Author's Note: The end is near, give me at least two more chapters and I'll promise you this story will finally be over. Also, thanks to Ping and Megan who helped with the chapter. I hope you enjoy.
"This is the way the world ends
This is the way the world ends
This is the way the world ends
Not with a bang but a whimper."
-T. S. Eliot, "The Hollow Men"
Chapter Six: Remains After the Rain
The daytime shoppers were milling around the shops, bickering and chattering with the vendors and each other for various goods. As Severus walked the streets, he kept tugging on his coat nervously, wary of the oddly dressed people that were also spilling into the streets. He could tell the other wizards were enjoying the death of his Lord by literally dancing in the streets. Although he was also dressed in his Wizardry robes, Snape ignored their cheers and triumph, quietly seething. These people were cowards, he thought, mice that hardly earned the right taking pleasure in Voldemort's disappearance.
Too many people had died for it. It wasn't a victory.
It was just another day.
A loud explosion caused Snape to duck under an awning, pulling his wand and watching. The Wizards watching him laughed playfully, pointing towards the sky. Large sprays of fireworks danced across the blue sky. He exhaled, finally smiling at his paranoia. After all, Voldemort was gone and there were no more monsters to fear.
Expect himself, that is.
"Lily and James, Sirius! How could you?" The voice was loud, panicked and familiar. Snape looked up, staring the figure before him. There was Sirius Black coming out of a shop after apparently having forced Peter Pettigrew into the streets. Snape took another look around- the Muggles were watching curiously, attracted both to the fireworks in the sky and the scene that was beginning in the street.
"How could you?" Peter continued to rant. "They trusted you! We all did!"
Sirius was advancing on him with a look of cold, calculating hate that caught Snape off guard. Snape felt detached but lured towards the scene, watching it unfold like some slow-paced movie that, try as he might, he couldn't ignore. Snape backed away slowly, glancing to his wand to ensure its presence.
Something followed that Snape wouldn't remember, there was another loud explosion that threw him to the floor. He heard people shrieking and felt sharp pains as they trampled him in a desperate attempt to flee. He muttered something under his breath and pushed himself up.
There was a large, gapping hole in the ground where he had last seen Peter. Small, contained fires littered the streets as some people milled around, scrambling to render aide to the fallen. Muggles (or what were left of them) were strewn about as even more were still running, still panicking from the man who still stood serene, fierce-eyed and silent. Sirius Black was standing at an angle, with his wand in his hand but facing the ground, staring at the hole with an unreadable expression.
He looked like a Prince surveying his armies, Snape thought to himself. A thought that was shared with the other Wizards that were Apprating into the scene as quickly as possible. The first person who appeared was a man Snape knew by his family's name. It was Cornelius Fudge and he stumbled unto the scene, dumb with shock.
"Sirius Black, by order of the Ministry, lay down your wand and raise your hands." The voice was loud, strong and bold and the speaker was clad in Navy with thick bronze gauntlets that were hexed with strong, protective charms meant to protect the wearer. The man had his wand poised towards Sirius' chest, but his eyes were owned by the chaos in the streets.
Snape pushed himself into a corner as still more Aurors and Hecate personnel began to appear. He narrowed his eyes in defense against the smoke, trying to identify the Auror. He caught slight of the bronze gauntlets, seeing birds craved on each.
One was a Phoenix, the other a Hawk.
"Oh, shit." Snape cursed. "The Phoenix has arrived."
Aiden "The Phoenix" Hawke, the rumored son of Auror legend Victoria Hawke and her lover, Albus Dumbledore. He was considered one the great Hecate Princes, and a man able to rival the great Dark Prince.
"Place your wand on the floor and step away!" Aiden cried. "Gideon, get to those wounded!"
Gideon lifted his head, "I'm trying! Becka, Art, I need your help over here!"
It was with increasing dread that Snape began to recognized the names. These were the elite of Hecate's forces; Gideon Mallory; the Stallens sisters- Artuad, Beckett, and Zola; Sky Falls, Mad Eye Moody, Hawke; the greatest of Hecate's numbers…and why?
Revelation dawned on him; Hecate was after him. The sought the Dark Prince's head.
"Sirius Black, you will place the wand on the floor in front of you!" Phoenix was trying again but his voice was getting strained, confused, and perhaps even frightened.
Snape finally regained himself, turning his attention towards Black.
He heard Sky Falls remark to a Kaga beside her, "The world has gone mad…"
"There will be more blood before tonight."
