Disclaimer: All Harry Potter people, places, and things, (all Harry Potter nouns) belong to J. K. Rowlings. Desiree Snape and Eleanora Snape are mine.

Chapter 15: Finding strength.

A week before the term was to begin Minerva walked by the girls' bathrooms and heard a person expelling the contents of her stomach. Desiree emerged shortly and looked at her feet upon realizing that Minerva had heard her. "Are you feeling alright? You look so pale," Minerva observed.

The other woman slowly shook her head. "I think I may have caught a bug from someone, but I can't think of who."

Minerva gave her a small smile. "You mean 'whom,' but that's beside the point. I think you should pay a visit to Poppy. Your husband wouldn't want to come back and find you sick, would he?"

Of all the reactions, Minerva had not expected her to be fighting back tears. "I don't know what's wrong with me. I'm sorry to be so emotional. My husband is out there doing who knows what while I'm here going over lesson plans. After what happened to Sirius, I'm so worried about what could happen to Remus," Desiree admitted.

Minerva hugged her and spoke to her as if she was a child again. "Desiree dear, you'll worry yourself to death if you keep thinking along these lines. You need to hope that he will come back."

Desiree nodded. "Thank you, Minerva. I really…" she trailed off dashing back into the bathroom. Minerva sighed and elected to pay a visit to Poppy.

When she arrived, the mediwitch quickly scurried over to her. "Are you alright, Minerva? Is the cane giving you any trouble?"

Minerva put a hand up to calm Poppy. "I am not here for myself. With all that has happened, Desiree's nerves are a mess and she can't keep food down. I would like to bring her an anti-nausea potion."

Poppy raised an eyebrow. "And why is she not in here herself?"

"Because she has been retching in the bathroom," Minerva explained bluntly.

The term began with Defense Against the Dark Arts being taught by Desiree. "Well, at least someone from my family will be teaching that class, even though it isn't me," Severus commented to Minerva at the Feast.

She raised an eyebrow. "You certainly are taking this well."

"Let me just say that I have watched her enough to note that she deserves the position," he remarked.

"I think you're getting soft," she said with a wry smile, looking out at the new group of first-years.

He scoffed. "We'll see who has gone 'soft' when I give detentions to most of your Gryffindors again in Potions."

Almost to spite his prediction, the Gryffindors seemed to do well in Potions as the term began. Even Neville had stopped blowing things up as frequently. During the second week of school, Harry had almost completed his Occlumency lessons with Nora. They sat on the floor of the Gryffindor Common Room. He had succeeded in blocking her out without distractions and she had given him one last task.

"I want you to send that vase from one side of the room to the other while I try to probe your mind. Your job is to block me and continue moving the vase," Nora instructed.

Harry began to move the vase as she began meandering through his mind. Neither realized that her hand was resting on his other shoulder and abruptly the vase flew across the room and shattered with a speed Harry had not anticipated. After he repaired it he turned back to her. "What happened? I tried to block you, but suddenly it felt as though a charge shot through my wand hand and I think my strength may have doubled."

Nora thought for a moment on the situation. Then a bright curiosity spread over her features. "I have an idea I'd like to test. Let's try another spell."

The next task was to transfigure the chair into a lizard. When Nora put her arm on his shoulder again, the chair became a dangerous, fire-breathing dragon. He quickly returned the chair to its normal state and then turned to her. "What is this?"

She thought back to Moody and her eyes grew wide with a new realization. "I think I see now why those horrible people are after me too. I'm just as dangerous as you are because I can amplify your magic!"

"Which means that if you fight, they will kill you," he told her.

"What do you mean 'if' I fight? I will fight by your side and together we will defeat this Voldemort guy," she said assertively.

Teaching Defense Against the Dark Arts, Desiree was feeling better with the potion Minerva had brought to her, but she still experienced dizziness and caught herself nodding off while marking papers. She had scheduled all of her lessons after 10:00 in the morning, which was helpful. Nothing could seem to take her mind off of Remus though.

It was almost the middle of September when Severus informed the staff at a meeting that the deatheaters and Voldemort would attack Hogwarts in two days' time. His warning sent everyone into a frenzied hurry for preparations. Moving almost constantly, the defenses of Hogwarts readied themselves for the worst.

The night before the battle had hit Minerva the hardest. No longer needing the cane, she had discarded it earlier that day. She crossed her arms and stared at the window of her rooms, dreading the upcoming battle with every fiber of her being. She was so engulfed in her worrying that she did not notice when Severus entered.

"You're worried about it," he said quietly.

