Harry jumped around, immediately raising his wand. But Kreacher vanished with a snap; Harry's hex slashed though empty air.

Harry ran over and grabbed Snape's arm. "COME ON! We're going!"

Snape jerked back "My wand!"

"Who cares? Leave it!" "No!" "Will you move?" Snape was still pulling away from Harry's tight grip. Harry jerked him forward. "What is wrong with you!"

They struggled toward Riddle's grave. Snape shoved Harry's hand from his arm and hissed. "I can't see it anyway, Potter! Go! I'll get out of this."

"No! I'm not leaving you here! Start helping!" Harry was beginning to feel wild--angry and frightened

Lightening lit the sky and the door of the mansion slammed open. Death Eaters streamed out the door, Kreacher laughing and pointing manically. "There they is, Masters!"

"KILL THEM!" Voldemort's high voice raged. Malfoy bolted down the path first, reaching into his robe.

Harry stopped trying to pull Snape and jabbed his wand at the headstone. There was no control of this magic, just a desperate desire to escape.

Malfoy whipped his wand through the air. "Avada Kedavra!"

Green light streaked through the graveyard.

At the same time, Snape staggered. The curse slammed into him and he was thrown against Harry.

The two of them vanished. Lucius Malfoy slowed to a stop. He started shaking hard; he didn't want to turn.

On the hill behind him Voldemort began to scream.

I promise Lucius did NOT kill the Beautiful Potions Master.

:What?:

Snape doesn't die here. I'm just telling you, because you're looking a little upset.

:I'm not upset. I'm just...concerned.:

Oh. Because I can stop now, if you're worried.

:No! No. It would be okay... if you wrote a little more.:

Back from a Princess Bride Moment. Who remembers Moody's comments about Avada Kedavra and bloody noses?

Thunder rumbled in the distance. It wasn't raining here, though there was much mud. Harry could tell. He was laying in it. It plastered his clothes to his back and oozed through his fingers. He was also pinned by a limp weight. Harry realized it was a person--Professor Snape.

He shoved Snape off and skittered back. When Snape didn't move, Harry reached to turn him over. Blood was running from Snape's nose; his eyes stared indifferently at nothing.

Harry jumped up. "Professor. I'll get help!" Harry looked frantically around and realized he again knew the place. But this time he was not afraid. Rather, he was quite relieved.

Harry climbed the gate of the hypogryff corral and ran toward the wooden house. "Hagrid! Hagrid!"

The back door flew open. Hermione jumped from the step, crashing into him. She threw her arms around his neck, jumping up and down. "Harry! Harry!" she cried with relief. "We were so worried! You just disappeared! Oh! You're soaked! Have you been here all this time? It rained so hard! Fudge met us where you'd been! He said an unauthorized portkey had been used! We didn't know where you were! We thought you'd be in trouble with the Ministry! Why did you touch it?" Ron was now pounding Harry on the back. "Been gone a while, mate! Welcome back!"

Harry was trying to put them off. "Later, Ron! Stop! Hermione! Hermione!" Harry kept trying to push her off, but she was clinging tighter to him, almost in tears.

"But Dumbledore came! He said it couldn't have been Sirius Black! And Snape came and he showed his arm to Dumbledore..."

"HERMIONE! Shut up!" Harry grabbed her arms and pushed her aside. Hermione looked stricken. "Harry!" She and Ron exchanged looks, but Harry was running forward. "Hagrid! Hagrid! Snape's hurt!"

Hermione gasped.

Hagrid, who had been beaming at Harry from his open door, started. "Eh? Wha d' ya mean 'Snape's hurt'? Where's 'e at, 'arry?"

Harry grabbed Hagrid's sleeve, pulling him along. "Right here!"

He pulled Hagrid toward the corral in the back yard. Harry ducked between the slats and ran to Snape's side, but Hagrid stopped short as he opened the gate. Ron and Hermione ran into him. He bent down to them. "Ron, Hermione--you two-- you run back up to the castle. Ge' Professor Dumbledore. We'll need 'im down here!"

Hermione protested, "But, Snape! We want to..."

Hagrid forced them around. "No, no, ya don' wan'ta look! Go on! Get going!"

Hermione's eyes opened wide. She grabbed Ron's hand and they bolted toward the Hogwart's entrance. Hagrid turned to his mud-spattered back yard.

Harry was standing over Professor Snape, reaching toward but not touching him. Snape crouched low against the post where Buckbeak had once been tied to be executed. He was almost hidden in the shadows, except the movement of his slightly rocking shoulders gave him away. Hagrid stepped toward him. "Professor Snape?"

Snape knocked back against the fence. He gasped. Then he put his hand on the post. "Professor...Hagrid?"

"Yeah. Don't worry it's me." He squelched through the muck to Snape.

Snape wiped a bit of the blood from his face; his blank eyes moved about. "Where are we?"

"Ma back yard."

A thin line appeared between Snape's eyes, as if that was not the answer he expected. He shook his head, and said to himself, "The spell shouldn't have worked like that."

"B' glad it did! Though I don know which spell yur referin' to--it did'n kill, ya, anyway. Ya made it here! Good enough!"

Again Snape shook his head. "Not for what it was supposed to do." His voice became sharp."Is Potter with you?"

"Yeah. 'e's 'ere, Professor."

Harry jumped around and crouched by Snape. "Professor! I heard Malfoy's curse! Avada Kedavra. How are you still alive?"

Snape's mouth pulled down. "Do you ever listen, Mr. Potter? Distance matters in magic. And concentration. Malfoy was distracted, too far away."

Hagrid started. "Malfoy used 't Killin' Curse on you?"

"It didn't kill me." Snape wiped his nose again with his wrapped hand.

"No, but sur's a whale of a nose bleed 'e managed." Hagrid chuckled, looking extremely relieved, until he saw the bandages. "Wot 'appened to yur 'and, Professor?" Snape just made a small, useless movement. Hagrid searched over his face. "That's a fair amount of hexes ya got on ya, too. Maybe, we should fix 'em up some before we go 'n."

Snape shook his head again. "No, I don't have my wand."

Hagrid raise one brow, then the other. "Don 'ave your wand? Where is i'?" Snape leaned against the pole.

"It's stuck in a tree."

"A tree? Now 'ow'd that 'appen?" Hagrid seemed at a loss, but Snape merely closed his eyes. Finally, Hagrid slapped his thigh and stood up. "Well, if ya don have it, ya don. No sense 't sittin' in the mud. Come on, then. We can use mine."

"No, I can't walk," Snape quietly replied. "I've already tried."

Harry suddenly realized Snape was very pale beneath the mud. Hagrid looked him over. "Right, then." He reached down and slipped his massive arms under Snape, hoisting him into the air. "Get 't door, won'ch ya, 'arry?"