You know, I was going to make you all wait, but then I figured... why? It's done. It's finished. This is the second to last chapter, they're written, and edited, and ready to go. So why wait?

I never did have much patience... ever!

Thank you so much to those of you who have been along for the ride... it's been wild. I've enjoyed this so very, very much. You have no idea what a break this has been for me from my normal routine.

I promise – the prequel is coming!

CQ


Chapter Twenty: This Is It, Isn't It?

"Ron! Ron, wake up!" Harry hissed at his best friend.

"I don't want to ride the merry-go-round..." Ron muttered.

"Harry?" Hermione's sleepy voice came from the other side of the bed.

"Mione! Can you wake him?"

"Ron, love..." she shook Ron's shoulder.

"What?" Ron stirred.

"Harry is trying to wake you..."

"Harry?" Ron turned in the dim light from the hall and saw his friend leaning over him. "What is it?"

"It's Snape, Ron..."

"What's the git gone and done now?" Ron asked, flopping back against his pillow.

"He came and talked to me in the study... I didn't think anything of it, but after, lying in bed, I was thinking about the things he said. He... I think he's gone after them, Ron."

"Snape? Harry, I really don't think..."

"He disapparated, Ron."

"What?"

"He didn't floo. He disapparated. He can't apparate into Hogwarts."

"Bloody hell!" Ron sat up, throwing his legs over the side of the bed and reaching for his jeans.

"I'm going to go and wake the others... downstairs in five minutes, okay?"

"Done," Ron responded as Harry rushed from the room.

"Ron? What's happened?"

"Harry thinks that Snape's taken things into his own hands and gone to the school."

"They'll kill him!" Hermione sat up.

"If they don't, then I just might," Ron muttered, stepping into his heavy-soled boots and pulling on a thick sweater over a tshirt. "Bloody git..."

"Ron, I'm sure he means well..."

"I'm not."

"Be careful..." she said, pushing the covers back, and getting out of bed. Coming to him, she wrapped one arm around his neck and stood on the very tips of her toes to kiss him. Taking his other hand, she placed it on her belly, low. "We'll be here, waiting for you."

"Mione?" he whispered, what she was saying dawning on him.

"A part of you will always be with me, Ron. Forever, now, you'll always have something to come back for. I love you."

"You and I need to have a talk about your timing when I get back."

"Promise?" she smiled.

Ron quickly kissed her hard, and turned to the door. When he reached it, he glanced back at his wife.

"I love you, Hermione."

"I know," she nodded. "Now go, it's not right if you're not beside him."

In the kitchen, Ron was pulling on his cloak when Harry entered with Charlie, Bill and Fred behind him.

"George?" Ron enquired.

"Coming," Harry said, sitting down and pulling on his own boots. "He's getting your dad."

"Dad isn't coming!" Ron said, shocked.

"No," Harry said. "But we thought it would be a good idea to have him up and ready for us... when we get back. And the rest of the Order needs to know."

Harry pulled out his cel phone and dialled.

"Harry?" Bill looked at him.

"Lupin," Harry explained.

"I'm going to get Neville," Ron said before disapparating with a pop.

"You think we should let Lee know?" Fred asked as George and Arthur rushed into the room.

"The more the merrier..." Bill said as he pulled his hair back into a tight pony tail, out of his way. Fred disapparated, leaving Arthur looking at Harry.

"Remus? It's Harry. No, it's not... we need you here... now. Immediately. I think Snape's gone after them, and... okay."

As Harry disconnected the call, Arthur spoke, "Harry? Are you sure?"

"As sure as I can be, Arthur. We'll follow his signature..."

"Be rather embarrassing if we follow him into a place he'd rather us not see him in..." Charlie commented, grinning at the look on Harry's face.

"I doubt it, Charlie," Harry said after a moment. "You weren't there... it was.... spooky."

"Snape is spooky, Harry," George said. "Reminds me of a bloody bat..."

"Just... trust me, okay?" Harry said, looking around at the group.

"We do, Harry," Bill nodded. "Or I would have flattened you for walking in on Janie and I the way you did."

Harry flushed, and George began to laugh. His laughter, however, was short lived as they heard footsteps on the stairs. Hermione and Ginny appeared first, holding tightly on to each other's hands, then Molly and Janie, who blushed furiously when she looked in Harry's direction.

"Harry?" Hermione looked around the room. "Where is Ron?"

"Gone for Neville, Hermione," Harry said. Then stated flatly, with no room for argument, "You're not coming."

"No," she agreed quietly.

"Good. Do you think you can work on convincing Charlie and Bill to stay?"

"Not gonna happen, Harry," Bill muttered as he pulled on his heavy black leather cloak, not even bothering to look at Harry.

"Over my bloody dead body," Charlie said.

"That's exactly what I'm afraid of," Harry said, looking at Ginny's eldest brothers. "It's bad enough that Ron and I and the twins are going, you two need to..."

