Books were strewn all over their quarters. Hazel sat on the floor among them, dressed in Muggle clothes and drinking a cup of coffee, which she'd nearly knocked over twice now. She'd spent the last few hours flipping through a couple of books at a time, cross-referencing and taking notes as she went. All other research projects were abandoned as she tried to find a way to keep Sev alive. She'd written to everyone she could think of who might know something about the Elder Wand, but no one had come up with anything helpful. So she buried herself in work, taking out every book she could from the library. She spent every spare moment reading, and on some nights, Sev was the one who had to tell her to go to bed.

"Flamel," Hazel mumbled, making a note. Though Flamel had died years before, maybe his notes held a clue. He was the oldest wizard alive for ages, so he might have come across bits and pieces of information about the Elder Wand. His name joined Grindelwald's and Dumbledore's, which had been crossed out.

She'd interrogated Dumbledore's portrait, but he swore that he knew nothing that could help. She didn't believe him, though. With how often he had lied and moved people like chess pieces, she refused to believe most of what he said. As for Grindelwald, she'd written to him at Nurmengard prison, but he hadn't answered. Neither had the guards. Maybe some of Flamel's family would be able to help her. So she dashed off a letter to them, setting it on the sofa behind her to dry.

She'd spent all morning poring over the books, another stack of them waiting next to the sofa. She'd done the same thing every night and weekend. Sev would join her when he could, the two of them sitting next to each other in silence as they worked. The only noise was the crackling of the fire or one of them discarding a book and summoning another, perhaps followed by the quick scratching of a quill.

"How are you doing?" Sev swept into the room, crouching down next to her.

She kissed him before gesturing to the seven or so books strewn about in front of her. "I'm thinking Nicolas Flamel might have come across something when he was looking for ways to cheat Death. And that I might make more coffee soon. How are you?"

"I'm alright." That had been his answer every time she asked. He didn't want to worry her any more than he already had, so he tried to hide the ever-present fear. But she knew. "Do you want me to mail that letter for you?"

"If you could."

"I've got to head to Malfoy Manor, but I have time to stop by the Owlery on the way." He gave her another kiss, putting a gentle hand to her cheek. "I love you."

"I love you too, Sev."

"I'll be back soon," he promised, standing and rolling up the now-dried letter to Flamel's great-great-great-grandson.

"Let me know as soon as you're back, okay?"

"Of course."

Every time Sev went to a Death Eater meeting she was terrified that he wouldn't return. There was no use in killing him yet, but neither of them would be able to tell when Voldemort would think the time had come. So she prayed that he would make it back safely. As soon as he got back to the castle, he would set out to find her. Instructions for the Carrows could wait. The school could wait. The entire world could wait. He had to find her and tell her that he was alright.

Hazel settled back into her work, discarding The Tale of the Three Brothers and What It Means Today in favor of The Deathly Hallows: A Genealogy. She soon discarded that one too. There had to be a way to keep Dumbledore's prophecy from coming true. Prophecy. Maybe Sybill would be able to help her. Or at least tell her what would happen. Having some certainty - any certainty at all - would be helpful. Extracting herself from the nest of books, she got up, grabbed her wand, and set off for the Divination classroom.

Climbing up the silver ladder, she was immediately hit with the perfumed air of the overheating room. Trelawney sat in front of a crystal ball, her orb-like eyes reflected in the clear glass. "Hello my dear. What brings you by? Oh, I would be careful around the ninth of April, we're going to be having some awful lightning storms."

They had never been great friends, but Trelawney had staunchly believed in her, even when the rest of the teachers kept a wary eye out for her and Sev. Hazel sat down on a fluffy cushion across from her. "I need your help. I need to know… I was dreadful at Divination when we were in school."

"I remember," Sybill smiled fondly. "Not everyone possesses the gift. No Seers in your family…"

"I need to know…" Hazel bit her lip, staring into the crystal ball as Sybill stared at her. "Severus… Lord Voldemort thinks he had to kill him. There's got to be another way, but I have to know… is there?"

Sybill frowned, telling her that, "One cannot force a prophecy, my dear. I have been seeing more death omens than usual, but considering the times…"

"I understand," Hazel nodded, getting up to leave. "Thank you. I just figured I might try. Besides, I needed a break from the books I've been staring at all morning. I should get something for lunch, it's nearly two."

Before Hazel could take another step, Sybill grabbed her arm, her voice suddenly more serious than she'd ever heard it before. "The one who has betrayed the Dark Lord, in the place he most fears... will stare into the face of Death and sneer, for there is a power the Dark Lord knows not… the power beyond all powers, one more dangerous than even the Wand that is not his to seek… and the one who seeks to prevent it will seek to sacrifice… what seems everything… but without him would seem nothing… in hopes together they both shall live… but neither can truly live until the other has seen Death…" She relaxed her grip on Hazel's arm, looking her colleague over. "So sorry, my dear. I'm feeling a bit light-headed. Perhaps I should eat something as well. Are you alright?"

"Umm, yeah. I am. Thank you, Sybill. Really. You've helped me more than you know." Hazel took off for the silver ladder, nearly falling on her way down.

She raced into the closest classroom to write down everything she could remember. "The one who has betrayed the Dark Lord" had to be Sev. "The place he most fears… Sev or Voldemort?" She shook her head, moving on. "Will sneer in the face of Death because of something Voldemort doesn't know about, something more powerful than the Elder Wand," Hazel thought aloud as she desperately scratched down whatever she could remember. "Love," she realized. Suddenly the rest of the prophecy fell into place. The one who seeks to prevent it will sacrifice… what seems everything... but without him would seem nothing. Hazel's heart fell as she came to terms with what had to be done. There was only one thing that could protect someone from certain death. It had worked before.

Crumpling the piece of parchment and stuffing it in her pocket, she set out for Sev's office again. She found him at his desk, in the middle of writing out a note. "I was going to dispatch an owl to find you. I only just got back -" She sat down on his lap, wrapping her arms around him and burying her face into the crook of his neck. "You found something?" There was hope in his voice, but if she was like this, it couldn't be good news.

"I don't know. Maybe. But I do know that I love you, Sev. I love you so much."