She turned to face him and nodded solemnly. "Worried is an understatement. I don't want to go through this again. I despise wars and this kind of war will be one of the worst we've seen in a long time," she paused and he noticed that a few tears rand down her cheek. "And so many good people will probably die. I can't bear it, nor do I have the strength to."

"Then let me be strong for you." He wrapped his arms around her and let her cry on his shoulder. Then he sat her down on the couch and rubbed her back. "We will survive this. Voldemort will be defeated and things will finally be alright."

She looked up to face him. "How can you be so certain? Why are you so hopeful?"

"Do you trust me?" he waited for her to nod. "Minerva, even I need hope. Without hope there is nothing worth fighting for. We have to continue hoping, for all our sakes," he explained gently. They continued to sit together and watch the sun come up.

The next morning began with a standoff in the open area near the Quidditch Pitch. On Voldemort's side stood the deatheaters, several of whom were familiar faces, glared at the others in disgust. On the Hogwarts side, Minerva stood near Severus, both prepared to fight. Remus and the rest of the order had materialized and he stood near Desiree. Harry and Nora stood among Dumbledore's Army, everyone ready to do whatever it took to finish the job.

Voldemort, half-hidden in an old ratty black cape, fired the first shot, aimed at Severus, having realized that the Potions master had been a spy. He skillfully blocked it and the awful battle began. So many spells were fired that a layer of smoke hung in the air, damaging visibility. In the smoke, Remus and Desiree were separated, neither realizing it at first.

People seemed to fire curses from all directions, duck, and then fire again. Harry and Nora stood close enough together that they could still see each other in the smoke. As they fought, Nora began to sense a foul darkness. She reached over and linked her arm with his. "You sense him, don't you?" Harry inquired. Nora only nodded before Harry's scar began to burn worse than it already had and the evil cloaked figure appeared.

"Well this should be interesting, I get rid of two nuisances for the price of one. I think she should go first. Any last words?" he crooned snidely.

Nora glared at him. "Why is it always the woman that people think they ought to attack first? I think you assume too much."

An indignant anger filled his being. "Why you little…" he trailed off and fired a killing curse at her.

Because she was holding onto Harry, when she created a shield around herself, the strength of it doubled and the spell was deflected. "I guess you can amplify me also," Nora surmised, facing Harry.

She watched with concern as Harry's eyes closed tightly for an instant. "He's trying to break into my mind."

Nora had not let go of him. "I think I can keep him out while you fight him. That should give us the advantage we need."

Having Voldemort in his mind was a slimy feeling that almost caused him to gag, but Nora's presence had begun to keep the evil wizard at bay. Harry and Voldemort dueled for a while as Nora tried to hold the shield. Even with Harry's amplified abilities, he still seemed unable to defeat Voldemort.

Then it happened. While Nora was in Harry's mind fighting Voldemort, she heard him say, "There's nothing you can do, little girl. He's mine and you'll be next," followed by an evil laugh.

But again he had underestimated her. "No!" she cried aloud. With that last strong wave of emotion, an aura appeared around herself and Harry. An effect like a sonic boom came from her, joining with the curse Harry had yelled, the killing curse.

Voldemort did not simply die. He was vaporized when the wave hit him. After he was dead, Harry suddenly felt a tug on his arm and then nothing. He looked to his right where Nora had been standing and found her on the ground, unconscious and feverish. The battle was winding down and he realized with an exhausted sigh that it was no longer his fight. He levitated Nora out of danger and made his way to the infirmary with her.

Minerva stared at the bodies around her, of the damage caused by the dark magic. The battle was finally over and the air was full of smoke. She sank down on the grass and began sobbing for the repulsiveness, the evil, and the horror of it all. Severus had been searching for her in a panic and dashed to her side when he saw her. He quietly wrapped his arms around her and the two sat on the grass as she expelled the day's emotions.

When they finally stood, it was a surprise to find Remus heading toward them. His clothes were charred here and there and his face held a look of panic. "Have either of you seen Desiree?"

Minerva and Severus both shook their heads. "We should probably head over to the infirmary to see if she's with the wounded," Minerva recommended, hoping that she was correct and that Desiree had not been killed.

When the three arrived at the infirmary, they did not find Desiree, but they spotted Harry with Nora. "The girl experienced a substantial drain on her powers and will probably restore herself, but we should give her time to rest," Poppy advised.

Remus looked around hastily, not finding his wife. Severus was also greatly worried. "I suppose we could venture outside again and look for her," he suggested.

They were about to leave when the door to the infirmary opened.

(my thanks to Leta McGotor and excessivelyperky for reviewing :D)