Author's Note: Artwork by Open Locks for chapter 58: http: // openlocks . deviantart . com / art / We-re-Going-to-Talk-106006060 (remove spaces) Thanks, Open Locks! :)
Yes, two more chapters after this and the epilogue... The next chapter is the climax.
Chapter One Hundred-Eighteen
After everyone had left that evening and the hour was very late, Severus and Lily remained in the sitting room for some time, mulling over the events of the past day. Petunia's presence had helped brighten Sirius's spirits, and much to Lily's contentment, her sister had smiled more than she had seen in a long time.
Lily eventually stood from her well-indented spot on the sofa and stretched, murmuring something about cleaning up in the kitchen. Severus said he would help and stood as well, intent on following her. Before Lily walked more than ten steps, though, she felt the baby kick inside her and stopped.
"Sev, come here and feel," Lily said, the softness of her voice tinged with excitement.
Severus had felt the baby kick before, but he didn't mind feeling the life they had created again. He chose this time to kneel in front of her, and placing a hand on each side of her bulging stomach, pressed his ear against the mass and listened... and felt.
He smiled, and Lily gazed down upon her husband's cherished head and echoed his smile, setting a hand on top of his hair and gently running her fingers through the locks.
"It never ceases to amaze me," Severus breathed, closing his eyes, "that you married someone like me and wanted to have a child together, Lily."
He opened his eyes again and stared up at his wife, who cradled his face in her hands. She contemplated him for a moment, and then he stood, taking her hand and leading her toward the stairway.
"Don't be so amazed, Sev," Lily replied as they began their ascent. "Who wouldn't want to spend the rest of their life with their best friend?"
They stopped briefly by the baby's room and then proceeded ahead to their own bedroom. As they settled in for the night, Severus wondered if Dumbledore had been successful in destroying the Horcruxes and if the man still lived. He certainly hoped so.
The following morning, Dumbledore called on the Snapes quite early. Severus half-thought he was looking at a ghost when Dumbledore entered through the fireplace. Lily, so overcome with joy upon seeing the aged headmaster, actually threw her arms around him.
"You're alive!" she exclaimed.
"Yes, and I have good news to report. All of the Horcruxes have been done away with," replied Dumbledore, twinkling madly at Lily as he removed himself from her grasp.
Lily stepped back, a little flushed with embarrassment as her display of affection. She beamed, and Severus quirked a smile.
"Excellent, sir," he stated. Sobering, he added, "But of course that means, as you already suspected because he murdered Regulus, that Voldemort knows his Horcruxes have been destroyed."
"Yes, I'm afraid it won't be long now before he comes calling," Dumbledore agreed. "It would be prudent to remain home as much as possible. Severus, perhaps, for the time being, you had better notify your employer that you need an extended leave of absence?" Seeing the expression of dismay on the young man's face, Dumbledore hastily amended, "You may do as you wish, of course, but out of concern for your lives, I say this. We have come so far, both with the war and with our understanding of each other, I think, and I do not want things to end badly."
Severus was silent. He knew Dumbledore was right, but he loathed the thought of being holed up at Spinner's End.
"But he needs to be killed before he makes another Horcruxe, or several," Severus pointed out. "Wouldn't it be better to go on the offensive, rather than hiding and waiting for him to figure out a way to find us?"
"The war continues as we speak, Severus," Dumbledore explained. "You know this, and I am glad you have let some of the other Order members do the fighting. You have already done so much-"
"But the prophecy claims I must be the one to do it... or my son, which is too risky, and since he isn't even born yet, I'm not going to sit by and wait and watch-"
Severus felt his temper breaking, and only Lily's soft hand taking his own calmed him enough to sigh and continue, "At least consider what I'm suggesting, Dumbledore."
"Very well," Dumbledore conceded.
"I will also take into account what you're suggesting," Severus said levelly.
He heard Lily release a sigh of relief next to him.
"I will be in touch," Dumbledore said before departing.
Once Dumbledore was gone, Lily reassured her husband, "At least now I wouldn't have to be alone at home. I'd much rather have you here, Severus, than worry about you every time you leave the house."
Although it wasn't the first time Lily had spoken of wishing him home, Severus knew the danger of stepping out beyond their house's walls had just increased immensely.
x x x x x
Voldemort was angrier than anyone had witnessed in a long, long time. Shortly after disposing of that traitor, Regulus Black, he set upon searching out his Horcruxes and checking to see if they were intact. His first destination was the cave, and seeing the false locket sitting on the bottom of the basin instead, Voldemort bellowed in fury, throwing the locket to the ground and releasing his emotions upon the Inferi. He immediately charged them out of the cave, releasing them on the nearest towns.
