Chapter 24: Long Night 2.

Today.

Professor Severus Snape marched towards his office in long strides, his black robes swirling behind him on the stone floor. He felt a rare, sinking feeling in his stomach, a sense of fear. He turned the corner and went down the stairs towards the dungeons and his office.

Lupin's wife was healed, or so it seems, and remembred nothing from the night of the attack. The problem was that the Dark Lord obviously knew about that, it might explain the new manor that came out of no where at the end of Godric lane in Godric Hollow. But if or when she'll remember…that might complicate things in more then one way.

The last day of July…who would have guessed such a simple date would cause so much damage. He wondered if Lupin understood now everything that happened. Did he blame himself? Did he understand that Wormtail betrayed him even before he gave the Potters on a plate to the Dark Lord? No one knew about the Lupins baby beside their little group, not even Dumbledore and when he found out he told no one. He might have to tell the headmaster soon…and them, he had to tell them. Sighing, he opened the door to his office, the last thing he wanted to do was to uncover his part in the great melodrama that was Remus and Rose Lupin's life.

He raised his eyebrows when he saw Hermione Granger and Harry Potter still in his office. He was about to open his mouth and snap at them when Granger spoke.

"Oh, Harry, you won't believe it! You won't believe what he did, no wonder everyone

hated him. He deserved every hex he ever received." Hermione sobbed.

Snape felt his blood boiling and he approached them quickly. How dare she invade his memories…his hands clutching the sides of his robes, he kept sneaking towards the two Gryffindors.

"What? What are you talking about?" Harry asked, his voice shaking.

"Harry, he did it! It was Snape…"

"It's Professor Snape, Miss Granger." Snape drawled. He smiled a fake smile, raising his eye brow slightly. The two students gaped at him with shock. "What did you see, Miss Granger?" He asked and almost grinned when she opened and closed her mouth. "Hurry up now." He said. "If you allowed yourself to look at my memories you should at least have the dignity to tell me what you saw."

Hermione shaked a little. "I…I saw you in…a house, you were a d…death eater. You were tossing burning wood all around the house…you…you burned the house. There was…a body at your feet…" Hermione took a shuddering breath and continued refusing to look in the potions master eyes. "There was blood…she was pregnant…" Snape jerked backwards. "She was…dead."

Harry looked at her, his eyes wide. He couldn't believe his ears. He knew that Snape was a death eater and that he probably carried some horrible memories but this…he shook his head, for a moment there he wasn't sure which of them he felt more sorry for, Snape for experiencing it or Hermione for seeing it.

Snape's eyes narrowed so much it looked like he couldn't see them anymore. "Leave now!" He spat. "A hundred points from Gryffindor for that horrible intrusion of my privacy." Hermione and Harry looked at each other with surprise and then got up quickly and walked towards the door. Snape remaine with his back towards them until he turned and called for them again.

"Potter! Granger!"

They turned around slowly and looked at him. The look of anger on his face was replaced with something that resembled sadness and he pulled his wand slowly. Harry felt Hermione's hand clutching his painfully.

"I only hope you could understand someday." He said softly.

"What are you doing?" Harry exclaimed, his hand moving to grasp his wand.

"Obllivite…"

Then. 30 July 1980.

Remus groaned when he opened his eyes and turned around to face his wife. He saw her lying down on her back, her hands resting on her stomach. Her eyes were open and she gazed at the ceiling. He caressed her arm slowly and she turned her head slowly, smiling. "Hey."

"Hey, did you sleep at all?"

"A little." She shrugged. "You should get going, it's already seven."

He groaned and burried his head in her neck, kissing the exposed flesh. "I don't want to go, I'd better stay here with you."

"Remus, you have to go to the meeting." He heared the smile in her voice. "You have to tell Albus I'm still sick. If you won't be there he might be worried and stop by for a visit."

"You're right." he sighed again and got up from the bed. "Are you sure you're alright?"

"I have a little cramps." She sighed. "But I had them for the last two weeks, it's nothing knew."

Remus returned from the bathroom and leaned to kiss her softly on her lips. "If you need me you know how to find me." She smiled and he leaned to kiss her again. "I won't be home late." He promised, smiling.

She smiled when she heared him runing down the stairs and then the door slam and then frowned slightly, what was she going to do all by herself, in bed, for several hours? Sighing, she reached out for a book Remus was reading and started reading to herself.

She rolled her eyes a moment later when she realized what she was reading. Typical, she grinned, a defence against the dark arts book. He shouldn't be working as a bartender in a muggle pub. He should have been an auror, he could have been but people were too narow minded to give him a chance. Lying back against the pillow, she sighed. She knew he wasn't happy about working in that place, it made him think less about himself. She raised her head again when she sensed a familiar feeling in her lower stomach and groaned…she spent more time in the bathroom in the last couple of days then the rest of her life. Why do pregnant women pee so much?

