"I'll untie you."

"What?" Dierna looked up and her eyes met Connors.

"I'll untie you, let you go free."

Dierna's eyes narrowed, "what do you want from me?"

"I don't want anything from you, I just want you," he covered the distance between them and roughly covered her mouth with his.

Tied against the wall didn't leave Dierna much room to struggle, but it didn't hinder her from biting down on Connor's lip hard enough to draw blood. When he staggered back several steps in surprise she spit in his face, "keep your filthy hands off of me," she hissed.

He raised his fingers to his lip feeling the stickiness of the blood she had drawn, "you'll pay for that..."

"You have to go through me first," Stefan, who could barely handle the exertion of standing, placed himself between Connor and his girlfriend. "She is not yours to do with as you like and I will not stand by while you try to."

Connor pulled his wand from his pocket and aimed it at Stefan, Avade..."

"Stupify!"

Connor felt to the floor with a dull thud.

Dierna went limp with relief, and her eyes slid shut as she fought back tears, for a moment she had thought she would have to deal with the pain of losing Stefan for a second time.

Stefan sank to the floor, finding that his legs just wouldn't support him for any longer.

Dierna opened her eyes when she felt gentle hands working at the ropes that bound her wrists, "Eric, what are you doing here?"

Eric's face darkened with anger, "you go through my mirrors without permission and straight into the heart of danger and dare ask what I am doing here?"

"I'm sorry," she murmured as she rubbed her now free wrists. She winced in pain as circulation started to return and carefully avoided the spots where the skin had been almost completely rubbed off. Tears threatened again as she watched her father help Stefan up from the floor.

Suddenly she felt very guilty, if it hadn't been for her they wouldn't have come here and Nimue... she sucked in her breath, she had nearly forgotten about her little sister, "have you found Nimue?" she asked in a small voice.

"Not yet," Eric answered gently, "but we will. This is not your fault," he assured her, knowing very well what she was thinking. "For now you are going back, take the mirrors back to the Opera House, from there you can floo back to Hogwarts. I think both you and Stefan are due for a visit to Poppy, she'll fix you both up."

"But I can't leave," silent tears streamed down her face, "Nimue followed me through the mirror, I want to help find her."

Once Severus was certain that Stefan could manage to stand on his own he left him standing against the wall for support and took his daughter firmly by the shoulders, "you are going back to the school now, this is no place for you."

"But it's..."

"It is not your fault," he gave her a slight shake, "but you are going to do as you are told and go back, now."

Dierna saw through the harsh tone of voice and looked into her father's worry filled eyes and nodded her acceptance reluctantly.

"And to make sure that you go straight to the Hospital Wing Eric is going back with you."

"Severus, you may need me here..."

"No, you are too valuable an asset to the Order, one that we cannot stand to lose," Severus said as he escorted the group back into the hall and saw the two young people safely through the mirror.

"And what about you Severus, what happens if you are lost?"

Snape's look was guarded, "I have been lost for many years."

Charlie scanned the sky for a sign, any sign, of what was to come.

"Anything?"

"No, and I don't know whether that should be a relief or cause for more worry."

Zach nodded, even though he knew Charlie couldn't see it in the surrounding darkness. "I think the dragons will give us fair warning if anyone tries to come in through the forest, but they've been silent tonight."

"It's been too silent tonight."

"Maybe we should check along the forest one more time."

Charlie appeared to have not heard the suggestion, "it's almost dawn."

Zach peered up at the black sky, where the stars still glittered dully, "how can you tell?"

"It's always the darkest right before dawn."
Severus carefully made his way through the dim hallways. The fact that he had yet to encounter any of Voldemort's followers worried him, it made the whole situation feel like a trap.

He was about to turn back the way he had come, something just didn't feel right, but something at the end of the hallway caught his attention.

He carefully made his way forward, making sure to keep himself as much in the shadows as possible. He stopped several feet away from the body lying in a heap on the floor, a pool of blood starting to darken around it. That white blond hair was unmistakable.

He took several more steps closer and knelt carefully next to the body. He felt a strong pang of guilt as he looked down into the wide open, unseeing, grey eyes. Draco Malfoy made him feel like a failure.

