The field, which just seconds before had appeared empty and completely deserted, exploded in furious activity. Shadowy figures were jumping the walls, and battle erupted under the unnatural green light. There appeared to be just a few more of the enemy's forces than there were Order members; the two groups seemed almost evenly matched.

Marya saw Tonks dueling with a short Death Eater who kept her on her toes, darting back and forth, using whatever she could for cover, while a curse coming from Kingley Shacklebolt's wand hit another hooded figure in the chest. As his enemy crumpled, the tall, strong wizard already turned to help out Tonks.

Marya's eyes scanned the field restlessly. Finally, she spotted Severus in the very center of the action. It almost made her laugh. He was dueling with Emmeline Vance. They were putting on a perfect show. It would have taken very close observation for anyone to notice that in the furious back and forth and dramatic wand-waving the spells were actually skillfully aimed at Death Eaters battling around them. It was an amazing display of wizarding craftsmanship, and Marya would have loved having the leisure to simply watch them.

At that moment, the wood pile that Marya had been hiding behind earlier burst into flame from a wayward Incendio curse, and the smoke and flickering light added to the surreal feel of the scene.

Remus Lupin was fiercely battling a tall wizard, not noticing that another Death Eater was coming up right behind him. Silently giving thanks for the time spent in dueling lessons the last couple weeks, Marya cast a blasting spell - and saw the assailant grab his leg and fall. Well, at least Severus had been right – she could do some good even from here.

She was too far away though. It was hard to see from all the way across the field, and even harder to get a clear line-of-sight shot, with all the obstacles cluttering the area around the barn. Reasoning that as long as she stayed behind the wall she was still safe and therefore within the spirit of the promise she had made, if not the letter, she slowly made her way closer to the center of the action.

The waves of battle rolled back and forth. The air was filled with shouts, curses, and the shuffling of feet. Green and red sparks; white beams coming off wand tips flickered in the darkness.

She saw Dedalus Diggle's arms snap to his side, and saw him fall forward stiff as a board, his violet top hat tumbling to the ground. "Ennervate!" Marya shouted frantically, willing the frail old wizard to get up again. She breathed a sigh of relief when he scrambled back up on his hand and knees.

Severus and Emmeline were still at their little charade. Remus and Tonks were back to back now, fighting the enemy while protecting each other. There were several Death Eaters down, but she had lost track of a couple of the Order members as well.

At that moment, there was a loud popping noise, and a figure apparated not too far from Marya. Then another. And another. The Ministry Aurors had arrived.

- - -

Marya gave a shout of relief as more and more of them popped out of thin air in front of her, more than enough to defeat the Dark Wizards. Within seconds her relief turned to panic, as she realized that she had forgotten about one small detail. These people had no clue that Severus was not one of the enemy. And they were allowed to kill.

Frantically, her eyes searched back and forth through the masses of bodies moving back and forth. She saw Severus, quickly glancing left and right, and moving deftly as he now had to defend himself against an enemy who was clearly in the majority. A Ministry Auror apparated right behind him. With a wild cry, Marya shot out a stunning spell, and though it wasn't strong enough to take the Auror down, at least it made him stumble, buying some time. Just for a second the schizophrenic nature of what she had just done hit Marya – attacking an Auror to keep a Death Eater safe. She could go to Azkaban for that. She didn't care.

What happened next, she saw almost in slow motion – an Auror turned, his mouth moved as his wand shot out. She saw Severus jerk back as the curse hit him, and then saw his knees give way, saw him fall, hitting the ground limply with a sickening thud.

A scream stuck in her throat, Marya was over the wall, running towards Severus. Out of nowhere, Remus appeared, blocking her way with his arms. "What are you doing, get back..."

Marya struggled frantically to get by him. Not until the last second did she see the Death Eater, not until a beam of green light from his wand passed across Remus' chest and she felt him collapse, not until the same beam hit her, and for a millisecond the world exploded in pain before it faded to black.