"Are you always this optimistic?"
"Only when I'm sober." The voice was vaguely familiar, like something out of a dream. Snape turned his head, watching the women work. Sky was dressed in a long soft navy robe whose hood fell over her eyes, and gave her a surreal presence. Her hands flew over the bodies, one holding a wand and the other stroking the foreheads. Her voice, still soft and melodious was so low that he couldn't hear her exact words but could only think of what she was saying.
The other woman, however, lacked any of Sky's tact or gentleness. She stalked the area like an Angel of Death, complete with solid black robes, save for a small orange phoenix that was embroidered into the top left shoulder of her cape; the woman kept her eyes on the ground, minding the dead bodies but with an expression on her face that made Snape believed she only did so to avoiding ruining her boots. A long, thick braid of hair that was so black it was blue trailed down her back, and when she turned it whipped around her like a snake's tail.
It was Erised Hecate, his Angel.
"You hate me, god? Don't you?" He whispered again, pulling his wand and straining to focus again on his surroundings. Here he was, the Dark Prince, in an area with no ready escape, encircled by the most able fighters Hecate Compound had. His only benefit was they had yet to see him.
"Put down your wand, Prince!"
Hawke's demand made Snape jump, and swing around to face the Auror; half-expecting to see the man's wand trained on him but Hawke hadn't shifted from staring pointedly into Sirius' eyes. Again, Snape felt revelation dawn on him.
They thought Black was the Dark Prince.
He would have laughed aloud if he wasn't so insulted. To think that Sirius Black of all people was the man who made the nations tremble was a dishonor to Death Eaters everywhere. Black could barely handle his own liquor, let alone mastermind half of the brilliant and beautiful military assaults that he had.
"Put the wand down and come quietly."
"I found a finger!" Gideon called, picking up something small and looking at it disgustedly. "I think its Peter…"
In an almost comical moment, everyone including Sirius turned and stared at the only remainder of one of Albus' most trusted. Hawke's face was screwed into disbelief and anger. Erised looked partially amused. Just like her, he thought proudly, nothing could touch his woman. She shook her head, grimly and turned her attention back to the scene, meaning to help Fudge with the memory charms he was performing.
It was then she caught Snape's eyes. She jerked her head back, and narrowed her eyes, tilting her head ever so slightly, like a snake observing a potential prey. Her brow furrowed, even as her hands fell to her sides, over her wands.
Snape just stared into her eyes, not really thinking or reacting to anything. Time seemed to slow, even disappear around them, in moments that seemed to drag onto days although it was certainly only seconds.
Sirius was laughing now, and maybe due to fear or unease Hawke rushed him, followed by Gideon, and two other male Aurors. Hawke pinned Sirius' arms behind his back more roughly then he should have, tossing the wand to the youngest of the Stallens. "Search for others Death Eaters, Stallens! Angel, help them out!"
Erised looked away for a half-second and in that time somewhere in his heart, he knew she knew everything about him. He could tell it in her eyes. Those dark gray eyes were cold, and unreadable but focused. Snape lifted his wand, not even flinching or making an attempt to flee. He remembered only a few hours earlier, when he had stared into Eoin's eyes as he debated his next course of action. He could have taken his place as King but hadn't.
And Severus felt somewhere in his heart the incredible swell to speak to her, to tell her the war was over because of her. He wanted to tell her that she had helped, by merely being a memory kept in the corner of his mind, and at the heart of his regret, the reason he chose not to fight anymore- for people like her who were soldiers to the end. Inhaling, Snape gathered up all his strength to speak. He held up his wand to her and turned it sideways to offer it as he surrendered.
But Erised did something odd. A quick moment, one that would have been overlooked by anyone who hadn't once known by heart her every movement, and mannerism. It was an action with her left hand, motioning with two fingers from left to right.
"Walk away." She was saying, without ever uttering a word. Her eyes were glittering now, but he couldn't tell it the reason was tears or agitation from the smoke. He wanted to make another movement to her but was rebuked by her cold eyes.
"Erised, I need your help over here!" Becka called, picking up a large man who was groaning.
"Right away." She answered, moving towards Becka and Art. "Grab his left, under the armpit, that's right. On three- one, two…lift!"
Snape watched for two more seconds but she never looked back. Licking his lips and trying not to pay attention to a throbbing that was in his chest, he pulled on his coat and turned, walking away from the scene as quickly as possible.
He never looked back.
