Chapter 35

Dawn came as it did on any other day, the glowing gold circle of the sun rising above the line of the horizon in regal splendor, turning the sky a mix of deep pink and orange in the distance.

Severus did not watch the sun rise.

He stood holding his crossbow, carefully inspecting the weapon's circular sight.

His double life ended today.

By nightfall he would no longer be Severus Snape, trusted spy to the Order of the Phoenix. If he had anything to say about it, he'd be Severus Snape, the man who succeeded in killing the deranged megalomaniac Tom Marvolo Riddle.

The thought was enough to make a cold smile grace his lips.

Hermione came into the room wearing the same outfit she'd worn on the day she had arrived at Voldemort's mansion.

Severus met her gaze. Her expression was the one a person had when they were trying their damndest to look calm and collected but really on the inside they were anything but that.

And when he looked at her his chest tightened with a foreign emotion that he'd known at only one other time in his life.

He loved her with all his heart, as a man should love a woman, cherishingly and without boundaries.

The feeling gave him hope. The hope gave him determination.

He would not fail.

Yes, it would be the most difficult thing he'd ever done, and there would be no room for error, but he would succeed.

And he would spend the rest of his life showing Hermione how much she meant to him.

Severus picked up the crossbow and readied it to fire. He placed it on the ground, and using his right foot as a brace in the crossbow's stirrup, he fitted one of the deadly sharp bolts on the string, pulled the string back and locked it into place. The remaining diamond tipped bolt was secured to its side with a strap around the quiver. When he was done, Severus held the crossbow in his right hand and took his wand from the table next to him.

They would Apparate to a spot within the forest and Call Fawkes with their combined power.

Something deep inside Hermione was trembling. In truth, she'd never been so afraid.

If even one thing went wrong, Severus would lose his life. Though she told herself over and over that she had to stop thinking such horrible thoughts, how could she not think them when she cared for Severus as deeply as she did?

Severus looked into Hermione's eyes.

"It is time to end this," he said resolutely.

Hermione nodded in silence, not trusting her voice to stay steady if she spoke.

Looking into each other's eyes, in perfect synchronization, Hermione and Severus Apparated to a small clearing in the forest.

Hermione knelt on the leaf and moss covered ground. Severus did the same beside her, setting his crossbow on the ground to his right.

Severus took one single steadying breath, and blew it out slowly in perfect calm.

They had rehearsed everything required for the Calling spell during the past few days. Now it was time to execute everything they'd gone over.

Would they succeed? Or would Fawkes be able to sense that Severus meant to kill him and refuse to appear?

Hermione and Severus clasped hands, and Severus gave hers a comforting squeeze before they began the spell.

Severus holding his wand in his right hand and Hermione holding hers in her left, both of them stared at the empty air of the clearing and envisioned Fawkes appearing.

They pointed their wands at the same spot six paces in front of them, their minds focused on the image of Fawkes flying towards them from above.

Hermione's skin tingled with warmth from the spell as she concentrated on mentally asking the phoenix to appear.

Please, do this for us.

It didn't look like anything was happening.

Hermione knew that patience was one of the primary virtues in the most powerful witches and wizards. And all throughout her years of diligent study she'd been patient. It was what allowed her to succeed so often at practically anything she put her mind to.

But now, frightened as she was, patience was an agonizing torture.

By now they'd been performing the spell for almost five minutes. For Hermione, it truly seemed like forever.

Then, when Hermione began to think that Fawkes would not come, the bright sound of a phoenix call descended down from somewhere far overhead.

Hermione and Severus raised their eyes to the sky and watched as a brilliant ruby red form gracefully sank down to land softly in the clearing.

Fawkes, in all his glory, had arrived.

For several heartbeats, neither Hermione nor Severus dared to move or even breathe.

The phoenix regarded them serenely for several long seconds and then stepped forward. Staring at Severus with intelligent eyes, Fawkes gave him a regal nod.

Hermione stared transfixed.

Slowly, Severus lifted the crossbow to his shoulder.