She got up slowly and headed towards the bathroom when she thought she heared the front door opening. Frowning a little, she grabbed her wand and went down the stairs slowly, could Remus be home so soon? Grumbling at her own weight and discomfort she walked slowly towards the door. She hoped it was Remus, she needed him to ease her worries about the next day. Why hasn't the baby come yet? What if there was something wrong? She didn't like it very much when the muggle doctor examined her and altough he was very understanding she couldn't even begin to think what might happen tomorrow? What did the doctor say? Something about epidoral?

She reached the door and turned the handle to the right. The door was unlocked. She frowned at it for a while and then shrugged and went towards the kitchen to get a glass of water. She poured the water and then went back to the living room, remembering that she didn't lock the door.

She gave a startled cry and dropped the glass when she saw a black hooded man standing infront of her. She stared at him for a while and then whirled around only to face another one. Death eaters. There were more…three more joined the other two and they all looked at her.

"What do you want?" She spat, fumbling around her robes for her wand.

"Where is the wolf?" One of them hissed.

"At work." She answered quickly, remembering now that her wand was on the kitchen table.

"A pity…" A man behind her spoke. "We were planing to hold him until the next full moon and then…"

"Enough!" The death eater infront of her spoke. "You carry his child." He said, his voice filled with distaste.

"I am his wife." She answered proudly. She will not fear them, she refused to but a sudden feeling of wetness on her inner thighs scared her a little. Did I wet myself?

"Your husband is not at his filthy muggle work." The man behind her spoke, she found his voice oddly familiar. "We have already been there."

A sudden pain erupted inside of her and she shuddered, trying hard not to moan with pain. A new realization dawned at her. She did not wet herself but it might have been better if she did. Franticly looking around her she knew she had to get out of there. Her water broke and she will not have a baby in front of five death eaters…

She dashed to her right, towards the general direction of the kitchen but never made it to the door.

"Crucio!"

She tumbled down screaming with pain. Every nerve ending seemed to pulse with no control and she felt her body convulsing wildly, unable to control herself. Seconds streched into eternity and she gasped loudly when the pain suddenly stopped. Her limbs gave a few more shudders and then she felt too powerless to move. She couldn't even bring herself to open her eyes, hot tears covered her cheeks and she moaned softly.

The baby…I'm loosing the baby…

"You shouldn't have married him, Rose." A voice whispered in her ears. "You should have stayed on our side, my precious Rose…you were not meant to be his…"

Rose opened her eyes slowly and fixed them steadily on the pale eyes of Ralph Umbridge. "No one in the world could be compared to him." She hissed.

Umbridge face twisted with hatred and a new face appeared before her. She didn't recognize him. He had pale blue eyes and gazed at her with disgust. "Someone must really hate you." He said, his voice filled with coldness.

"I suppose I could say the same for you." She spat and he smiled slightly.

"I suppose you deserve it for your betrayal in your familly." He drawled. "How would it feel like to sleep for a long time and wake up when all your loved ones are dead? How would it feel like to live inside a shell? How would it feel like to be nothing but a shell of a body? How would it feel like to die on the inside?"

Rose still looked at him, her eyes wide and he grinned. He did it again…her eyes were filled with terror and he enjoyed every moment of looking into them. Backing away from her he pulled out his wand and aimed it towards her chest. He expected her to close her eyes but her gaze was still upon him, steady, and it made him mad. Growling in his throat he spoke one word in a voice that echoed all around the small house.

Rose saw the blue ray that shot from the wand approaching her very slowly. She wanted to close her eyes but found that she couldn't look away. And then it hit her and she started screaming.

It wasn't painfull but for some reason she couldn't stop herself. A feeling of numbness spreaded around her legs and started moving up her body…trapped…

How would it feel like to live inside a shell?

She was still screaming, willing herself to stop…her body no longer obeyed her mind's commands. I'm trapped…

How would it feel like to die on the inside?

Another wave of pain hit her stomach and then she no longer felt it when the feeling of numbness claimed her, moving upwards. Insdie a shell…

How would it feel like to sleep for a long time and wake up when all your loved ones are dead?

Her screaming slowly faded away and she heared a screeching laughter from above her. The death eater was laughing, his gaze not leaving her. Help me…please…

Her eyes suddenly blacked out and she saw bright lights, swirling colors that moved back and forward. She heared laughter and sounds of breaking wood and glass…she was loosing her consciousness and couldn't fight it anymore.

Remus…

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Well, I suppose now you understand why it took me so long to update…

Besides the tests and everything I just couldn't bring myself to write that last bit…too dark…

I hope it was worth the wait and I'll appreciate your feedback!

Please REVIEW!!

Thank you all you wonderfull reviewers who give me their output…my advise to you…

Don't be so hard on Snape…nothing is what it seems to be…