Forsaking all I've fallen for
I rise to meet the end

"Hello…Harry Potter."

Harry swallowed and wet his lips nervously, "Hello Voldemort."

The Dark lord smiled a half smile, "So you recognise me, even though I have changed?"

Harry hid a hand behind his back and clenched it into a tight fist, careful to keep his other hand relaxed. He was incredibly scared but there was no way on earth he was going to show Voldemort this, so his fist bore the brunt of it.

"Of course I recognize I you, how could I not?"

The dark lord chuckled and circled round to Harry's right, stopping just short of him he raised a hand to his cheek but didn't touch it.

"You don't have to pretend Harry, I know you're afraid – shh" He said when Harry moved to say something, "…I know"

Pulling his hand back, he turned his back and paced away, his robes dragging across the floor in a whispered caress that Harry found strangely ominous.

Without turning the dark lord stopped and clasped his hands behind his back.

"Such pain," He said quietly, "Your parents, your Godfather, your dreams and now Severus. Such pain I have caused you."

Harry gasped inaudibly, how had he-

"I can read you- no, no I can hear you as clearly as if you were speaking to me Harry. I am a brilliant Legimens as you know, you were never taught how to block your thoughts properly or automatically and our bond makes it even easier for me to read you. You are an open book."

Here he turned his face to the side, so that his smiling profile was visible to Harry. "In answer…to your question."

Harry squeezed his eyes shut tight, trying to clear his mind and block his thoughts. Immediately he felt an undeniable wave of pressure flood his mind.

"If you fight it, it will hurt" He heard distantly through the pain as he slowly sunk to his knees searching blindly for the wall behind him with fumbling hands, clutching at it and trying desperately to keep himself from collapsing.

"Oh Harry, Harry, so stubborn."

Harry knew he should just stop fighting it, but something inside him balked at the thought of willingly allowing Voldemort access to his thoughts.

He heard the whisper of cloth against stone once more and suddenly a driving force jerked his chin upwards, and he was staring directly into pools of scarlet.

"And yet you WILL allow me access" He heard before the pain became so intense that he blacked out.

Severus raced through deserted hallways as the battle raged within and out of the castle. Occasionally he'd stumble past a body or group of body's and he'd hide the child's face and move quickly on. It was obvious these poor souls had been trapped and played with by members of the Luminou before they were killed. The Luminou loved to play with their victims and preferred dealing with their enemy in small groups so as to fully enjoy the pleasure of killing.

Some of the more horrific sights, such as students lying with half their larynx and a fair few litres of blood on the floor before them, caused even his stomach to turn a little, simply because many of them he had at least knew by name, if not taught himself.

However thankfully these sights were rare, which was encouraging as it meant he was travelling through a part of the castle that was currently largely unaffected by the battle and therefore less likely to contain the enemy.

His little burden soon fell asleep in his arms, lulled by the constant silence and the slight rocking motion that Severus's jog caused. Severus couldn't help but smile at this; at least one of them remained unperturbed by the events of the day.

It was awhile before they encountered anything living and even then it was only a frightened house elf who just managed to tell them of a passageway that would lead them to the top floor of the castle in half the time it would take them otherwise, before it disappeared with a terrified pop.

Severus reckoned that this was where he would find Dumbledore, as the man would be reluctant to leave the majority of the students. Also if the Dark lord's forces had ANY sense at all they would trap the Headmaster there, preventing any and all attempts of escape.

Taking the passageway, he was almost at the top floor when Professor Flitwick passed him on a tiny staircase with fifteen or so first year Hufflepuffs.

"Severus! - Oh-my!" The little man said, trying to catch his breath after having almost tumbled down the stairs to greet his colleague almost ecstatically.

"I am most delighted to see you, I need help with this lot, if we are attacked there is no way I'd be able to defend them alone, we'd be picked off easily. Do you think you could help me lead them out of the castle without detection?"

"I'm sorry old friend but I MUST find Dumbledore, Potter is trapped in the dungeons, possibly with the Dark lord himself, unprepared and unarmed."

The little man's face fell but concern shone in his kindly eyes nevertheless as he craned his head back to look up at the usually forbidding potions master.