With expert precision, Severus pinpointed the center of the phoenix's heart in the crosshairs of the sight. Though with Fawkes positioned lower than he was, the angle was wrong for the shot. Fawkes needed to fly into the air so that Severus would have him at a point that was either exactly level with or slightly higher than his shoulder.

The phoenix gazed at him with an undeniable degree of sadness in his dark eyes. Then he stretched out his wings for what would be the last time, and with three powerful beats he was airborne. In one fluid motion, Severus stood up as Fawkes rose into the air.

The phoenix hovered at a spot that was directly parallel with Severus's shoulders.

Again, Severus caught the phoenix's jewel-bright breast in the crossbow's crosshairs. In one breath he readied himself for the shot.

And just before he finished fully exhaling, Severus fired.

The shot had been perfectly aimed and the bolt fired true.

It pierced through Fawkes' feathers, flesh and bone and buried itself deep in the center of his heart.

A single blood-curdling screech rent through the air. It was the most horrific sound that Hermione had ever heard. In the last few seconds that Fawkes was alive, she could feel his white-hot pain in the deepest part of her soul.

For one terrible second, Fawkes hung suspended in mid-air.

She could not look away as Fawkes sank to the earth, blood pouring from his mortal wound and landing on the forest floor.

But before Fawkes' body touched the earth, it dissolved into a thousand burning pinpricks of gold light. The bolt that had killed him fell to the ground with a dull thud. The gold specks filled the air in front of Severus and Hermione and then slowly began to dissipate and fade away.

Within seconds even the lights were gone.

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Miles away, Harry's heart burned with intense pain. He would have screamed, had he had the breath to do so. But the pure agony had robbed him of the air that had been in his lungs.

Harry thought he had known pain when Voldemort's presence or magic had affected his scar and caused acute, sharp pain within his skull.

The small part of his brain that could still think straight through this new agony, told him that the worst pain he'd had in his scar was truly nothing compared to this.

He wondered if he was going to die.

But the worst of it was that he didn't even know what was happening to him.

"HARRY!" Molly Weasley yelled frantically, watching Harry cling to the kitchen floor as the pain racked his body.

Ron and Ginny burst into the kitchen at the sound of their mother's scream.

"What happened?" Ron asked, his face paling. Ginny ran to Harry's trembling form. Harry gasped for breath and let out a strangled cry.

"I don't know what's wrong with him," Molly said in an unnaturally high voice, stricken with fearful concern. "I- I was making tea and he was sitting in here talking to me . . ."

Slowly, Harry began to relax. His breathing slowed and came easier. He did not say a word for nearly two minutes.

He raised his head to look at Ron, Ginny, and Mrs. Weasley. His eyes were still clouded with the aftermath of the pain. His face was terribly pale.

"I . . . feel . . . weak." He tensed again and let out a shuddering breath.

"Don't try to stand up, dear." Molly said soothingly. "Just slowly move into a sitting position."

Harry did as she told him, and as soon as he was sitting with his back against the wall, he let out a horrified gasp. It appeared that in his agony, he had wet his trousers.

Molly smiled at him.

"It's alright, dear."

"Was that . . . was that an attack from . . . You-know-who?" Ron ventured to ask.

"I suppose so Ron, only . . . something's . . . off," Harry said slowly. "I don't feel right."

Ron frowned. Ginny's eyes grew even more worried.

"Gin, will you go fetch my wand?" Harry asked.

"Sure." She quickly left the room and came back with Harry's wand in hand.

Harry took his wand. And as soon as he touched it his chest tightened in alarm. There was something terribly wrong with his wand. He could feel it as he touched it.

He tried a simple spell.

"Lumos," he said clearly, concentrating with all of his will on the spell.

Nothing happened.

"My power," Harry said disbelievingly. "It's . . . gone. And my wand, there's something terribly wrong with it."

"Let me try," Molly said gently. She took Harry's wand from him and tried casting Lumos as he had.

Again, nothing happened.

Harry saw something terribly unsettling flash in Molly's eyes. Quickly she tried casting the spell again.

No results.

It was as if Harry's wand was just a piece of ordinary wood.

And it truly was, and had been rendered thus at the precise moment of Fawkes' death.

