It had been Harry's 'second year' at Hogwarts when the Dark Lord successfully made his return to a corporeal body. Ginerva Weasley was suspected to be dead until Harry was able to confirm the young girl's dead body lying beneath the school. No one knew how the Dark Lord was able to come back to life, but it was assumed through some ritual and using the life of Ginerva he was able to return to life and then cut a bloody path through Hogwarts on his way out of the building. Six other students had died, and a dozen more severely injured during the Dark Lord's escape from the school.

The school was shut down, funerals were held off until a team of curse breakers were able to break into the Chamber of Secrets, kill the Basilisk living down there, and then retrieved Ginerva Weasley. Even after the school had closed and emptied of both students and professors, Severus stayed behind in the school with only the ghosts, portraits, and house elves for company. Most importantly was him staying for Harry though.

Severus mourned the fact that Harry had received less than two years of traditional Hogwarts schooling. He had been doing so well in all the classes he was able to take! Severus was so very proud of Harry's accomplishments. There were some rocky moments, like when Harry had destroyed Severus' dining room table after his sorting in fear that Severus would be disappointed he wasn't in Slytherin. But all in all, Harry took to classes like a fish in water, and even being dead he made so many friends.

Now in the Spring of 1993, the war was beginning again. There was no Dumbledore to lead them as he was still a social pariah after being stripped of all his titles. What was left of the Order of Phoenix was scattered to the wind with no firm leadership to pull them together. Severus could no longer play double agent after the happenings of the last couple of years, but he did still have some pull with the Board and the Ministry. It took several more months of meetings and two large-scale raids from the Death Eaters that ended with a lot of deaths before both the Wizengamot and the Board agreed to Severus' proposal to open Hogwarts as not a school but a place for refugees to flee to for safety. There was plenty of room to take in everyone and the house elves were pleased to be put to work again.

So on August 18th, 1993 Hogwarts re-opened its doors to anyone and everyone, with proper security checks to make sure no Death Eaters infiltrated the safe haven. Much to everyone's amusement, their main security check-point was facing one Spirit Guide, 7-year old Harry Potter, who had proven to be very good at spotting even the slickest of Voldemort sympathizers trying to make their way into Hogwarts. Master Dirn had only given Severus a scary smirk when he brought up Harry's ability to detect those trying to infiltrate the castle with bad intentions.

Of the staff, only Filius, Poppy, Pomona, and Hagrid had returned to the castle to aid Severus in keeping those coming in under control. Although Severus couldn't admit to doing too much since the ghosts and house-elves under Harry's leadership kept most all of the new inhabitants of the castle from getting into trouble. Severus was working with Poppy to keep the infirmary well-stocked, especially as more and more wizards and witches arrived at the school bearing severe injuries every day.

The outlook seemed quite grim. They couldn't hide under Hogwart's wards forever. December of 1993, less than 10 months after the Dark Lord had gained a new body, the Ministry fell to the Dark Lord's forces. Dumbledore had slyly tried to slide his way back into Hogwarts after the Ministry fell to the Dark Lord, but the ever-present security check of Harry Potter threw Dumbledore out on his face quicker than the man could say lemon drop.

Dumbledore must have pulled out some powerful charisma since a shambling frame of the Order of Phoenix did seem to be present, yet extremely unorganized. It did not take Lord Voldemort, looking freshly 16 years old, and his Death Eaters very long to kill off, imprison, or torture what Dumbledore had managed to pull together.

March 5th of 1994 Albus Dumbledore was killed and the budding rebellions seem to grind to a firm halt. Severus knew that Hogwarts would be next. Voldemort would come for them next. Using the members of the Wizengamot that had holed up in Hogwarts with the rest of them, Severus got in contact with the ICW to begin moving the refugees to other countries and out of Hogwarts.

Women and children were sent portkeys first and they successfully got them all out less than a week after Dumbledore's death. They were in the middle of coordinating the retrieval of more portkeys for the rest of the wizards left at Hogwarts when Voldemort struck.

The last week of March in 1994, Voldemort and all of his Death Eaters and allies lay beyond the wards of Hogwarts. Severus felt fear like a lead balloon sitting in his stomach. He had sounded the alarm for the ICW, alerting them that Voldemort was at their doorstep. They now had to wait to see if the War Crimes brigade of Aurors from the ICW made it in time to save them before Voldemort made it through their wards. Even the ghosts seemed afraid of what was waiting on outside Hogwart's formidable wards, all except for Harry.

Harry Potter seemed like the only one in all of the castle to know and trust that they had nothing to worry about. He was not afraid, not that Severus thought that Harry knew how to be afraid of anyone anymore. Those left inside the castle seemed to take great strength and encouragement from the young ghost. Severus had to assume that this was what Fate had intended Harry's job as Spirit Guide to be. The last protection against the tyranny of Tom Marvolo Riddle was a 7-yeard old Spirit Guide who was once the prophecy child meant to defeat Voldemort.

Staring down at Voldemort's army from the astronomy tower, Severus had to wonder where Harry's optimism came from because it definitely wasn't from him or from looking outside. Looking at the thousands of Death Eaters, Giants, and Trolls gathered outside, Severus just saw their quick and violent deaths.

"Severus, the ICW has sent word. The battalion is on its way, but it is looking more and more likely they will arrive after the wards have already fallen. We need to gather those physically able and take up arms. Harry is already activating castle defenses that I didn't know we had." Filius spoke in a more maudlin tone than Severus had ever heard from his normally cheerful self.

"I am unsurprised to hear about Harry. Although I dread the coming battle. We have civilians downstairs, not warriors." Severus said ruefully.

"We must work with what we do have," Filius spoke firmly. "We cannot just roll over and play dead. The Death Eaters enjoy playing with their food and will not allow us a quiet death or surrender."

"I am aware Filius. Probably better than you." Severus spoke wearily, leaning against the wall of the tower for support.

"I will need your help, Severus. To rally who we can to defend the castle. Just long enough for the battalion from the ICW to arrive."

"Yes. I guess now is not the time to stand idly while war is breathing on our front door." Severus mourned the peace and beauty of the castle about to become a battlefield. Standing up to follow Filius back downstairs into the fray.

"You are becoming poetic in your old age Severus." Filius couldn't help but point out, trying to diffuse the rising tensions.

"I blame Harry." Severus pointed out, causing Filius to smirk.

"Has he been making you read poetry again?"

"Yes. It is his favorite, to have me read poems to him after I have finished with the day. My brain swims in metaphors and overused adjectives." Severus complained, but his heart wasn't in it. Filius just chuckled, not believing Severus' plight.

"Well, maybe you can distract the Death Eaters with prose and that sarcastic wit of yours." Filius pointed out.

"You aren't as funny as you'd like to think Filius." Severus drawled as they reached the great hall, where most everyone left in the castle spent most of their day.

"We are on the brink of war and death watches us closely. I am hilarious." Filius said smugly, causing Severus to roll his eyes.

Filius was right about one thing. Death was watching them closely as the wards began to slowly crack under the relentless assault of Voldemort and his minions.

One moment everything was in motion, they were making plans, the future was still ahead of them. Between one breath and the next, it was like the world both froze and moved in fast motion. The bursting of wards was blinding and Severus couldn't tell if the sound was so loud it rendered everyone deaf, or if it was so quiet because any noise would bring their deaths.

The war was here.

Voldemort was here.

Death was here.

The fallout would affect the wizarding world for generations to come.

March 21st, 1994.

The Battle of Hogwarts began in the blink of an eye, and ended just as swiftly,