"I see, well in that case you best leave the child with me, no use exposing it to the fighting unnecessarily."

Severus looked down at the sleeping Vamperie, on the one hand he was loathe to part with his tiny companion, for it seemed that in the last couple of hours he'd grown fiercely attached to him, but then it would be folly indeed to knowingly take him into a battle.

Making a hard but necessary decision he nodded curtly and handed his sleeping bundle to one of the taller first years.

"Very well, take him to safety then, but I want your vow that you will take the utmost care of him, I want to see him safe and unharmed once this is all over!"

Flitwick readily acquiesced with his request and after exchanging news and making a request himself for Severus to send help after them, Flitwick hurried off, taking his quiet little group with him and looking after them, Severus was saddened to see a pair of dark eyes peeping at him over the tallest Hufflepuff's shoulder. He hoped the little one didn't think he was abandoning him.

Once they were out of sight he turned, and unimpeded by the extra weight of the Vamperie, sped up the stairs to the top floor.

Harry resurfaced what must have been only minutes later screaming in agony, his throat was raw and his ears numb with the sound of his own pain by the time Voldemort had finished rooting through his memories and he found it a tad ironic that his life was literally flashing before his eyes.

Slowly, wearily, he pulled himself up via the wall and turned to face his enemy, the damp, cold stone gritty beneath his palms.

"So he hasn't told you he loves you yet?"

Harry frowned and gazed blearily across at the Dark lord at where he was now standing several feet away, "What?"

"Severus, he hasn't told you he if he loves you yet." Voldemort repeated, idly slipping his wand back and forth between his fingers "Doesn't bode well in my opinion."

Harry sneered, "What so you think he's really harbouring a hidden love for you, that despite the fact I am his destined he's secretly heartbroken because he cant be with you." he smiled smugly, "I think not."

Voldemort started forward, "Why you cheeky little-"

"Not so little," Harry interjected defiantly.

"Insolence! Crucio!" Voldemort roared, losing his cool in one fell swoop and cursing Harry so harshly that it felt as the flesh were melting off of his bones, that his very bones themselves were shuddering and shifting in their sockets, as if the world were coming to an end in one fiery finish.

Finally the agony ceased and after a short pause, Harry climbed, trembling and shaking back to his feet.

"You may make fun of me Harry Potter, but I will have the last laugh," Voldemort said, fury blazing from scarlet pools of rage. "If Severus truly loves you, why would he come so close to drinking the potion that would replace you as his mate, that the drops were literally trembling over his tongue?"

"You lie!" Harry said hoarsely.

"You'd think so wouldn't you," The Dark lord said now examining his nails disinterestedly; apparently torturing people calmed him down. "In fact I was so convinced by his little performance that I genuinely believed that he wanted to spend the rest of his life beside me, as my mate. And if it convinced me…" Here he looked up and pinned Harry with his own smug smile, "The likelihood is that it wasn't entirely an act."

Harry straightened and raised his chin defiantly, "It was an act, every second of it was an act, he loves me! And if you think he would ever look twice at a bitter twisted mad man like you you're a more little screwed up than I thought!"

It happened in what seemed to be the blink of an eye, one moment Voldemort was at least three metres away from him and the next he was right in front of Harry and had a choking hold on his neck, his scarlet eyes burning directly into Harry's jade.

"How dare you!" He hissed, tightening his grip until Harry wheezed with the effort of trying to force air into his lungs. "So hard done by aren't you Harry hmm? Poor Harry Potter, Nasty Lord Voldemort killed his parents, made him an orphan and the most sort after little boy in the wizarding world, Nasty Lord Voldemort comes after him every year and tries to kill him well nasty lord Voldemort couldn't give a fuck!" Here the Dark lord pressed in closer until his face was simply a blur to Harry's tired eyes, his glasses had been knocked off partially when the other wizard had grabbed his neck and he was now also valiantly trying to fight the darkness that was taking over.

"You see what your fans fail to take into account is what Harry Potter has done to Lord Voldemort hmm? I had to live as something no better than a common garden snail for fourteen years! You took my life away from me Potter! You took my life, my power, my very existence to the wizarding world…and now you've taken my only true love. You've taken all I hold dear from me Potter, don't think I'm not going to repay the favour. So don't stand there with that hard done by, lost little boy look and come the brave hero with me! Because you're going to die anyway and there isn't any smart aleck comments you can make that are going to say otherwise!"