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Severus retrieved the fallen crossbow bolt from the ground and reloaded the crossbow.

"Stay here for now," he told her. "I'll come back to you when it's over."

Severus started to walk away from her. Hermione quickly touched his arm.

"A kiss for luck?" she asked him. She gently pulled Severus's head down to hers and placed a gentle lingering kiss on his lips.

She then watched Severus walk away, back towards the mansion to face Voldemort for the last time.

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Voldemort's unmistakably pain-filled scream had drawn Bellatrix from her room as quickly as she could manage. Remus trailed behind her, curious to know what had happened to him.

At this hour of the day, Bellatrix was the only Death Eater at the mansion. Severus was away at work at his illegal potions lab under Muggle London's Downing Street and her husband was busy dealing in illegal imports.

Bellatrix burst into the parlor, waiting for Voldemort to say something. But considering the sight that met her eyes, it appeared that speech wasn't something that Voldemort could manage at the moment.

He had a white-knuckle grip on the edge of his onyx desk. Apparently he was having trouble breathing.

"My lord, what happened?" Bellatrix inquired.

Voldemort did not answer.

His wide-eyed gaze was filled with unconcealed agony.

In a strained voice he choked out, "My magic . . . it's drained away."

Bellatrix's eyes widened at this information. So did Remus's, but he kept most of his confusion and surprise from showing on his face.

"But it's not possible," Bellatrix said incredulously.

Her thoughts were quickly interrupted by the sound of a familiar male voice at the threshold of the door.

"Oh it is quite possible Bella, I assure you." Severus said with obvious pleasure.

In truth, Severus appreciated the fact that Remus was present for he would be able to take care of the shameless whore while he finished Voldemort.

Bellatrix's eyes took in the crossbow resting on Severus's right shoulder and her expression instantly became one of unrestrained rage.

"YOU BASTARD! I knew you weren't loyal!"

She raised her wand at Severus's heart.

"AVA"—

Her words were cut off by Remus's hand closing around her throat.

Bellatrix's eyes grew huge as she realized the truth of Remus's loyalty.

Remus gave her what could only be described as a wolfish grin. And if he had truly lost his humanity, his smile would have been just as sinister as it was now.

"NO!" Voldemort cried, backing against the wall as Severus moved forward.

Remus slammed Bellatrix into the wall behind her and tightened his grip. She clawed at his wrist with both hands while trying desperately to twist out of his deadly grasp.

"Stupid bitch, did you really think Remus was going to stand there and let you kill me?" Severus asked softly.

Bellatrix gasped for breath, and made a futile attempt to knee Remus in the groin. But he had already anticipated this and had positioned his weight in such a way that Bellatrix had no room to maneuver.

Severus turned his attention back to Voldemort.

"How did you do it?" the once great Dark Lord demanded.

Severus laughed coldly.

"You'd like me to tell you that, wouldn't you?"

Voldemort sank to his knees, too weak from losing all of his power to remain standing.

"The night you murdered Lily, I made a vow that I would kill you myself. I am here now to fulfill it."

"It must have cost you dearly to obtain the means of rendering me helpless. And if I'm right, you too will be destroyed because of this."

"You're truly pathetic, Tom. Really, can you come up with no better last words?"

Severus glanced at Remus. It seemed that Remus was taking his good old time strangling Bellatrix, dragging out her death with pleasure.

"I'll see you in Hell, Severus. Of that you can be certain." Voldemort said coldly.

Severus let out a derisive snort.

"Your reign of terror ends now Tom. My only regret is that I cannot kill you the way you deserve to be killed: slowly, painfully, and without mercy. Though I must admit, killing you this way will still be immensely satisfying."

Less than a second later Severus fired the crossbow bolt that had killed Fawkes into Voldemort's chest. The bolt pierced the center of his chest puncturing the artery that led from the heart.

Bellatrix finally died as Voldemort instinctively gasped for air. Remus turned to Severus and was horrified by the sight that met his eyes.

An identical wound to the one he'd just put in Voldemort's body had appeared on Severus's chest. Severus watched as blood poured freely out of his body, hardly able to comprehend what was happening.

