Waking up the morning of the third task was nearly impossible. I was paralyzed by fear. While my brother had shown time and time again his unparalleled bravery and resilience, I could not help the rising panic within me as I knew we were willingly sending him straight into the belly of the beast. A beast who had torn apart our family and wreaked havoc on the Wizarding World for far too long. I could feel it in my bones. The battle was dawning.

I met Harry, Ron, Hermione, and the Weasley twins in the Great Hall for lunch. From across the way, it was obvious that Malfoy and his cronies were talking about my brother. I threw Draco a fiery glare, wordlessly warning him to stay away from Harry.

After several futile attempts at getting Harry to eat something, we all stood up to make our way to the maze at the Quidditch Pitch. As we were crossing the field, Malfoy and several other Slytherins blocked our way. I could feel Harry bristle beside me.

"Good luck Potter. You're going to need it. They say you could go mad out in that maze or die. I hope its all true. Say hello to your filthy mummy…"

I don't know what came over me although the feeling wasn't entirely foreign. It was reminiscent of my time with Bellatrix. While that should have frightened me, I let it fuel me in confronting Malfoy.

I threw my arm back and threw a punch, connecting with him right on the nose. He threw his hands to cover his face as he stumbled backwards. I grabbed his collar and brought his face close to mine.

"Leave my brother alone you bastard!" and then shoved him away to clear our path. His goons immediately stepped out of our way, cowering behind one another.

"That was bloody brilliant!" Ron hollered.

I threw my arm around my brother.

"Don't listen to a thing he just said," I then lowered my voice to ensure no one could hear, "that's a reminder that you will not be alone in this."

He looked over at me and a silent knowing passed between us. While I was prevented from going to the graveyard, I knew he would be well supported by our family and members of the Order.

"Thanks Emma."

Harry gave us all one final look before joining the other three Champions on the pitch. As my brother walked towards Albus, I saw the old man give me a small wink. Whether it was for alleviating my concerns or something else, I offered a small smile back. If there was ever one person Voldemort feared, it was my grandfather. And tonight, he would be catching Tom off guard when he and the rest of the Order arrived at the graveyard. The element of surprise our side had was what allowed me to breathe. My uncles could not join me today as they were off preparing for whatever hell awaited them in the graveyard but that didn't explain my father's absence. I cast my eyes around the crowd for any sign of him, but he was nowhere to be seen. He had been missing since breakfast and I couldn't shake the feeling in my stomach.

At the sound of the cannon, my brother entered the maze. I let my head drop to my lap, refusing to watch. My mind immediately jumped back to the first few days in the Muggle orphanage. Associated with the Catholic church, I was taught to pray to their God. It felt stupid back then. But in this moment of dire need, I began to call upon every God, Spirit, and magical being I could think of to send aid to my brother and the Order. Then finally, I silently called out to my mother.

Please, Mum…help keep them safe.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Harry took a deep breath before grabbing the glowing cup.

This is it.

As soon as his hand wrapped around the chalice, he was pulled into the familiar tugging sensation. He landed hard on his back, looking up at a familiar tombstone, the one that had been haunting his dreams for weeks. He knew the Order wouldn't arrive until Tom presented himself and surely jostled him up a bit. His mind ran through all the spells and defenses his uncles and fathers had poured into him. His mind then shifted to Emma. His sister. They had both faced Voldemort so many times and while he desperately wished she would be present tonight, he was glad his father, Albus, Remus, Sirius, and Minerva forbade it. Harry wanted to make sure, no matter what, nothing would happen to Emma tonight. It was his turn to start pulling his weight in destroying the darkness.

Before too long, he felt the unmistakable presence of evil swirl around him. He whipped around and sure enough, a man with a snake-like face in black robes had appeared.

"If it isn't Harry Potter, the Boy Who Lived, now come to die!"

Before Harry could react, he felt himself thrown back by an invisible force into the tombstone. The reaper's scythe wrapped around him. He was trapped.

Remember Harry, you're not alone.

Emma's voice rang out inside of him, sending a wave of courage through his body.

"Now, I summon my followers, a worthy audience to watch as I kill you!"

Soon enough, six black clouds filled the sky, transporting men in black robes with pointed hoods to the graveyard.

"My followers, let me introduce you to Harry Potter, the Boy Who Lived. As may know, it was Lily Potter's sacrifice that prevented me from being able to touch the boy. But…"

Voldemort flew closer to where Harry was trapped against the grave.

"I. Can. Touch. You. Now!"

A burning sensation ripped through Harry upon Voldemort's touch. While the pain seared through him, several bright white lights appeared, bringing the Order of the Phoenix. Albus had been right in his speculation that Voldemort would try and touch Harry. His father had created a potion that enabled Harry's skin to send out an alert to the Order as soon as Voldemort touched him. In all the commotion, the spell holding Harry captive was released. He fell to the ground, then rolled behind a large tombstone.