These last words echoed in Harry's head as his eyes slipped closed and darkness took over once again.

"Oh no, your not going to have it that easy, enervate!" He heard as if from a great distance.

Harry reluctantly opened his eyes again, unfortunately due to his missing glasses his vision did not come back into focus.

The floor was damp and cold beneath his aching body, his face and hands felt grimy and dirty and he could not see a solution to the situation at hand no matter how hard he tried.

There came the awful thought that he was going to die here in this dungeon, alone and cold with no help anywhere near, he was going to die when he'd just found someone who-

"Oh spare me please, yes your going to die and you'll be all alone when it happens, accept it and we can move on to me killing you. Not that it makes much of a difference whether you accept it or not but it would be a lot easier on the both of us if you did." Voldemort said walking a little way away and standing directly opposite Harry.

Slowly, wearily Harry reached up and repositioned his glasses so that he could once again see. Then he once again forced himself onto his feet and stood straight and tall looking his enemy straight in the eye.

"My parents sacrificed their life for mine; I would never give it up so easily!"

"So be it, Sectumpsempra!"

Harry just managed to fling himself out of the way of this unknown curse, knowing it to be something he didn't want to make contact with, being as it was Lord Voldemort that threw it.

Pulling out his own wand, that he realized belatedly would have perhaps alleviated a lot of pain and confusion had he pulled it out of his back pocket earlier; he aimed and shouted "Relashio!"

A string of fiery sparks shot out the end of his wand, unfortunately Voldemort was to far away for them to reach their target and they fell weakly onto the floor between them.

Voldemort laughed, "Is this the great Harry Potter? Come on show me what you're made of!" With that he shot a blasting curse Harry's way.

Harry felt it impact with his stomach as his feet left the ground and he slammed into the wall with an explosive sound, bits of stone falling down around his ears as he slid slowly down the wall, limp as a pancake.

But now he was really angry, how dare this jumped up excuse for a great wizard try to end his life simply for existing? He loved Severus and wanted to be with him, was there anything so wrong with that? Was there anything so wrong in surviving? No…there wasn't!

Voldemort looked about to sneer something at him but Harry cut him off with a roared "PETRIFICUS TOTALUS!"

The spell stunned Voldemort for all of five seconds but it was enough for Harry to fling an Incarcerous at him, and then another, watching with no small amount of joy as the ropes bound up his enemy tightly.

He knew it would not restrain him for long, however it did give him a chance to really think, how on earth was he supposed to destroy this man?

"You're not serious," Voldemort sneered, "You kill me? I think not!"

"Oh I think so, you say I've taken everything from you? Well not quite…yet."

In that moment, as he was saying the words, Harry realized what Dumbledore had always told him he would. He had love, the one thing he had over Voldemort, he had love, the love of his mother, the love of the headmaster and no doubt…no doubt, the love of Severus too.

And so with all the love he had received and all the love he felt in his heart, he said the famous words that others had only ever said with hate.

"Avada Kedavra!"

A green beam of light edged with gold, shot from the end of his wand and pierced the Dark lord in the heart.

The sneer…faded from Voldermorts lips, faded to a heart-rending scream, before that too froze into place and the darkest lord the wizarding world had known, fell to the floor of Hogwarts, dead at last.

From his body arose a silvery mist, which solidified into the shape of his long, lost self, Tom Riddle, until that to faded into nothing.

He was gone.

Harry breathed a sigh of utmost relief and fell back to lean against the damp stone wall behind him, his eyes closing and his wand clattering from his limp hand to the floor.

They snapped open a moment later however as a terrible rumbling filled his ears and the wall behind him shook alarmingly.

Pushing himself upright again he bent down shakily and retrieved his wand. He had to get out of there.

But before he could take a single step forward, dust filed the hallway in billowing clouds and his eyes grew wide in terror as it filled his lungs and stung his eyes. Coughing and hacking he clutched a hand to his chest as cracks appeared in the walls, wide cracks like black lighting bolts on a stormy day.

