* * * *
Snape slowly opened his eyes to find the sun simmering above him in the sky. The day was hot and humid and he was already sticky with sweat. As he moved to get up, he wondered for a brief moment why the sun was in his bed chambers and where his walls had gone.
"The Five," he breathed suddenly, sitting upright in the street. Bodies littered the area and it looked like the aftermath of some horrible Muggle war.
"We too fight wars, Severus," a familiar voice said from his left. "We just do it differently. The end result is always the same."
Snape looked up to find Albus Dumbledore staring down at him. The Headmaster's usually cheery face was drawn and pale and Snape knew then that it had happened. What they had tried to prevent, hoped to avoid and wanted to forget, had happened once more.
"She died," Snape stated softly.
Dumbledore nodded. "She did. The others are not taking it very well."
Snape stood slowly and took the arm Dumbledore offered him. "Why should they? They lost a friend . . . someone they would have been close to for the rest of their lives."
"They need to see you," Dumbledore said. "They are all very shaken up."
Snape nodded and began to limp away, slowly making his way across the street where his students were sitting. Hermione was trembling, her face lost and expressionless, like a girl who would never find her way home. Ron was trying to comfort her as he tried to fight back his own tears. Kendra was sobbing into Harry's robes as The Boy Who Lived held her with one arm and hid his face with the other.
Parvati Patil lay before them, the pearl of Cassandra entwined in her fingers.
"Professor!" Kendra exclaimed. She leapt up as he neared them and flung herself at him, wrapping her arms around his neck. He stumbled and fell on the bad leg, taking her down with him but for the moment, he didn't care. They were alive and they were safe, even if Parvati wasn't.
"You're alive," she whispered. "Thank the Gods, you're alive."
He held her tightly for a few moments, letting her relief wash over him. He felt good while she hugged him, knowing that someone was worried about him. It almost made him happy to know how concerned they had been.
"Parvati died," Kendra said, pulling away from Snape a moment later. Fresh tears cut through the dirt on her face and she stood slowly, then returned to Harry. He put his arm around her once more and touched her face gently before dissolving into tears himself.
Snape stood and made his way over to the others, sitting on the grass beside Hermione. She glanced at him, then returned her gaze to the friend that lay on the road, bruised but peaceful. Her hand slowly brushed back a strand of hair that was tangled in the drying blood on her forehead and it trembled slightly. Hermione's face crumpled a moment later and she buried her face in her knees, hugging them tightly. Ron's arm went around her immediately, pulling her close and rocking her as they both cried.
Snape bit his lip and turned away. It shouldn't have happened, not a second time. The seer had died before fighting a dark wizard. Decades earlier, Patricia Potter had willingly gone to her death to save the world, just as Parvati Patil had done only hours before.
"She knew she was going to die, didn't she?" Hermione asked, tears streaming down her face. "She had to have known . . . she had visions."
Snape nodded slowly. "She would have suspected something all along, but she would have known for sure when Dumbledore gave her the necklace."
"We let her die," Harry whispered. "Isn't that what we did? We should have known too, we could have prevented it."
"We warned her," Snape said gently. "Dumbledore mentioned the tragedy, though only she understood what he meant."
"I didn't even hear her thoughts," Kendra murmured. "I'm supposed to hear everyone when they're scared . . . I should have known, but I didn't." Her eyes were vacant, searching for something in the hot summer morning. "I didn't."
"What are we going to tell her parents?" Harry asked suddenly, his voice hoarse. "And her sister? Oh Merlin . . ." he trailed off and closed his eyes. "They're going to be torn apart."
"We ought to be getting back to Hogwarts," Dumbledore said, ignoring the question. "Ministry officials have arrived, they will take care of everything else."
Kendra stood slowly and helped Harry to his feet. Ron and Hermione stared out over the mess and caught the sight of Voldemort's robes and his crumpled form.
"He's gone, right?" Ron asked.
Snape nodded. "Forever."
"He'll never be able to come back?" Hermione inquired.
Snape shook his head. "Never. He's dead."
They fell silent again and Dumbledore slowly began to walk away, leading the reluctant group away from their war site and Parvati's fallen body.
"I need to ask all four of you to forget a curse I uttered," Snape said softly. "If that curse were to ever get out . . . someone far weaker than Voldemort would soon rule us all."
"The one you said when all the Death Eaters . . ." Kendra trailed off, the mumbled, "fell apart?"
Snape nodded. "That is the one."
"I don't remember anything before last night," Harry said wearily. "I honestly couldn't remember the word if I tried."
"That's good," Snape said. "But if any of you remember it at any time, please come to myself or Dumbledore. We'll wipe it from your memory as quickly as possible."
The four students nodded and continued their trek home.
"I'm glad it's over," Hermione murmured as they walked.
Kendra nodded. "We did the impossible."
Harry smiled at her. "We fought, we didn't run."
"And he would have found us, even if we had," Ron finished.
Snape stared down at them. "Thank you," he said softly. "For coming after me, for not giving up. For doing everything in your power to make sure you did the right thing without losing any innocent lives. For being true heroes." He glanced away, uncomfortable with the unfamiliar words. "Thank you."
Tears welled up in the eyes of the students for not the first time that day, and Kendra touched Snape's arm gently.
"I think you'll find your nightmares gone," she whispered. "Which, just between you and me, is a really good thing. They weren't very pleasant."
Snape nodded and tilted his face to the sun. "Thank you," he whispered a final time.