"Harry?" Bill said, his blue eyes boring into Harry's green ones with sudden intensity. "Do you remember what I told you way back? That I wouldn't be hiding when the time came?"

"Yes, Bill."

"The time has come, and we both know it. Now shut the hell up, because you're just wasting time."

As Remus Lupin popped into the room, Harry turned to Ginny and pulled her close, hugging her tightly. "I love you. More than life, more than anything. I have loved you from the first moment I saw you, and I have never stopped. Remember that, please?"

Ginny looked up at him, her eyes wide with fear at the tone in his voice. "Harry?"

"Arthur?" Harry turned to his father in law, pushing Ginny gently toward him. "You keep her here. Understand?"

"Absolutely, Harry," Arthur nodded, recognition in his eyes as Harry stared into them. Ginny thought something passed between them, and was startled as she saw tears come to her fathers eyes.

Legilimens.

"Harry..." Arthur began, his voice tight with emotion.

"Keep her here, Arthur. No matter what."

Arthur nodded, and Molly, sensing his emotions, came to stand next to him, holding him close as Arthur placed an arm around his daughter's shoulders.

"Harry?" Ginny tried to move forward, but Arthur held her tightly. "Harry!"

"I love you, Ginny," Harry said, as he turned away.

Ron and Neville appeared with a pop, and seconds later, Fred with Lee Jordan, who had a serious case of bed-head, but was fully clothed and had his wand out. At the last moment, Tonks popped into the room.

"You're not going anywhere without me! Thanks for calling, Remus... Shack is pulling together some aurors and will meet us there."

"Okay?" Harry said. "Follow me."

And with that, he disapparated out of the room, the last thing he looked at was Ginny's white face and the tears on her cheeks as she strained against her father's hold.

They apparated into a clearing in the forest about half a mile from the school. Harry could see dim light in several of the windows, but overall, the buildings were dark.

"There should be a tunnel entrance somewhere..." Harry said quietly. "It'll be hidden..."

"Found it, Harry," Tonks said. "Over here, behind this rock."

"Nymph?" Harry said. "I want you to stay here."

"Not in a bloody month of Sundays, my lad," she said.

"You can't..."

"I can. It's what I've been doing for almost thirty years, Harry. I know what I'm capable of, and I'll drop back when I can't do it anymore, okay? I'm not stupid."

"No, but that bloody Gryffindor pride..."

"You know it," she confirmed, nodding. "Now shut the hell up and lead the way."

Harry and Ron took the point, leading the others into the tunnel.

"Lumos minimus," Harry whispered, lighting the tip of his wand to such a tiny speck of light that the crack in the earth they were standing in was barely illuminated. "I'm not going to keep the light on. We don't want to tip them off that we're here. Follow. Nox."

They all followed as Harry and Ron moved forward.

"Harry?" Ron said quietly after a few moments. "Harry... this is it, isn't it?"

Harry hesitated, but then responded in the darkness. "I think so, Ron."

"Yeah, I figured," Ron whispered. There was a moment of silence before he continued. "Hermione's pregnant."

"Really?" Harry smiled despite himself.

"Yeah. She told me before we left."

Harry tried hard not to laugh. "Impeccable timing, our Mione has."

"She does," Ron agreed as they kept moving steadily forward. "Harry?"

"What, Ron?"

"Thank you. If it hadn't been for you, I wouldn't have her..."

"Yes, you would. You would have found her, eventually, Ron."

"Yeah, I suppose I would have," Ron agreed.

"Ron?"

"What, Harry?"

"There's something I need to say to you."

"Yeah?" Ron whispered after a moment's hesitation.

"Thank you for giving me a family, Ron. Thank you for being there for me, and sharing what you had with me. Thank you for... everything."

"Harry..."

"And you're my best friend, mate..."

"I know."

"But the Chudley Cannons are quite possibly the worst Quidditch team on earth," Harry said as they approached a turn in the tunnel. There was light beyond it. "And orange really isn't your color."

As they rounded the corner into what appeared to be a cellar, what they saw stopped them in their tracks.

"You son of a bitch!" Harry screamed, pointing his wand at the man standing in front of him, just before the wave of green light lit the room to a blinding glare.

And there is the second to last chapter....

Shotgunn: Goddess? I like this. I like this A LOT!

Gorman99: You're kidding me? I made you CRY? AT WORK? Holy moly... I'm honored... this is going over much better than I ever expected!

Lupin123: Sorry about that, mate. Don't want to keep you hanging for TOO long... you might lose interest!

Kordolin: I love writing this. It's been so much fun!

Larna Mandrea: I love your reviews, but I must say, I never expected a compliment such as that. As far as I'm concerned, JKR is the best there is. Bar none. But I'm honored, really!

Merlindamage: So glad to see he'll be missed, MD... you know, you shouldn't get so busted up about it! Sheesh!

CQ