- - - -

The next thing Severus knew was a wave of pain, and the feeling of being dragged across uneven ground. The voice of Emmeline Vance was frantically whispering counter curses. "Dammit, Severus, wake up," she hissed in his ear, "you have to get out of here."

He tried to lift himself up into a sitting position, but the grating of bone against bone told him that putting weight on his left wrist was impossible. Suppressing a moan, he sank back down. Emmeline manhandled him into a sitting position against a rock pile she had dragged him behind. "Get out, now..." She pushed the wand he had not even realized he had lost into his uninjured hand. "Now!"

With all the strength he could muster, he disapparated.

A second later he found himself in the garden behind the manor house again. Around him, he could hear faint popping sounds as more members of his group reappeared. Obviously he was not the only one to have retreated from the scene – the opposition had become too overwhelming.

A short distance away, he could see the Dark Lord holding court. Severus recoiled, and gave a second look. There were many familiar figures that he had not seen in a long while. Lucius Malfoy was kneeling on the floor making obeisance to his Master. Behind him, there were others. Rookwood. McNair. The two Lestrange brothers. Avery. It was obvious now where one group of Death Eaters had gone – there was a cluster of wizards and witches still in the tattered garments of Azkaban prisoners grouped off to the side, some with fearful, some with exultant faces.

Cradling his useless arm, Severus crawled over to where a circle surrounded the near-reptilian form of the Dark Lord, and knelt to kiss the hem of his robe. "My Lord, I have returned."

"As you can see, we have some brothers to welcome back," the Dark Lord said with a sweeping gesture. The elated mood he had displayed a day earlier had gone. Something must have not worked out according to plan.

"I am pleased beyond measure to see our old comrades restored to us," Severus replied, again bowing low to the ground.

"You are injured. Take yourself off – you will not be needed again tonight," the Dark Lord said dismissively.

"Thank you, my Lord. You are too kind," Severus said, crawling backwards

"As for you," the Dark Lord turned to the ragged group of convicts, "You will now have to decide if you want to serve, or die..."

- -

Madam Pomfrey gazed at the exhausted figure of the Potions master in front of her.

"Well, and just how did you manage to do that?" she said conversationally, carefully examining the broken wrist

"I fell," he said warily. In a way, that was the truth.

Poppy Pomfrey looked at the disheveled state and dirty robes of her colleague with a disbelieving look. She doubted that that was all there was to the story.

Within a minute, the wrist was mended. "You better not put too much strain on that for a couple of days," she said, as she finished treatment. "And you better get some rest. You look positively exhausted."

"I will," Severus promised. As he got up, he asked offhandedly, "You haven't seen Professor Morava by any chance, have you?"

"Goodness, you haven't heard then?" Madam Pomfrey said surprised. "She is in St. Mungo's. Hurt pretty badly, I believe. Soon the whole school will end up over there, first Harry Potter, then her, poor thing..."

Severus wheeled around sharply. "Harry Potter? Marya? What happened?"

"Well, no one knows, exactly. We never may. But somehow, You-Know-Who lured him into his clutches once more. Don't know how Harry did it, but somehow he survived yet again. I swear that boy has more lives than the average cat." She shook her head. "Bloodied and bruised, mind you. The Headmaster showed up when it was almost over – one of You-Know-Who's own – Pettigrew, I think is the name? – well, he died, but somehow our Harry made it again. Don't know what happened with Marya either, exactly – something about a Dark Wizard attack. Enough news for now - off with you, and get some rest."

Severus left abruptly. There was an icy feeling in his chest. What had gone wrong? He had thought her safe and sound. He knew he would take himself off alright – but getting rest would have to wait.

A/N:

Nistrale, thanks for wishing me luck! I am happy to be past the action part now, I hope this chapter is alright!

blackdragonofdeath13, I am glad you like the story. Thanks for reviewing!

Me - I am really trying to keep the tension at this point. Don't know how well I am succeeding...

Morwen24 - glad you like the characterization and the story. Thanks for reading!

Thank you, all reviewers! I really truly appreciate you taking the time to leave feedback. You are such an encouragement!!