Chapter One Hundred-Nineteen
Sleep seemed impossible that night.
Severus resorted to pacing instead.
"If he returned to the pubs-" he started to say, vexation and anguish in his tone.
"It's only nine o'clock, Severus," Lily reasoned.
"Not very late, true, but late enough. What's he got to do on a January night at this hour? The shops are closed for the most part."
"Maybe he went to get some groceries?" Lily suggested.
"Unlikely," Severus muttered, unconvinced.
He halted his pacing and gazed across the room at his wife, taking in the dark circles around her eyes.
"It's not good for you to be up this late, Lily. Maybe you ought to try and get some sleep. You can take a potion if you like."
"And what about you, Severus?"
"I think it would be prudent to stay awake and keep an eye out tonight. With all the attacks today, something is definitely up."
"I don't think I could sleep if I tried," Lily confessed, "and I don't like the idea of a potion-induced sleep, leaving you down here alone. No, I'm staying up with you. Besides, I don't think the potion would be good for the baby."
Sighing, Severus realized she was right and muttered, "I may as well make some coffee, then."
He marched into the kitchen and busied himself with the preparation of the coffee. Lily took a seat on the sofa and rested her hands on her belly, staring down at it. She smoothed her hands over her abdomen and murmured sweet nothings to the baby.
She then looked up and gazed across the room and into the kitchen at her husband.
"Do you suppose Voldemort will be destroyed before he's born? Our baby, that is, Sev?" she queried.
The coffee ready, Severus was in the process of pouring two cups, when he replied, "Let us hope. I don't want our child being born into a world where Voldemort still reigns."
He began to enter the sitting room again, wondering if this uncertainty and fear was what the Potters must have felt last time.
Passing one of the mugs to Lily, Severus thought, And to think I was partially responsible for their fates. He shook his head in disgust.
"What's on your mind, Sev?" Lily asked, taking a small sip of the coffee.
He joined her on the couch, sitting on the edge. "Caffeine will help keep us awake, but I doubt it will help my nerves."
"It's all right to be afraid, you know," Lily pointed out quietly. "I admit I'm afraid, Sev."
"You do a good job of hiding it," Severus remarked. He stared at the front door, then turned to face his wife. "Yes, Lily, I am afraid. It would be foolish not to be, but I'm not afraid for my own life. I don't want to see you..." He couldn't finish that sentence.
"Severus," Lily said gingerly. She placed her cup down and was about to take his hand in hers when a bang came from the front door.
Alarmed, Severus and Lily stood.
"Stay there," Severus cautioned.
The door had been blasted away, and someone dressed in a black hooded cloak stepped into the house.
"Voldemort," Severus stated, his wand at the ready. He didn't waste another moment. There was to be no dawdling. A flash of green light issued forth from Severus's wand, aimed directly at the Dark Lord's chest.
Unfortunately, Voldemort stepped out of the way, and the jet of light flew past him and into the night beyond the door.
"Think you're so clever, do you, half-blood filth?" Voldemort sneered. "You think you can beat me?"
Voldemort shot the Killing Curse at Severus, who moved out of the way. He was worried for Lily, who he caught out of the corner of his eye. She was now standing as well and had her wand out.
"No, Lily!" Severus bellowed. "Go! Get out of here!"
"Like hell I'm leaving you!" she yelled back.
Voldemort took this moment to try and hit Lily instead, but luckily, she was fast enough and darted out of the way. Severus struck at the Dark Lord again, but he was too fast.
There wasn't any time to think. Severus wished Lily would simply leave. With her there, he had to try and protect her and fight Voldemort. He knew she wouldn't use the Killing Curse on Voldemort; she had never tried to kill anyone before.
"I killed that traitorous Regulus Black," Voldemort taunted. "Dumbledore, he, and you thought you had me in your grips, but if only your foolish Mudblood knew how to block her mind better, perhaps you'd be safe still!"
Severus didn't reply. He wasn't going to give his old master the satisfaction.
"As it is, you won't be around much longer to be safe in your home, so thoughfully hidden away-"
Shut up!
Severus slashed his wand through the air and then followed the Sectumsempra with an Avada Kedavra. The first curse caught Voldemort, but he'd already moved mostly out of the way, so it only skimmed his cheek. The green jet of light flew right past.
"Damn it," Severus growled.
"So intent on killing me that you miss the opportunity-" Voldemort yelled, then shot the Killing Curse toward Lily, "-to protect your precious Mudblood!"
"No!" Severus screamed, but then everything happened at once.
Another bang issued forth from near the door. Severus turned in horror as the light sped toward Lily, but she managed to hide behind the sofa, which exploded in a mass of stuffing. A choking noise from the entrance alerted Severus's attention next, and he turned to face Voldemort again, but Voldemort was staggering, his entire face surprised.
There was another bang, and Voldemort fell to his knees, dropping his wand. A couple of seconds later, he fell, face forward, to the floor. Embedded in his back and in the back of his head were two bullets.
Tobias stepped into the entrance and glared down at Voldemort's body.
"Serves you right, you bloody bastard," the older Snape muttered, kicking at Voldemort's shoe.
Voldemort didn't move.
Stunned, Severus was gaping. "F-Father?"
"Yes, Severus?" Tobias asked, almost sounding amused.
Severus pivoted, looking for Lily, who had managed to shield herself from the exploding couch and was standing, brushing the remains of the sofa off herself.
