AN: Well, it's been a while since I've written to you all, but I couldn't help myself. I put up the stories before I left for vacation, and I am pleased to see so many reviews! No, this story did not die, but I had to take a break to figure out where it's going. When I began to originally write this, it did not intend to go this far or this dramatic. But I figured, hey, what the hell, Voldemort rose at the end of the fourth book so why not write him in? I refuse to, however, write a conversation yet with Voldemort. That'll come later. New allies, etc, will come late as well. Anything yet to be explained will be. I just want to say now, that if you've ever seen "Pet Shop of Horrors" (it's an anime, right, Nataly…? Lol) that our good friend Severus is that main guy there, Dee. Anyway, who's with me that Aragorn/Strider/Viggo Mortensen (I cruelly misspelled that but I don't have my magazine here) should be Sirius Black? Doesn't he just speak to you… "Sirius…Sirius…"? Well, that's me anyway. I got the LOTR DVD a cuppa days ago, and on a Legolas kick. So, anyhoo, thank you for all the kind reviews. They made me cry. And, if you know where this is going, please tell me. Because I don't (lol). And I must say, that wasn't meant to be mean. I want to hear where people think this is going. Hell, if I like it, I just might use it! That's why it took me a while to start this up again. Now that I've got me new laptop, expect more chapters! And don't expect any kissing scenes for a while. And remember: I won't make everyone fall in love with her. Because that constitutes a Mary Sue, and I HATE Mary Sue stories.

Well, anyhoos, off I go…

Chapter Seventeen: Ode to Farewell

"Saw us what?" Severus asked cautiously, now having his complete attention toward her.

"Us…um," she said, blushing even deeper. "Er, well, it's kind of hard to say, that is, he saw us…um, well…"

"Spit it out," snapped Severus. "What?"

"Well…he saw us kissing."

"He what?"

"You heard me."

"When—how?" he sputtered.

"I don't know! And it's all because of you, you and your goddamn hormones! You're supposed to be the fucking adult in the situation! And…and they all heard him…all those Gryffindors heard him talk that shit to me. And he wasn't subtle about it either. He was very clear. Even those sons of bitches understood. Then the fucking fairy kissed me. Just like you did."

Emilia gasped and covered her mouth in surprise. She hadn't meant to rant on like that.

Severus looked at her, almost ashamed. He seemed rather guilty and backed away from her, like she was going to lash out again and hurt him. The expression shocked Emilia.

"I'm…so sorry!" she said quickly, holding out her hands. "Oh my god, Severus, I'm sorry. I didn't mean everything I said—"

"Don't apologize," he snapped. Severus looked very angry now. "Don't even do that. It's pity. I don't need your pity."

"It's not pity—"

"But that's why you let me kiss you, though, right? Because you'd feel bad?" Severus interrupted. "Son of a bitch…" he said quietly, mostly to himself. He looked away, his face a slight pinkish color. Severus's expression was very, very angry, yet held something of sorrow and remorse.

Emilia felt like she was going to cry. She'd never felt so terrible in her life, and that had to be nothing compared to how he felt. Emilia held herself steady for a moment, the tears welling up in her eyes.

"That's not it, Severus. You know that," she started. She looked up at him, and saw him like it was for the very first time. His expression was very set; his black eyes soft but the rest of his youthful features in anger. He looked very, very young compared to what she remembered. He was absolutely gorgeous to a point, with his soft black hair falling in his face, which she found that his face was not full but very fit. Severus had very broad shoulders and very lean features. He was very tall and thin, pale and…

…Emilia held her hands up to her mouth to cover another gasp. She was falling in love with Severus Snape, for god's sakes! The man that had tormented her until this point, the man that had been her absolute enemy since the beginning…she'd fallen in love with him...

"Severus...I seriously don't think that—"

Suddenly, loud noises from down the right hallway clamoured into their ears, and the sounds off the walls were deafening. Emilia recognized it as Dumbledore's and Harry's voices.