And as the ceiling caved in he held his arms up as if to fend it off and gave a spluttering cry as he disappeared in a pile of growing rubble.

Severus dropped the unfortunate death eater and wiped his mouth absently on his sleeve. Glancing up the stairs to the moonlit sky he straightened and glanced about him, checking to see if any of his previous attackers were left. It did not take him long to ascertain that he was alone, and silently, he made his way up the stairwell and out into the cool night air.

He had eventually made it to the top floor of the school, only to be surrounded by a seething, teeming battle. After sending McGonagall after Flitwick he had quickly made his way to the astronomy stairs, ruthlessly killing anyone who blocked his path until he was attacked by at least twenty Death eaters at once, all of them seeming quite surprised to see him. Now that he was this close to reaching Dumbledore and consequently saving Harry…there wasn't anything that was going to stand in his way.

There was silence on top of the astronomy tower; even his acute hearing could pick up nothing from the surrounding darkness, apart from the chaos below. Hiding just in the shadow of the doorway for a moment, he waited to see if anyone had detected his presence.

When no speedy attackers rushed his way, he stepped out into the moonlight and scanned the gloomy expanse before him. For anyone else the enlarged astronomy tower would be difficult to scan, for the sheer size of it well exceeded the limits of human eyesight, but for Severus it was an effortless task and he immediately picked out what he was looking for.

Dumbledore lay crumpled on the solid stone that made up the floor of the astronomy tower. His head was bloody from a wound near his hairline and his eyes were closed from a mixture of pain and weariness, but Severus was relieved to hear his strained and feeble breathing as it escaped through his cracked and parted lips; Relieved for at first sight he might have believed the old man dead. The older man made no attempt to move, or even to prop himself up, nor even to keep his head from the surely freezing stone beneath him. Severus hazarded a guess that he was unconscious. A Death eater stood over him, wand drawn as if half expecting the Headmaster to leap up and attack him where he stood. Little did he know, he had more to fear from behind.

Making a quick decision Severus kicked into his vampire speed and silently traversed the wide expanse of stone over to the Headmaster and his assailant. His journey was silent and the air displaced by his movement barely enough to make the slightest of breezes. The Death eater thankfully did not feel it and remained with his back turned to the approaching vampire.

Stopping just short of them, Severus continued his attack a little more stealthily, his fangs extending and his mouth watering hungrily.

"I'd rather you didn't Godfather, you know how I hate love bites."

Severus froze, "Draco…?" He asked with trepidation.

The death eater turned and with a graceful swipe of his hand, the hood of the cloak he wore fell away to reveal white gold locks and a disarming smile.

"The very same,"

Severus smiled back, trying to keep the confusion from marring his features. "Why Draco, I had no idea you had returned from your term at Durmstrang, it was my understanding that you were to be further occupied for a couple of weeks yet."

"I was but unfortunately my father's death forced my swift and early return, but come let us not talk of such things just yet, look what I have here for our Lord."

Severus glanced back down at the Headmaster's prone form and smiled for lack of any other option, "I'm sure he will be most pleased." He said genuinely.

Looking covertly across at Draco from under his lashes he tried to discern any sign of animosity in his features. Did he know? Had the Dark lord informed his godson of recent events?

"I'm sorry for almost feeding from you Draco" He said, beginning to test the water for how much Draco knew, "My orders from our Lord are to act as if I am still on Dumbledore's side and bite as many death eaters as I can, not turn them, just leave them with nasty wounds so it looks as if I'm still a member of the order."

"Hmm" Draco frowned yet his gaze never left Dumbledore's face, "That's strange, after this attack the order will no longer be a problem, there will be no more need for you to serve undercover and considering Hogwarts won't-"

Here he broke off and his frown deepened.

Severus waited, resisting the urge to lick his lips fearfully as was his habit when things appeared to be taking a turn for the worst, where the Dark Lord was concerned.

"Hogwarts won't…?" He prompted after several minutes of silence, unable to handle the suspense much longer.

Draco's expression cleared and he lifted his head with another charming smile, "But of course you already know the plan don't you, no need to go over it again, here help me get him up, I find it so much less entertaining if they don't at least put up a little fight when they're killed."