She approached the two men. "I'm okay," she said. Gazing down at Voldemort, she asked, "Is he... dead?"
"I think so," Severus replied cautiously. He pointed his wand and cast Sectumsempra. The curse hit Voldemort and tore his arm from his body, but the blood didn't gush. "He's dead," he confirmed. Looking once again at his father, he asked incredulously, "How- how did you-?"
"It was all over the news, first of all," Tobias began to explain. "The attacks all over Britain. Then, people started talking about a strange man in Manchester who was threatening its citizens. Having the old telly wouldn't have been a bad idea, Severus. I knew I had to come to see you."
Severus didn't argue. Since his father had just killed the most evil wizard of the century, he was grateful and relieved. Lily came to stand by his side, and Severus instinctively reached for her hand.
Well, that certainly changes what the prophecy meant, Severus thought. Exchanging a meaningful look with Lily, he realized that maybe his son wouldn't have been destined to destroy Voldemort after all. Then again, he wasn't about to risk letting the Dark Lord live and wind up killing the boy, anyway.
"I guess carrying that gun around turned out to be a smart idea after all," Severus stated, trying to get over the shock of what had just happened.
Tobias actually laughed. "Guess so," he said. Sobering, he asked, "And you're both okay?"
"I'm fine," Severus replied.
"Just a couple of bumps and bruises," Lily confirmed. "Thank you, Tobias, for, you know, killing him."
"Don't mention it," Tobias replied gruffly. "He was making your lives miserable, right? It was the least I could do, I suppose." He cast his son a strange look, and Severus wondered if the man was trying to apologize for years of past abuse.
"Thanks to you, Father, he's dead. The irony shouldn't be lost on his followers when they find out a Muggle killed their esteemed leader." Severus smirked.
"What do we do now?" Tobias asked, kicking Voldemort's corpse for good measure. "Sure is an ugly fellow."
"Now we notify the correct authorities," Severus stated.
x x x x x
A couple of hours later, after the Aurors had come to remove Voldemort's body, and Dumbledore had been notified and seen the truth for himself, Tobias, Severus, and Lily were gathered in the sitting room. Severus had transfigured an old mattress into a new sofa for the time being.
"I can't believe it's really over. He's really dead," Lily was saying. "I'm relieved, but to be honest, I thought I'd be happier. Is it normal to feel like this?"
"Wars never really have happy endings," Severus supplied. "Too many lives lost. Even old Mad-Eye Moody... and Elphias Doge, who was one of Dumbledore's oldest friends...both dead."
"And the late Prewett brothers' poor sister's family, the Weasleys, lost their father... I didn't know him well, but I'd run into Arthur Weasley a couple of times when I worked at the Ministry. He always seemed like such a nice man," Lily said, shaking her head.
"He died defending his family," Severus said. "Frank Longbottom finished off Bellatrix Lestrange when she tried torturing his son. That's justice."
Tobias gave Severus a confused look, but Severus didn't elaborate.
"Travers, Crabbe, Jugson... all dead, too," Lily added. "The others are on the run."
"Without their leader, won't they disband?" Tobias inquired.
"Since none of them is strong enough to take Voldemort's place, that will happen, yes," Severus stated, "but there will still be a few months before the Aurors - the magical police - capture them all. I wouldn't stop carrying that gun if I were you."
Tobias cradled the gun between his hands and stared down at it. Stowing it away, he stood. "Not a bad idea. I ought to let you two get some sleep, if you can manage it. What a night, eh?"
"Yeah," Lily whispered, standing with Severus to see Tobias out.
"Good night, Dad," Severus said softly, and then he leaned forward and hugged his father.
"Good night, Severus." Tobias, surprised by his son's rare display of affection, returned the hug a little awkwardly.
Lily gave her father-in-law a quick hug, and they saw Tobias out. Now alone, Severus didn't waste another second in hiding his relief and raw emotion. He swept Lily up into his arms and held her closely, burying his face in her hair.
"Thank God you're all right," he rasped.
"There, there, Sev; it's over now," Lily soothed.
Severus withdrew his face and smiled, a tired smile, but a smile nonetheless.
"Yes, Lily, you're right again."
And he kissed her.
Author's Note: (added after the chapter was originally put up) Since a few people have already expressed their dislike of why I chose the method of Voldemort's demise that I did, I felt it necessary to post this, explaining why I chose it, in the hopes that it will help quell any further questions.
The reason Voldemort died by a gun at the hands of a Muggle was for the irony. I realize it's anticlimatic, but that's the point. Voldemort, who for all his efforts to be immortal, was rendered mortal. He used magic to try and prove himself more powerful than others, thinking himself better than Muggles. He underestimated Muggles, and to die by a Muggle would be very ironic and a very humiliating way for him to die. Having Voldemort die by magic and/or by Severus's hand would have been predictable.
There is also a twist on the prophecy. Remember that the characters interpreted it to mean Severus and his kid? Well, it actually meant Tobias and Severus. If you go back and reread it, you'll see that it could have been that way, too.
Just as Voldemort underestimated the power of love in canon and it led to his downfall, so his underestimation of Muggles led to his downfall in this story. If you are disappointed, I do apologize, but when a story is read by so many, I cannot possibly live up to everyone's expectations. I wrote it the way I felt the story was to be told, and in the end, I'm happy with it.