Little Hangleton was next. In the middle of the night, a great cry went up as the Dark Lord expressed his outrage once again. He set fire to the remains of his ancestors' dilapidated house and proceeded to Lucius Malfoy's manor. He already knew the cup was missing from the Lestrange house, so there was no point in even checking there, and chances of gaining access to Hogwarts while Dumbledore still lived were near to impossible.
At Malfoy Manor, the Lestranges and Malfoys watched with trepidation as Voldemort threw down the ruined diary. He turned on his own followers, hitting them with several bouts of the Cruciatus Curse for their failure. He did not even spare Narcissa, who was pregnant. What did Voldemort care of the unborn child inside her?
"You fools! You idiots! You're a disgrace to my cause! If I didn't need you for this war, I'd do away with you just as I have that traitor! What good is your supposed loyalty, your empty professions of duty, when you fail me just as Black has?!"
He ranted for another minute and then released his followers from his wrath-by-wand.
"P-please, Master," Bellatrix said shakily. "It w-was a terrible and unforgiveable mistake, w-what I've done. I beg your forgiveness, p-please. You know I l-live to serve only y-you."
"We shall see," Voldemort sneered, glaring at those gathered in front of him. "You are to attack as many homes of the Order of the Phoenix and their family members as possible. I want it done within the next three days, do you understand? I grow tired of waiting."
"But, my lord," Lucius groveled. "They keep themselves protected and hidden from us by the strongest of enchantments-"
"I'll hear no excuses!" Voldemort bellowed. "Only by doing away with as many of those who have signed up for Dumbledore's cause as possible will I think of showing mercy. You are to gather the others and tell them that I insist they assist you."
"And what of you, my master?" Bellatrix asked in a small voice.
"Do not concern yourselves with me," Voldemort hissed. "I have my own score to settle."
His eyes glowed red, and then he disappeared with a crack. Voldemort reappeared on the outskirts of Manchester, just as dawn broke. While Severus and Lily mourned and celebrated with their friends at Spinner's End that day, Voldemort, concealed as a common Muggle, was walking the streets of the city.
He knew the Snapes lived in that city. He was determined to find them and finish them...
x x x x x
By the following morning, the same morning Dumbledore visited Severus and Lily, the Death Eaters were undertaking the mission Voldemort has entrusted them with. Because of desperation for their lives, they managed to figure out how to gain access to many homes, although luckily, the Order fought back strongly.
After leaving Spinner's End, Dumbledore was alerted to these attacks and joined in the resistance. By the end of the day, many more had fallen on either side. Reports of the Inferi wreaking havoc on Muggles came in by the boatload, as well as the death counts by Death Eaters.
Severus felt useless to it all.
"So, now what do we do? Stand by and let this war escalate?" he asked Lily.
Lily had no satisfying answer for this and instead posed her own concerns in the form of questions. "What about our families, Sev? Do you think the Untraceable Charm will hold?"
"It should, but if you're worried, Lily, we can offer to let them stay here." Severus didn't know how well it would go over to have three more people staying in their small home, but if it may Lily feel better, he was willing to accomodate them.
"Well, if you think the charm will hold," Lily said, her voice uncertain. "I'm going to check on them..."
Her voice drifted off as she crossed the room to the fireplace. Severus watched as Lily stuck her head into the flames and spoke with her family, and since she remained in that position for some time, he assumed they were all right.
Thoughts of Tobias entered his mind. After Lily finished speaking with her own family, she said, "They insisted on staying in their home."
Severus strongly suspected Lily was verging on wanting to magically remove her parents and sister from their home and bring them to Spinner's End. Her face had a set determination, a refusal to be convinced of their safety, and a fear of the worst.
"As much as it pains me to say this, Lily, you cannot make them do anything against their will. I know you care about them, but if they wish to stay there, you ought to abide by their wishes."
"I'd never resort to using the Imperius Curse, Severus," Lily stated sternly, crossing her arms in defense and dejection.
"I'm not saying that," Severus pointed out carefully. He pulled her toward him, her back resting against his chest. "I am thinking I should check on my father, too."
Lily nodded and followed her husband into the sitting room. Severus called on Tobias, but no one answered. Exchanging a worried look with Lily, Severus stepped through the grate and into Tobias's flat, which sat still. He hadn't filled it with much more furniture since the last time Severus had visited.
Checking the bedroom, Severus failed to find his father and mentally cursed.
"He had better hope he's not caught," he muttered.
I should have kept a better eye on him, Severus thought in concern.
"What do you want to do?" Lily asked quietly.
"We need to return home. It's getting late, and it would only be more unsafe to venture outside now," Severus explained. "Let's just hope he's okay."
The Snapes returned home, uncertainty and foreboding invading their minds and hearts.
Author's Note: The pregnant Narcissa being Crucioed is from Matt Quinn's fic, iThe Wrath of the Half-Blood Prince./i