Kneeling they both hoisted the Headmaster into a sitting position and propped him against the wall, as they did so a mumbled word escaped his lips, so distorted that even Severus could not discern what it was.

Draco chuckled in amusement, "Look at him, the only man able to frighten the Dark lord and I reduced him to a twitching mess in the space of half an hour. If it weren't for the fact I value my life I would go so far as to say that I were a better wizard than the Dark lord."

With that he back handed Dumbledore swiftly across the cheek and smirked as the older man's eyes twitched and opened blearily, "Come old man, rise and shine, time to meet your maker."

"Draco, do you think it wise to kill him? Would our Master not want to kill him himself?"

Draco shook his lowered head, his fringe swaying alluringly in front of his eyes as he reached for his wand, which he had stowed in his pocket after his Godfather's arrival.

"Oh no, he's to busy with Potter at the moment and then there won't be enough time, besides just to know that the old man's dead will satisfy him."

Eventually securing his wand from where it had been caught up in his robes Draco palmed it and pointed it at Dumbledore's forehead, his lips moving to form the famous words.

For Severus time stood still, Harry was trapped in the dungeons with the Dark Lord, on his own, it had been confirmed and the only person who could save him was about to die.

"Avad-"

"NO" Without even thinking about it the ex-death eater lunged at Draco, his shoulder connecting with the junior Malfoy's with enough force to send him sprawling to the ground beneath him.

They lay there in stunned silence for a second whilst Severus contemplated the possibility that he could have handled the situation slightly differently.

"You fucking idiot!" The blond beneath him gritted with a ferocious snarl, his Adams apple bobbing violently as he attempted to speak past the fury clogging his throat.

Curling his hand into a fist he swung it quickly behind him and punched Severus in the stomach, which was currently exposed due to the awkward position he'd landed in.

Severus flew back and landed with a brutal smack on the cold stone a little way away, his eyes bugging and his body cramping in pain.

"I suppose it's your corrupted, twisted, two faced nature that states that you have to wait until the very last SECOND before you decide to protect your master, your REAL master." Draco flung out angrily as he dragged himself to his feet on a twisted ankle.

"How dare you stand there and attempt to have a civil conversation with me after what you've done? How dare you try to subtly drill me for information minutes after you'd tried to kill me?" Angrily he aimed his wand ay his ankle and gritted out a spell to heal it.

Then he sneered and kicked the vampire at his feet in the ribs, causing him to double over in pain once more.

"And how fitting it would be if you had, you, Severus Snape, Vampire, potions master and the man who eliminated the Malfoy lineage," The fake smile he wore collapsed, "I think not!"

Severus wheezed in pain and tried desperately to keep it manageable and his head clear, this however was made a lot more difficult by the strain that his body had already been subjected to that night.

"Did you enjoy it Godfather?" Draco asked as Severus tried to lift himself from the ground, only to have Draco's foot connect with his chin and send him spinning backwards.

"Did you enjoy killing my father just hours after saving him? You two grew up together, you were the best of friends! How on earth could you look him in the eye and cut short his life at the same time?" He sneered walking after the spinning vampire, "You corrupt, putrid little parasite."

Severus felt his heart break at these words, after all they were true, all of them were true, and yet…there was a reason he had done these things, and that reason was currently facing off the most dangerous wizard in the world down in the dungeons. He didn't have time for this infantile revenge.

"So…what? You obviously used Albus as bait to lure me here, set all this up as a trap, so what happens now? Are you going to kill me? Because if so, I wouldn't be wasting my time talking about it…I'd be getting on with it. All this procrastination just makes me wonder if you have actually have the courage to do it, to murder!" Severus sneered up at the junior Malfoy, pulling his energy reserves together and getting ready to pounce.

"Why you- Avada ked-" The rest was muffled as Severus leapt up and slammed his Godson back against the stone wall, his arm pushing the younger man back until he was bent painfully over it, his eyes glaring stormily up at Severus.

"What is the first rule Draco! Tell me WHAT THE FIRST RULE IS!"

Draco snarled and clenched his teeth, only after Severus put more pressure on the base of his spine by bending him further, did he grit back, "Never let your prey goad you into attack and consequent death."