Severus dropped to his knees. He tried to draw breath and found that he couldn't.

This wasn't supposed to happen. He was growing weaker with each passing second.

He fell on his back and his brain vaguely registered the fact that Remus had ripped his shirt open was applying pressure with to his severed artery with his hand.

Was Remus actually pinching the artery together?

He didn't know, and found that his mind was beginning to drift away from consciousness.

One final thought was startling clear in his mind.

He'd never get to see Hermione again.

He tried to focus his gaze on Remus's face. Apparently he was hallucinating in his last moments, for he thought he saw people Apparating around him in the room.

One of them looked like Lily.

"Remus," he choked out weakly. "Tell, . . . Hermione . . . I . . . love her,"

It was then that he heard Hermione's agonized shriek.

"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!"

She must have Apparated into the mansion. It was his last thought as he felt himself drifting away, his thoughts and vision dimming to black.

Hermione took Remus's place, both hands pressing desperately on the mortal wound in Severus's chest.

"Don't die," she said imploringly. "Please, don't die. I can't live without you."

His blood pulsed hot and sticky against her palms. There was so much of it. Hermione pressed her lips against his softly, willing him to live, though the logical part of her brain told her anything she did now was futile. Her tears spilled on Severus's cheek.

Then slowly, Hermione felt Severus's artery mend together beneath her hand. The bleeding lessened and then stopped altogether. As the seconds ticked past, Hermione felt Severus's flesh heal under her touch. The color was beginning to come back to his face.

Hermione let out a little squeal of relief as Severus slowly opened his eyes.

Remus knelt beside Hermione, wondering what had happened between the two of them in the past few weeks.

Remus looked up as a familiar woman's voice called his name.

Lily.

Could it be?

She came out of the growing crowd of people that started appearing in the room ever since the moment of Voldemort's death.

"Remus?" she asked in a shaky voice.

"It's me Lily,"

"What happened?" she asked. She looked down at Severus, back to Remus, and then at the still growing crowd of all the people to have died as a result of Voldemort's magic.

He breathed out a heavy sigh.

"What's the last thing you remember?"

"Voldemort came to Godric's Hollow. He wanted to kill Harry. I watched Voldemort kill James…"

"He killed you too," Remus told her softly. "But he didn't kill Harry. There's a lot you need to hear. But now is not the time and this is not the place." Remus led her away from Severus and Hermione.

Severus's strength was rapidly returning. He attempted to sit up but Hermione caught his arms and prevented him from rising.

"Not yet, you don't. You just came back from the brink of death. I hardly think you should be up and walking just yet, whether you feel fine or not."

Severus scowled at her.

It didn't have the effect he desired on her. In fact, just the opposite.

She grinned at him in adoration. She decided to keep it to herself that his look actually turned her on. She'd divulge that little fact later.

"You know you bear a frightening resemblance to Poppy Pomfrey right now."

"Do I?" she asked. "So does that mean you'll obey me?"

The way she said the word 'obey' was entirely too suggestive.

"You'll have to specify what exactly you wish me to do and I'll think about it," he told her with a decidedly wicked undertone.

"Promise me something first," she said growing gravely serious again.

"Anything," he told her truthfully.

"Promise me to never ever have such a close near death experience."

Severus pulled Hermione down to him for a passionate kiss.

"Well, as certain events are out of my hands, and you know that as well as I do, I'll promise you this. I'll never again kill another nearly immortal dark wizard."

Hermione smiled.

"You swear?"

Severus nodded solemnly.

"Good. That'll suffice."

Severus kissed her a second time, caring not a whit that they were in a roomful of people.

They all could stare.

At least they would have gotten a good show.

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Ron stared at Harry and stifled a gasp.

"What is it?" Harry asked quickly.

"You're scar, mate! . . . It's . . .it's gone!"

Harry's hand flew to his forehead and sure enough, for the first time in his life it was perfectly smooth and unmarred.

Something had definitely happened.

A/N: Just one more chapter to go. Of this story at least, and then things will pick up where they leave off in the sequel. I'm going to take a bit of a break before I start on it though, so I don't get burned out on the story.