Severus knew that he was not an easy man to live with and he knew that some of his past decisions would always haunt his memories, but his actions paled in comparison with those of Lucius Malfoy. Severus had known from the start that Lucius planned to mold his son in his own image. As his professor and head of house Severus had done his best to reach out to Draco, hoping to undo the damage Lucius had already imparted.

But it had either been too late or not enough. An early childhood filled with abuse and the desire for approval from a man as harsh as Lucius had apparently made Draco immune to all of Snape's attempts.

Reflecting back on it Snape realized that the hardest thing to accept was how much of himself he had seen in Draco. The similarities amazed him and terrified him. Their childhoods had been nearly identical and yet they had ended up in two very different places. When Severus asked himself why, they only answer he could com up with was Morgan. She was his life, his salvation.

He mentally shook himself. Unless he started moving again his chances of returning home in one piece would significantly diminish. Before he stood up he gently reached out and closed Draco's eyes. After all he had done and failed to do for this former student he felt it was the least he could do.
A pair of capable hands caught Dierna as she literally fell through the mirror. At the moment Madame Pomphrey scolding her and asking if there would ever be a week that went by in which she didn't have to treat at least one of Severus' children was one of the most welcome sounds she had ever heard.

The next thing she knew she was being all but crushed as Morgan enfolded her in a hug that threatened to leave her with bruised ribs.

"I was so scared, I thought I had lost you," Morgan whispered against her daughter's hair.

"I'll leave you to take care of her for now Morgan," Poppy stated briskly as she bustled by, "I have my hands full already." She turned to Stefan, "I thought my days of patching you up were over Mr. MacNeill."

"Isn't it nice that some things never change?"

Poppy frowned at his question and rewarded him by tying the bandage on his arm a bit more tightly than was necessary and proceeded to lecture him about taking his condition seriously.

"Think we can sneak out while she's not looking?" Kalliope whispered to Eva conspiratorially.

Eva would have smiled, but the bruises on her face made the action too painful, "let's go now while she's occupied. Sie ist so..."

"Overbearing," Kalliope offered.

"Ja, overbearing."

Once Poppy was busy at her floor-to-ceiling medicine cabinet the two women made a dash for the door. Once safely outside the Hospital Wing they grinned at each other, a few giggles escaping.

"I feel horrible being this giddy after all that has happened," Eva finally managed to get out.

Kalliope smiled tightly, "I think we're just feeling a bit relieved at being back here and alive." She watched the younger woman intently for a moment, "I think there's a man you better go find."

Eva blushed and smiled shyly, "ja, I think you're right." After a quick embrace she left Kalliope, heading outside into the inky darkness. She lit her wand, a solitary point of light in the blackness.

She decided immediately to head towards where the dragons were kept, knowing that she would find him there. Within a matter of minutes she was throwing herself into Zach's arms.

Harry tightened his grip on his wand as he faced Voldemort. Neither of them had moved for what seemed like an eternity. They both faced each other, wands ready, waiting for the other one to make the first move.

Harry had to fight against the natural instinct to turn around when he heard Nimue move behind him. He didn't dare take his eyes off of the dark lord. If he did, all would be lost.

"She should have died Potter, just as you should have."

"You're not as all-powerful as you think you are Voldemort. And I'm not a child to be threatened by the mere mention of your name," he was a man with a family, and he was not going to let his lifelong enemy succeed in hurting those who were close to him.

They continued to face each other, neither one making a move. The contents of their wands made it impossible for them to carry out a duel, as they had learned years ago. Each one was counting on the element of surprise, but not quite sure where it would come from.

"You won't win Potter, my forces are too strong, my allies to great. All sorts of beings are coming to my side. Your precious way of life will be shattered, and I will rule all."

"I won't let you win."

"And how do you propose to stop me? Your Ministry is in shambles, it is slowly being filled with members who are loyal to me. Hogwarts is the only defense you have left, and it will soon fall."

"Not while I'm around to protect it," Harry kept his eyes wide open, looking for his chance.

"You will fail. Not even Dumbledore could stop me, and he lost his life trying. This time I will triumph and you will die."

Harry found that his senses were in tune with a hundred different things. The slow and steady drip of water down the far wall. The wind outside. The tenseness that seemed to hang in the air. Every breath that his opponent took. They were all part of a rhythm.