"Exactly, how can you even hope to outwit the person who taught you everything you know about hunting and killing when you can't even remember the first rule."

"I won't follow the rules set down by a traitorous vampire, especially when that traitorous vampire killed my father!"

"Then you will die and won't have to follow them anyway!" Severus growled down at his godson.

"FUCK YOU, I HATE YOU, YOU KILLED HIM AND I HATE YOU, I hate you, I hate you, I hate you" His Godson finally shouted up at him through sudden floods of tears, struggling desperately in Severus's hold, putting further pressure on his back as all his grief and hurt escaped him all in one moment, revealing the tortured little boy who was hiding just below the surface.

Severus couldn't help but answer his Godson's silent plea for comfort and he held him close whilst he released all the shock, grief and bewilderment he suspected he'd been bottling up inside since it happened.

"H-how could you snake?" He eventually managed to get out quietly, calling his Godfather a nickname from when he was little and couldn't pronounce Snape.

"I had to do it, to protect Harry, your father never held me in as high regard as I did him, he was perfectly willing to throw my life away, it was just a case of pre-empting him and throwing his away first."

He felt Draco stiffen and then tear away from him roughly, hastily scrubbing away the tears so visible in the moonlight, his Malfoy mask falling to replace what it hid everyday.

"You make it sound so clinical, I really do think you felt nothing as you killed him didn't you?"

Severus rose to face Draco quickly, "You know that isn't true, I mourned for him as I once told you vampires do, paying him the utmost respect. I may have killed him, but had there been a choice you know I would never have done it."

Draco looked down and away, and as Severus had this chance to observe him he truly realised how desperately Draco strived to be a mature adult…and how far he still had to go to achieve that goal.

His Godson looked back up at him and squared his shoulders resolutely.

"I challenge you to a dual sir, in my father's honour, a fight to the death."

"Now come Draco, don't be foolish I-"

"I challenge you!" Draco screamed angrily, stamping his foot in an unwittingly child like manner. "Now fight me like the respectable wizard but altogether putrid parasite that you are!"

With that he let lose a stinging hex that caught his opponent across the shoulder, shredding his robe with an ominous ripping sound and grazing the skin there.

"A stinging hex?" Severus laughed, "I really don't think you're the killing type Draco."

"Oh yes Severus, first I'm going to kill you and then I'm going to kill that sad excuse for a muggle loving fool at your feet, now are we going to do this the civilised way or am I going to have fun with torturing you first?"

Severus growled with frustration, the boy was actually serious. "Draco it doesn't have to be like this, I know what I did was wrong but you were never a killer, you never believed in the Dark lord's cause, I know you didn't because I could see it in your eyes every time Lucius mentioned it-No listen!" He shouted desperately as Draco raised his wand obviously incensed further by his Godfather's use of his father's name.

"NO! I've had enough of your lies!" The junior Adonis hissed and before he knew it the desperate potions master found himself on his back a little way away, a powerful razor curse having been fired at his chest.

Making a quick decision Severus leapt to his feet and shot three blasting curses his Godson's way, the last similarly catching him in the chest and sending him flying backwards. If Draco wanted a fight he'd get one, then when Severus had beaten him and taken him somewhere safe for the remainder of the battle, they were going to have a long chat about allowing one's rage to get the better of one.

No sooner had his body smashed into the ground then Draco rolled to the side and screamed "Crucio!"

Severus dodged this by a hair's breadth and barely took heed of it partially destroying the wall behind him as he shot back a conjunctivitis curse. Draco, who by this time has risen to his knees, sneered, dodged it and uttered the incantation for the entrail- expelling curse.
Severus flung himself to the side in order to avoid this, catching himself from falling by leaning heavily onto the wall. Flinging the strands of hair that were falling into his eyes back he grit his teeth in anger and frustration.

"So you want to join the big boys do you Draco? Welcome to the club- Sectumsempra!"

Almost immediately huge gashes appeared on the junior Malfoy's face, arms and chest, blood pouring in crimson moonlit streams down the pale features and Severus immediately felt a tug of remorse as the blood splattered with an awful pattering sound onto the cold stone below.