He could see his uncles, grandfather, Mr. Weasley, and Sirius' cousin Tonks among the members he recognized. There were several other witches and wizards but he didn't have time to closely inspect them.

Spells began to be fired by both sides. Amid the shouting, Harry could clearly hear the sound of a fist colliding with a noise followed by,

"That's for Narcissa, you bastard!"

Harry knew it must have been Sirius attacking Lucius Malfoy. He couldn't help but feel immense satisfaction for his uncle and godfather.

"The boy is mine! Come out and fight me, Harry Potter!"

Harry could feel his heart threatening to burst from his chest. He heard the sounds of battle fill the air around him. He had been instructed to get out as soon as the others had arrived but he felt the "self-sacrificing" pull, as his father called it, begin to take hold. Voldemort's directed taunts were making it difficult for Harry to just leave. In that moment, he made a quick decision. Harry stepped out from behind the grave, locking eyes with Voldemort.

"Avada…"

"Expelliarmus!" Harry shouted.

Unexpectedly, the two spells collided together, golden sparks emitting out of their wands. Death Eaters and Order members alike froze in response to the brilliant light.

"Nobody touch him. He's mine!"

Voldemort shouted over the chaos. Harry gripped his wand as tightly as he could, the force of the collision ricocheting back towards him. Just when he began to feel his hold slip, a series of ethereal lights rose up from the golden collision, and materialized beside him. Harry looked to see two women and a man appear. Given his glasses and messy hair, Harry instantly recognized James Potter. One of the women was unmistakably Narcissa Malfoy leaving the other to be his mother. Lily gave him a warm smile, one that radiated her immense love for him.

"Harry, my brave boy. You've done so well. Let go of the connection. We will hold him off!"

"Let go, Harry, let go!"

Harry obeyed, dropping his wand and watched as the spirits flew towards Voldemort. Harry felt a firm grip pull him up to his feet. Harry looked up to see Remus.

"Get to the portkey, NOW!"

Harry summoned the cup. Before he was pulled in, he saw a bright green light strike the man he once believed invincible.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Remus felt a small amount of relief wash over him as Harry summoned the Portkey. His nephew was nearly free and appeared relatively unharmed. Remus had delivered on his promise to Severus. But in that brief moment, a horrifying scene began to unfold.

After being chased by the spirits, Voldemort unleashed a round of killing curses. One hit Nymphadora Tonks and Remus felt his heart shatter. Before he knew it, Albus was stepping into the middle of the graveyard clearing, wand lowered. Voldemort unleashed another round of curses aimed directly at Albus. Time seemed to stand still as Remus watched his father fall to the ground, dead. In that moment, the world seemed to split in two. Before he could move, he felt strong, familiar arms encircling him, holding him back. Death Eaters began to Apparate away as Voldemort let out several victorious laughs.

"How will you defeat me without your leader? Join me and live. Stand against me and I can assure you, I will destroy you!"

With that, Voldemort disappeared into the darkness. Remus broke free from Sirius' arms and ran to his father's lifeless body. He began muttering between his tears,

"It's not possible, it's not possible!"

Somehow, Albus Dumbledore, his father and hero, was dead.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Severus held both of his children tight that night. He had no intention of letting either one of them go and it looked as though they had no plans to move. Everyone was stunned into a heavy silence. While Severus had known about his father's impending death, it did not make the actual moment it occurred any easier. Severus felt for his brother who had witnessed their father fall. Sirius held Remus in his arms as the Wolf struggled to accept the night's events. Minerva was down in the Infirmary with her husband's body and desired to spend the rest of the evening there by herself. While sorrow coursed through his body, Severus was also trying to suppress his own physiological reactions to the experiences he had that night. Being sent to the cave to retrieve the locket had sounded far less dangerous at the forefront. However, it was anything but. Severus fought off an army of Inferi and helplessly watched as Missy the House Elf writhed under pain and sickness brought on by the basin's mysterious fluid. But he had the locket and would destroy it in the morning. His father was right. Harry and Emma needed Severus alive to help guide them to their foretold destiny. He was the only living person who knew the extent of Voldemort's Horcruxes and the role they would play in facilitating his downfall. That information was crucial to pass on to Harry and Emma and it would be up to Severus to deliver it.

But now was not the time to think about all of that. It was time to mourn the man who had stepped up to become a father to him. While Severus certainly harbored mixed feelings about Albus' decision regarding the modification, the man was still his mentor and had extended love and grace more times than Severus could count. He would forever be indebted to the old wizard for showing a hopeless orphan such genuine kindness. It was Minerva and Albus' devotion to their adopted children that kept Severus from straying too far down a dark path. Along with Lily's goodness, it was why Severus was fortunate enough to be holding two beautiful children in his arms instead of drinking away his sorrow and bitterness with a bottle of Firewhiskey. But he would have a drink that night. To toast to the life and memory of one of the greatest wizards to ever live.