Disclaimer: Not mine. Hers ::points at J.K Rowling::

A/N: Fixed up the ending to Chapter 24 a bit. Wasn't exactly too happy with it before, though I am now. For the most part.

Thanks everyone for your reviews! They really mean alot to me, and are a HUGE help. I'd be lost without you guys.

Cassandra Thacker: Yep, I know, last chapter was lame. There's a reason for it. It's purposefully lame. Isn't that spiffy?

Julia Bartlett: Uh..how many more chapters? When I started this, I figured there'd be like 20 at the most. So...I have no clue. I'd say 30 though, the way things are going.

estaki: MORE!

Warning: shameless self-promotion ahead. If you haven't yet, go and check out my newest story, On a Silver Platter. It's pretty good, if I do say so myself.

Alright. I am SO SORRY this took so long. It was unintentional, I swear. I couldn't figure out for the life of me why I couldn't finish it.

And then there was silence. The only sound that was heard was that of the arrival of impending doom. The enchanted ceiling had changed weather, now it showed thickening clouds, black and grouchy looking.

Severus' mind stopped. Harry Potter was dead. Dead as in not alive. As in never to return.

Shit.

It wasn't that Severus believed in all of that prophecy nonsense, because he didn't and it was unlikely that he ever would. But he did believe in the power of prophecies.

Prophecies had the power to make the two strongest wizards in Britian believe that a 16 year old boy is a force to be reckoned with. Whether they gave hope or instilled fear, prophecies could turn the most rational of people into fools. The power of prophecies was that of deception.:

The prophecy that doomed Harry Potter had such weight on it that you could tell that many believed the battle to be over. Resigned acceptance of their fate showed on the faces of the haggard looking members of the light. So much hope had been infused into Harry, into what they believed he was destined to do, that many believed they might as well give up at this point. They had lost. And yet, the battle was not over.

Suddenly there was a blood-curdling scream.

Severus' eyes darted to the charred remains of the doors. There stood a woman, who looked so pale and shocked that she might collapse in a faint at any moment. Severus blinked. He had to be seeing things. Please, let him be seeing things.

It was Hermione.

Everything became very singular. Severus could only see one thing. Hermione. He had just one thought in his head. Get her out of here. Everything else was inconsequential.

He pushed his way through the fight, pushing people out of his way and stepping onto corpses. He was vaugely aware of the battle going around him, the duels that he walked through, but his attention was solely on Hermione. He couldn't fail. Not again.

The ground shook under his feet, he couldn't see what was going on through the crowds in front of him. He growled in frustration and continued making his way through at an alarming rate.

Finally, he made his way over to where Hermione was. If he had been anyone else, his jaw would have dropped to the floor in shock. As it were, he settled on a surprised and incredulous look.

Hermione was floating midair in a rather disconcerting manner, muttering something. Severus rarely felt at such a loss for words. What in the name of Merlin was going on?

Everything seemed hazy, the very air around him grew blurry. A feeling of panic grew within him. He relied on his keen sense of vision, he prided himself on it. And now, he'd be lucky if he could see his hand if he put it to his nose. The colors bled into one another, everything was a mess. But it seemed that he wasn't the only one experiencing this. Others were stumbling around, and the less intelligent were still trying to cast curses, often missing or hitting one of their side.

He kept blinking and rubbing his eyes alternatingly, trying to regain his sight. What else could he do?

He stumbled forward, narrowly missing something, or someone. He wasn't sure what he was trying to do. He wasn't sure of anything anymore. Everything was thick and muddled, as if it was the consistancy of molasses.

Was it just him, or was that a flash of green?

Something smelled like old cabbage. And rotten eggs. Severus scrunched up his overly sensitive nose, trying to rid himself of the smell.

What was that thump? He grew uneasy, blast whatever magic it was that impaired his vision!

He wasn't kept in suspense overly long. It was as if a fog had cleared the area, everything became visible. He could see perfectly, as well as he could before.

But what did Severus see? There was a pile of ashes in the center of the room which were smoking, which was assumedly where the smell was coming from. Next to that there was, --wait. He did a double take. Next to the robes was Hermione, crumpled on the floor in a pool of her own blood. His heart sank down to his feet and he felt like he couldn't breathe. She was dead.

He hadn't been able save her.

THE END.

A/N: Nah, just kidding. ::evil grin::

I'm STILL not happy with this. If you have any suggestions for it, please, tell me. I'm no good at this final battle stuff.

Oh, and dun kill me. I'm sorry! And anyways, this isn't exactly the end. Who knows what the future holds?

Oh yeah. That's right. I do. ::grin::

R/R