But his Godson didn't follow it down, instead with shaking figures he raised his bloodied wand and staggering forwards a few feet, he choked out, "Av-"

"Stupefy!" His Godfather rapped out, desperate to put an end to this foolishness.

"Petrificus totalus!" Cried another voice from the direction of the stairwell, and Severus watched with dread and horror as the curse as if in slow motion, sped towards his dear late friend's son, and as both spells were absorbed into his body with two successive flashes of colour.

A look of resignation, showed briefly through the cascading blood on the young man's face, before the last Malfoy heir, was tossed backwards, his back contorting grotesquely as it connected with a sickening crunch to the crumbling stone of the barricade, his neck snapping back sharply and his eyes taking on a glazed look.

Severus stepped forward, arms outstretched, but it was too late as his Godsons body almost slowly slid over the wall and out of sight to meet the awaiting ground below.

"NO!" He yelled charging forward and leaned over the wall to watch his Godson being swallowed up by the darkness as he fell.

"No, no" He shook his head in denial, tears falling singularly and slowly down his cheeks. Someone was tugging at his arm but he shook himself violently free and ran along the wall a little way in an attempt to see his Godson's body.

But there was no light, the darkness had taken him. Falling to his knees he bowed his head once more.

Rãzboinic plecat, prieten eliberat, în tãrîmurile întunecate - cãlãtoria sã înceteze
(Warrior gone, friend released, into the dark lands – journey to cease)
Prietenul sã fie protejat, îngrijit de cãtre dânºii
(Friend be safe, looked after by they)
În tãrîmurile întunecate, faþa de-acum acoperitã
(Into the dark lands, face now veiled)
Deoarece el e deja mort
(For he is dead)
El e plecat
(He is gone)
Trimis pe tãrîmurile întunecate...
(Journeyed into the dark lands…)
N-ar fi trebuit sã cadã niciodatã, mortalitatea furatã
(Should never have fallen, mortality stolen)
Crimã comisã pentru a-i fura sufletul
(Murder performed to steal the spirit)
Amicului meu
(Of my kinsman)
Deoarece el stã culcat, rece
(For he lies cold)
El e mort
(He is dead)
Trimis pe tãrîmurile întunecate...
(Journeyed into the dark lands…)
...De cãtre propria-mi mînã
(…By mine own hand)

"Severus, Severus! We must-"

Finally irritated beyond reason by the annoying presence intruding on his guilt and grief he spun around and pinned a surprised Lupin to the wall.

"Don't you have any respect! I've just killed my-"Here he broke off and his eyes widened manically.

"No, YOU killed him," He said his eyes glowing frenziedly and his lips drawing back in an almost hysterical smile, "If you had not fired the second stunner then he would still be here!"

The ground was starting to shake beneath him but the enraged vampire took no notice as he in turn shook the startled werewolf before him.

"Severus! SEVERUS! The castle is going to collapse- THE CASTLE IS FALLING DOWN BENEATH US SEVERUS!"

Severus snapped out of his enraged haze with a start and spun round, "What- Headmaster?"

"There is no time Severus, please just help me up." The potions master quickly ran over to where the Headmaster lay and hooking his hands under his arms hauled him to his feet.

For the first time he heard the rumbling and felt the quaking and shifting of the castle as it groaned out its pending downfall.

"Headmaster, the children-"

"Yes I know, help me Severus, I am going to mass apperate everyone onto the lawn a little way away, I need you to apperate me."

"Certainly Albus!"

The old man closed his eyes, sticky blood rolling down his forehead from the wound below his hairline.

Suddenly the air about them shivered and shook as a blue glow filled the air and the familiar feeling caused by apparition engulfed the potions master and Dumbledore

With a pop Severus appeared on the lawn not too far from the castle but far enough for it not to be dangerous and he clutched onto Dumbledore as the old man crumpled in exhaustion.

And before his astounded eyes, Hogwarts fell under the constant barrage of the giant's fists. But as it fell it took them with it, burying them in piles of rubble and the roar that filled the gathered survivors ears as the school fell, was like a tormented cry of pain, this great school, one of the safest places in the magical world…was gone.

"Harry! Harry's in there!"