huge shining wings, made of rainbow-colored energy, slowly took form, spreading out from his back and radiating up over his head. The two arcs of light and energy were longer than Thumiel was tall and they stretched out, shimmering into physical form, and becoming rainbow-hued feathers, illuminated with a golden light and a startling iridescence that left Minuet breathless with the sheer beauty.

"Right, unfurl," she whispered and swallowed hard, trying to deal with the overwhelming sensation that she was way far in over her head.

"I'm not quite as pretty," Thomas told her with a small smile, "But, I am a bit bigger." He gave her a lopsided grin and then ran out the door, throwing himself skyward, and then he just seemed to explode outwards, his body expanding and his own wings unfurling so fast that it was a blur. He went from sweetly blond boy to a massive ebony dragon, with gleaming scales and a huge spiked head, between one breath and the next.

"Impressive," Minuet squeaked and Thumiel turned and smiled at her.

All her fear vanished at that smile and she strode forward, joining the angel as he drew a sword from out of thin air, a sword that ignited with eldritch flames running up and down it.

"Complete with flaming sword," she commented, feeling as though her brain wasn't working at full speed anymore. It was one thing to know, on an intellectual level, that your friends were a dragon and an angel and something completely different to see it in action.

"Take heart, help is coming," Thumiel assured her and then launched himself into the air, flying upwards to join Thomas where he was rising high on a thermal.

"Sure thing," Minuet replied to the now empty doorway. With a shrug, she went out to join the other students. There was a battle to be fought.


"Is that… a dragon?" Lucius asked and Severus looked up, his heart soaring with the huge black shape that was weaving its sinuous way through the sky.

"I informed our Master that Dumbledore was negotiating with powers to counteract our own," Severus lied smoothly. "He said he had plans with how to deal with them."

"You told him there was a dragon? A real one, an Elder?" Lucius asked in a gasp and Severus shook his head.

"I wasn't certain that the old fool had actually managed it, but I did warn that it was a possibility," Severus continued to lie, his face thoughtful.

"There is worse than a dragon," Brinna hissed out, her face pale.

"What the bloody hell could be worse than an Elder Dragon?" Lucius shouted and the demonic child turned cold, ice-blue eyes on him.

"I can sense an angel over there," she replied, pointing across the bridge to Hogwart's.

"Now that I did not know about," Severus assured the silver haired Death Eater, who shot him a glare.

"No, but we knew one was about, ever since Madame Gideon died," Lucius snapped and Severus nodded in agreement and looked over at Fenchurch.

The other demon was gesturing at Voldemort and looked extremely agitated.

"He's scared," Brinna blurted out, sounding rather shocked.

"He's not the only one," Lucius growled and gestured at the rest of their army.

Severus looked around and saw alarm on many faces. From the lesser dragons, shifting uneasily, to the giants, and even the dementors seemed to be nervous. Voldemort's army was backing away and the Death Eaters seemed poised for flight.

That was something he hadn't expected at all.