"Oh my God," she whispered, moving into the hall to hear the voices clearer. "No!" she said, looking at Severus. "Harry! Dumbledore! They're in trouble!"

Emilia immediately took off down the corridor, running as fast as her legs could take her. How could she have been so stupid, to be fantasizing about a romance when everyone was in trouble? What the hell was she thinking?

Her stomach churned with worry and guilt as she sprinted. I have to keep away from him. This will only get us into trouble, and this...this is so foolish!

Severus caught up easily alongside her. Her guilt seemed even more evident, her emotions churning in her stomach. Severus must think only the worst of her, she supposed, seeing his angry expression. He must only think that...what happened...was pity...

Emilia felt the burning in her calves, but she ignored it. Malfoy had shown her that this relationship was only going to get them into trouble. It was a weakness, for the both of them. A little voice inside of her head said very sarcastically, Is that all you can think about? The weakness of this?

That must be how damaged she was. She was figuring out a way to get out of something she wasn't even in! The pain seeped up her leg and put a stitch in her side. Served her right. The more pain she felt, the more justified she could feel.

The pain led away from her deep sadness, she noticed. She did really, have feelings for Severus. But she wasn't going to act on them. She wouldn't. She couldn't.

It was the best choice for the both of us. Besides, there would be no way for us to be together, anyway. So, it was best that we stay far apart, then right?

...Right?

The sounds were louder as they apparently got closer to the site of Harry and Dumbledore. There were many other voices than just those two, although Emilia wasn't certain that she knew all the utterances she heard. Pressed tightly against the wall, the two of them inched their way to the light at the end of the hall.

Looking inside, Emilia saw that Harry and Dumbledore were surrounded by various people; Hufflepuff students and a teacher or two. Dumbledore was explaining to them calmly what their next course of action should be. There was a crumpled heap of bodies in front of the Hufflepuff entrance.

"Oh shit," Emilia whispered. "What are we going to do now?"

"What we did before," Severus said. "We're going to walk in and assist in every way possible." He sounded so very, very cold. But what did she expect?

Emilia paused, feeling taken aback. "Wouldn't it be better to be concealed away from the spotlight, and help from afar?" Emilia replied, her voice a little bit choked from the huge lump that was forming in her throat. The corner of her eyes began to burn, and she felt the onset of crying. He must have no idea how I feel—this remorse, that's burning inside me—making my eyes feel like they're on fire and my throat far too small for my neck—and my stomach, needlessly churning... "It would probably be better if they didn't know where we are."

"How do you come across that line of logic?"

"Simply, the fact that as soon as the Death Eaters—should they, of course—get hold of them, and if they use a Truth Serum...they could tell them unknowingly where we are..." She tried to sound calm.

"I get it," Severus interrupted, trying to listen into Dumbledore's instructions. "Then, one of us should be in there."

There was a slight pause. "You," she said finally, in a near whisper. "You know the Death Eaters best; I should stay out of the way...get the Gryffindors to safety—"

"But—" he interrupted, and stopped. Severus opened his mouth to argue more but was silenced by Emilia's glare. "Whatever you say," he muttered sarcastically. "You certainly know better."

Emilia gaped at him for a second. She definitely deserved this, but not like that. "Fine," she snapped angrily. She felt bad, but she figured—it was her last chance, to try to make herself forget about Severus—and what better way to do it that piss him off—and in turn, piss her off.... "I do know better," she breathed in, and muttered darkly, "Bastard."

He heard her and glared at her angrily. Emilia caught his gaze and realized something. How could she have been so god damn stupid not to see it before? Maybe the fact that she might die blinded her. The hormones of her new age, the new shift of her body must have been the cause of it....

"Oh my god," she said slowly.

"What?" he snarled, turning to look at her with an angry gaze. "What's so important now, that you must be sure to tell me?" He sounded very irritable.