* * * *
Snape slowly opened his eyes to find the sun simmering above him in the sky. The day was hot and humid and he was already sticky with sweat. As he moved to get up, he wondered for a brief moment why the sun was in his bed chambers and where his walls had gone.
"The Five," he breathed suddenly, sitting upright in the street. Bodies littered the area and it looked like the aftermath of some horrible Muggle war.
"We too fight wars, Severus," a familiar voice said from his left. "We just do it differently. The end result is always the same."
Snape looked up to find Albus Dumbledore staring down at him. The Headmaster's usually cheery face was drawn and pale and Snape knew then that it had happened. What they had tried to prevent, hoped to avoid and wanted to forget, had happened once more.
"She died," Snape stated softly.
Dumbledore nodded. "She did. The others are not taking it very well."
Snape stood slowly and took the arm Dumbledore offered him. "Why should they? They lost a friend . . . someone they would have been close to for the rest of their lives."
"They need to see you," Dumbledore said. "They are all very shaken up."
Snape nodded and began to limp away, slowly making his way across the street where his students were sitting. Hermione was trembling, her face lost and expressionless, like a girl who would never find her way home. Ron was trying to comfort her as he tried to fight back his own tears. Kendra was sobbing into Harry's robes as The Boy Who Lived held her with one arm and hid his face with the other.
Parvati Patil lay before them, the pearl of Cassandra entwined in her fingers.
"Professor!" Kendra exclaimed. She leapt up as he neared them and flung herself at him, wrapping her arms around his neck. He stumbled and fell on the bad leg, taking her down with him but for the moment, he didn't care. They were alive and they were safe, even if Parvati wasn't.
"You're alive," she whispered. "Thank the Gods, you're alive."
He held her tightly for a few moments, letting her relief wash over him. He felt good while she hugged him, knowing that someone was worried about him. It almost made him happy to know how concerned they had been.
"Parvati died," Kendra said, pulling away from Snape a moment later. Fresh tears cut through the dirt on her face and she stood slowly, then returned to Harry. He put his arm around her once more and touched her face gently before dissolving into tears himself.
Snape stood and made his way over to the others, sitting on the grass beside Hermione. She glanced at him, then returned her gaze to the friend that lay on the road, bruised but peaceful. Her hand slowly brushed back a strand of hair that was tangled in the drying blood on her forehead and it trembled slightly. Hermione's face crumpled a moment later and she buried her face in her knees, hugging them tightly. Ron's arm went around her immediately, pulling her close and rocking her as they both cried.
Snape bit his lip and turned away. It shouldn't have happened, not a second time. The seer had died before fighting a dark wizard. Decades earlier, Patricia Potter had willingly gone to her death to save the world, just as Parvati Patil had done only hours before.
"She knew she was going to die, didn't she?" Hermione asked, tears streaming down her face. "She had to have known . . . she had visions."
Snape nodded slowly. "She would have suspected something all along, but she would have known for sure when Dumbledore gave her the necklace."
"We let her die," Harry whispered. "Isn't that what we did? We should have known too, we could have prevented it."
"We warned her," Snape said gently. "Dumbledore mentioned the tragedy, though only she understood what he meant."
"I didn't even hear her thoughts," Kendra murmured. "I'm supposed to hear everyone when they're scared . . . I should have known, but I didn't." Her eyes were vacant, searching for something in the hot summer morning. "I didn't."
"What are we going to tell her parents?" Harry asked suddenly, his voice hoarse. "And her sister? Oh Merlin . . ." he trailed off and closed his eyes. "They're going to be torn apart."
"We ought to be getting back to Hogwarts," Dumbledore said, ignoring the question. "Ministry officials have arrived, they will take care of everything else."
Kendra stood slowly and helped Harry to his feet. Ron and Hermione stared out over the mess and caught the sight of Voldemort's robes and his crumpled form.
"He's gone, right?" Ron asked.
Snape nodded. "Forever."
"He'll never be able to come back?" Hermione inquired.
Snape shook his head. "Never. He's dead."
They fell silent again and Dumbledore slowly began to walk away, leading the reluctant group away from their war site and Parvati's fallen body.
"I need to ask all four of you to forget a curse I uttered," Snape said softly. "If that curse were to ever get out . . . someone far weaker than Voldemort would soon rule us all."
"The one you said when all the Death Eaters . . ." Kendra trailed off, the mumbled, "fell apart?"
Snape nodded. "That is the one."
"I don't remember anything before last night," Harry said wearily. "I honestly couldn't remember the word if I tried."
"That's good," Snape said. "But if any of you remember it at any time, please come to myself or Dumbledore. We'll wipe it from your memory as quickly as possible."
The four students nodded and continued their trek home.
"I'm glad it's over," Hermione murmured as they walked.
Kendra nodded. "We did the impossible."
Harry smiled at her. "We fought, we didn't run."
"And he would have found us, even if we had," Ron finished.
Snape stared down at them. "Thank you," he said softly. "For coming after me, for not giving up. For doing everything in your power to make sure you did the right thing without losing any innocent lives. For being true heroes." He glanced away, uncomfortable with the unfamiliar words. "Thank you."
Tears welled up in the eyes of the students for not the first time that day, and Kendra touched Snape's arm gently.
"I think you'll find your nightmares gone," she whispered. "Which, just between you and me, is a really good thing. They weren't very pleasant."
Snape nodded and tilted his face to the sun. "Thank you," he whispered a final time.
* * * *