Nimue opened her eyes slowly and painfully. Careful to lie as still as possible she took in the scene before her. She had to do something, but her wand was gone... She thought back to all that Kalliope had taught her. She had learned some wandless magic, but nothing powerful enough to defeat the most evil wizard to ever live. But perhaps she could create a disturbance.

She had been told often enough that as a servant of the goddess the elements were hers to command. The earth herself would protect her and work for her. Very carefully she rolled over so that she was lying on her stomach and pressed her palms to the floor.

Concentrating as hard as she could and asking for strength she tried something which she had been told about, but had never tried. The ground shook in response to her touch and will, but she was too weak for it to do much more than tremble slightly. However it was enough to break the current stalemate between the two men above her.

The next thing she knew curses were flying in the air over her. She pressed herself closer to the floor, hoping to stay out of the way. She was vaguely aware of more people coming into the room, several death eaters ran past her, not paying attention to her sprawled form.

She was afraid to move, afraid that if she did she would draw unwanted attention to herself. Her fear kept mounting, and panic overtook her. She barely heard the shouting above her over the rushing sound that seemed to fill her ears.

She didn't see the flash of purple light from a stray spell that hit her. But she felt its impact as it sent her skidding across the floor with a bolt of agonizing pain. It was a relief to sink into unconsciousness. The painlessness it offered was merciful.

At one point she started to wake up, feeling several pairs of hands on her, rolling her over. But she couldn't even open her eyes to see if it was friend or enemy. She gratefully sunk deeper into the darkness.

Dierna perched herself on the edge of Stefan's bed and smiled warmly at him, so glad to be able to see him again, to touch him again.

"Madame Pomphrey will throw a fit if she catches you out of bed," Stefan teased gently.

Her smile widened, "let her, it would be well worth it."

Stefan glanced at the chain around Dierna's neck, "you opened the box I gave you."

Dierna's hand went to the ring that hung from the chain, remembering what it had felt like to see it for the first time, and thinking that she would never see the giver again. "I actually wanted to talk to you about that."

"If you don't like the ring..."

"I love the ring," she assured him. "It's just that..." she sighed and unhooked the necklace. She carefully slid the ring off of the chain and placed it in Stefan's hand. "I'm just not ready yet, and every girl deserves to be asked in the right way at the right time. I want you to take back the ring and keep it for awhile, but know that when the time comes I'm here and I'll most certainly say yes."

Stefan cupped her cheek in his hand, "I love you. It was thinking of you that kept me going all those days."

"And I love you. But when I thought you were..." she couldn't bring herself to say 'dead', "when I thought I lost you I learned that I can stand on my own two feet, without you by my side." She rushed on, hoping she wouldn't be misunderstood, "I want you by my side, always, but I just want a little bit of time to in which I won't be completely tied down. I'm not sure if I want to go straight from school into marriage. I know I want to marry you but..."

"You can have all the time you need; it will be worth the wait."

Dierna smiled in relief, "thank you."

"Don't you think you had better get back into bed before you're caught?"

"You aren't getting tired of me already are you?"

Stefan laughed softly. The danger wasn't over yet and there were still lives hanging in the balance, but for the moment he couldn't imagine feeling any happier. He was alive and the girl he loved was lying next to him in an impossibly small hospital bed. For the time being life was good.

It was a very quiet group that walked back up to the school as dawn crept over the grounds and illuminated the castle. They were all weary and still a bit nervous.

All things considered, the night had been fairly anti-climatic. The night spent sitting in the darkness seemed to have been wasted. But there was no relief in the faces of the group. They all knew that it was only a matter of time. Voldemort would attack, there was no doubt about it, but he would bide his time, waiting for a more opportune moment.

It was not a pleasant thought.

"We need to talk," Zach pulled Eva aside as they reached the entrance to the school.

"Uber was?"

Zach took her hand and led her to a bench set in a deep alcove by a window, "I'm sorry about last night. I should never have thought for a moment that you were spying for them. You've never given me any reason to doubt you and then..."

"It is alright, you did not know the truth, and I wish I had not kept it from you."

"I can't stand to see you hurt like this," Zach traced a finger lightly across a particularly nasty looking bruise on her face, "and I can't stand to think that I hurt you with my actions. I want to protect you."