"I was so stupid," she snapped, "to think that you'd changed. You're still the insufferable asshole I knew in the beginning of the year." God, she hated saying such things. But that's the way it must be.

"Oh really? I'm sorry I deluded you," he replied sarcastically.

Emilia's face flushed with anger. She seemed at a loss of words. Her mouth opened and closed, but no sound came out. He is playing right into your hands, her mind said.

"Cat got your tongue?" he said triumphantly.

"Oh!" said Emilia angrily, stamping her foot. Turning away, she ran and ran and ran, ignoring the yelling of Severus to tell her to stop. She knew she was making too much of this, and it really hurt to leave off like that, but it was the best she could do at short notice. And, to say the least, it worked. Severus was pissed, and so was she; an irrisistable rush of anger, of fury, swept through her as she ran far away from his resounding calls....

As she was running to the Hufflepuff dormitories, all she could think about was that they could not be together. First off, they were teachers. Professors, at the school. Not to mention, all the Death Eaters were after either him or her, and that alone was the reason she knew she must make the severed connection. To stay...the idea was ludicrous...it was dangerous, it was stupid, and it was just plain bad thinking. It was almost an impairment to their thinking. And she'd successfully managed to make herself mad at him.

Besides...if Severus could be angry with her, then she must be angry with him. But breaking up—whatever they were breaking—was the best choice.

For all of them.

Emilia edged against the wall, moving swiftly across the hallway, leaping from one point of darkness to the next. The search for Dumbledore was still on, she supposed, and was oddly surprised that no one patrolled the hallways she was in.

The first thing she needed to do was get the Gryffindors to a safe place. She didn't know if any of them were still alive—or were even in the Great Hall—but she had to try. Emilia could trust that Severus and Dumbledore would figure out what to do somehow between the two of them, and then maybe they could get the castle back under control. She was tired and would love to go to sleep, despite all that was going on. Underground, coming back through the Slytherin corridors, showed no trace of the rising sun outside. It must be at least five, maybe six, she reasoned. Rubbing her temples and straining her ears to hear for insignificant sounds, she edged her way out of the Potions corridor and into the Entrance Hall.

Lucky for her, the morning was a cloudy and overcast one. The shadows were not illuminated by the sun; quite the contrary. There was going to be a huge storm, by the looks of one of the windows she passed, hiding behind a armor suit. The sky was dark and brooding, with black clouds that flashed and flashed but the thunder was far too slow for each strike. It was miles off, she supposed, and was very lucky that maybe the rumblings of thunder—which were getting louder with each flash—would distract them and even cover up any noises they might make.

She heard noises ahead of her and saw a shimmer of light. Thinking quickly, she glanced around, and saw a small space.

Emilia squeezed herself into the small crack in the wall just as a Death Eater walked by, holding her breath and praying that his wandlight would not give her away. As soon as she couldn't see him anymore, she edged out of the hole and moved from one shadow to the next and she made her way to the far entrance door to the Great Hall. It would be easier for her to make an entrance if she were the farthest away from them, because then she could sneak her way in slowly, instead of barging in.

Walking up to the smallest door that entered the Great Hall, the one near the teacher's table, she pushed in open a crack and put her hood up. Should she be seen, at least she could pose as a Death Eater. It's not like she didn't know how.

Running in and sliding herself against the wall, she held her breath, waiting for someone to speak. But no one noticed. Sliding along the wall, she fell to the floor and sneaked around the corner stone, and watched from afar the dealings of the Gryffindors.

They were still there, many of them lying on the floor. In groups of four, five, and six, there were very few awake. Emilia supposed that one of them kept watch while the others caught precious minutes of sleep. Parvati Patil hadn't been moved, and her friend, Lavender Brown, lay atop of her friend, fast asleep herself. The biggest group was the Weasleys, who were being watched with a hawk eye gaze from the nearest Death Eater. Fred, or George, was sitting up, trying to stay awake. Ginny was sleep with her head in Ron's lap, who was leaning against the wall, fighting the urge to sleep as well. The other twin was fast asleep next to Ron, who had his hand on the twin's head protectively. It looked like they had a rough time. From even this distance, bruises, cuts and scrapes were visible from just them—the rest looked pretty okay.

Breathing a sigh of relief that no one else was dead, she inched her way along the wall to the end of the table furthest from the standing Death Eaters. All of them seemed pretty comatose, without their leader, and with great difficulty, she leaned up against the table awkwardly and poised her wand.

Standing up, and revealing herself, she started to send spells at random to the Death Eaters.

"Flipendo!" she cried, sending the nearest hooded guy against the wall, and he slumped down slowly to the ground, unconscious, blood oozing from his ears. "Reducto!"

The Death Eater jumped out of the way, the blue sparks missing him by precious inches. "Crucio!" he yelled, his voicing booming over the screams of the Gryffindors.

Emilia dodged it by standing on her tip-toes and shoving her stomach backward, the spell skimming the black robes. "Ha!" she said triumphantly. "Missed!" Swinging her arm around, she sent another curse at him. "Incendio!" yelled Emilia, a red flame erupting from her wand and sending his robes aflame. He cried out in agony, screaming, as he patted his robes quickly and futilely. He dropped and rolled on the ground, trying frantically to take the flames out.

Suddenly, a hand came from behind her and swung around her neck, lifting her up and gagging her. She flailed in the air, gripping the arm with her one hand while muttering a spell with the other, sending red sparks into his face. He let go at once, walking backwards, covering his eyes and screaming in pain.

"Time to put you out of commission," one of them said, and a green light flew past her ear. She turned around, put her wand in front of her as a flash of lightening illuminated her face.

"Avada Kedavara!" she screamed, sending a streak of green light at him. His body fell to the ground, crumpled, dead. She turned to the other two, screaming this same curse as well, killing them and the last Death Eater standing.

"Oh thank some God," Emilia breathed in, running from each of the crumpled heaps, making sure that they can no longer do any damage. When she was sure that they were all dead, Emilia stood and addressed the students.

"I'm sorry you had to witness that," she said shakily, watching them all stand up, each of their faces as white as the next. She had no qualms with killing. Not when it was for a cause. And living...well, that constituted a cause, right?

"P-P-Professor?" one of them whispered, looking at the bodies. It was Ron Weasley. "Is Harry all right? I mean, I know he left with you and...Mr. Malfoy..."

Emilia bit her lip. Telling him where Harry was might not be the best of ideas. Once again, she had to consider that they might be captured—again. "He's safe, Weasley," she said, looking at him with wide eyes. "He's with Dumbledore."

"So he's alive!" one of them breathed. Emilia cocked her head.

"What?"

"One the those men said that Dumbledore was finally dead, and that's we'd have a snowball's chance in hell escaping now." Immediately she blushed. It was Hermione Granger. They were all situated around her, inquiring what to do now.

Emilia thought quickly. They were al safe, and that was more that she expected. Her thoughts were interrupted when a tugging was felt at her side. She turned, and saw Lavender Brown's pale, tear stained face. "Professor, what about Parvati?"

"Oh," she said softly. She walked over to the body, and bent down, putting her hand on the ground. Her eyes were still open. It was eerie. Emilia took her hand and rubbed it across her eyes, feeling the eye-lids close. "I'm so sorry," she whispered to the dead girl, restraining tears.

Closing her own eyes, she took a deep breath and opened them. She took her wand and muttered a enchantment that transformed her body into dust, putting in a small vile. It was all she could do. If the parents wanted to put it straight, they can just simply put the spell on the vile to reverse it. The body disintegrated with little colors of light, and the clear vile was there, where Parvati was.

"Take this," she said, picking it up and placing it in Lavender's hands. "Give this to her sister. The spell to reverse this is Finite Incantatem," she croaked. "Tell her this. I'm so sorry, Lavender."

"Me too, Professor," she replied, her voice strained with tears. "Me too."