"You have protected me," Eva managed a small smile despite the pain.

Zach shook his head, "that's not what I mean. I don't want to just protect you whenever I happen to be around. I want to always be there to protect you."

Eva's eyes grew wide.

"I'm not doing this very well," Zach confessed. "Eva, I want to take care of you. Will you..."

"Ja." &

"You didn't let me finish my question."

"I think I got the general idea, ja?"

"I think so," he leaned forward and brushed his lips across hers. He hadn't planned on asking her so soon, but after last night... their lives were all in danger and in times of war there were some things that just wouldn't wait.

"Come with me to tell Clara?"

Zach blinked in surprise, he had nearly forgotten about Eva's niece. But he recovered quickly, "of course. What do you think she'll say?"

Eva clutched his hand tightly, "I think she'll say that it's about time."

Nimue wasn't sure if she wanted to open her eyes or not. She wasn't lying on the floor anymore, which meant she had no idea where she was. She wasn't sure if that was good or bad. But curiosity was starting to kick in.

If she was in a dangerous situation she felt it might be best to just get it over with. There had been too much suspense in the past twenty-four hours for her to let her guard down.

"You're alright love, there's nothing here to hurt you."

"Mum?" Nimue opened her eyes, squinting against the bright lights that flooded the Hospital Wing, "what am I doing here?"

Morgan gently stroked her daughter's hair, "your father brought you back here. You've been out of it for several days now."

"Voldemort?"

Morgan shook her head, "once your father and Sirius showed up he and his death eaters disapparated. We don't know where they are."

It took a couple of minutes, and was extremely tiring, but Nimue managed to work herself up the mattress so that she was sitting up, "Mum, why are you crying?"

"Darling, we love you so much, it's just that..."

"You have to send me away," Nimue looked down at her hands, "Since I survived I've become a liability, Voldemort wants me gone."

Morgan sniffed and nodded, "I can't bear the thought of sending you off somewhere, but if it will keep you safe..."

"I understand. Where will I go?"

"For the time being you will be coming to Greece," Kalliope joined them, sitting on the edge of Nimue's bed. "You will be safe at the temple, and I will be there to help keep an eye on things."
Nimue looked up at the priestess, "but I thought you were staying here."

Kalliope smiled sadly, "there has been a change in plans. Rheia named me her successor; I must return to the temple and take my place as head priestess. It is a responsibility that I cannot shirk. I have no choice."
"I can't believe this happened again."

"Blaming yourself will not help the situation Potter."

"I know, but..." he sighed, "it just doesn't seem fair."

Snape looked out over the school grounds, his expression unreadable. It wasn't fair. His family was being torn apart, the Order was in turmoil, there was no united force to stand against Voldemort. "Life is not a lenient mistress Potter, she is a harsh one. I would have thought you, of all people, would have realized that by now."

Harry nodded slowly, "I know, it would just be nice if some things changed. I wish I could go through a day without worrying about Voldemort, knowing that he is still out there, still a threat."
"Wishing is for fools."

"Has there ever been a time when you haven't been such a pessimist?"

Snape turned to face his former student, "no. I am, as you say, a pessimist because that is what life demands of me. There is no point facing the world with foolish optimism when you have led life as I have."

"We'll make it through this; we'll defeat him this time. We have to." Even to Harry's ears it sounded like a desperate plea, not a certainty.

"We will do the best we can, no more, no less."

"Dark times are ahead of us, lives will be lost," Harry offered, although he felt his words were wasted. When Severus didn't reply he pushed on, "are you worried?"

"Our families are not going to remain untouched Potter, do you realize that?"

"I know you're sending Nimue away..."

"It's not just that. We have been marked Potter, both of us," Snape's eyes had taken on a hollow, almost empty look, "he will stop at nothing to make sure we are both destroyed."

"I would give my life if that is what it took to destroy Voldemort."

"There are worse things to lose than your life."

Harry crossed his arms over his chest, suddenly feeling very cold, "so what do we do now?"

"Carry on the best we can and put up one hell of a fight."

Authoress' note:

this is it!!! last chapter, hope you all have enjoyed it

Year Two will follow shortly (very shortly)

huggles all