It was Friday and everyone was assembled. The Great Hall of Malfoy Manor was packed to the brim with the foulest of humanity. Snub nosed aristocrats rubbed shoulders with unintelligent brutes in a terrible co-op of evil. All eyes were focused at the center of the room where Voldemort stood unwaveringly. Nagini wound her way sinuously around his feet, her forked tongue darting in and out quickly.

"Kill everyone you see. I want havoc. Everyone needs to see what we are capable of." Voldemort's voice filled the entire hall echoingly. He looked on in approval as many of the men nodded favorably at his words and made crude comments among themselves.

It was time. The attack of Diagon Alley was to begin.

As Voldemort looked around with something akin to happiness, he added to Snape, who stood slightly off to the side,

"I want to see you out there too Severus, I haven't seen you kill in a while." Even though he recoiled on the inside, Severus kept his face blank as he answered smoothly,

"Of course, my Lord."

Severus guessed that maybe even the Dark Lord hadn't anticipated the chaos that now ensued. Having no organized plan, curses flew in all directions. Even though the inhabitants of Diagon Alley had been caught horribly off-guard, they did not shrink from defending themselves. Trying to find an inconspicuous place in which to position himself, Severus moved slowly up the street with his wand at the ready. Dodging quickly he inwardly flinched as an older man dropped dead beside him, felled by a casual spell from Bellatrix's wand. She was surely a sight to behold. Skipping up and down the street she regularly casted spells of fire and torture toward the innocent. Forcing himself to turn away from her carnage, he spotted a dark and seemingly abandoned store entryway and hurried toward it. This however, would prove to be a fatal mistake.

"GET THE HELL OUTTA HERE! I'll kill you!" A tall balding wizard appeared almost directly in front of him. His robes were frayed and his hair was thinning. Snape's eyes quickly picked up a quick movement from behind the man. It was a woman, shaking in fear, crouching behind an unsteady desk. It was then that Severus realized he was the source of her fear. Swallowing dryly, Severus took a small step forward as he attempted to explain himself, to explain that he would not hurt them. That he wasn't a killer.

"Avada Kedavra!" Unexpectedly the bald man shot a misaimed spell straight at Severus.

"I told you I'd kill you! I don't care what you'd do to me, but by God, you're not getting my wife!" Sweat ran down the wizard's face in bullets and his eyes bulged like a madman's. The entire shop smelled sour, like fear.

"Look, you need to calm…" Severus raised his wand quickly to deflect another fatal curse. Time to rethink, Severus. This man isn't going to listen to anything you have to say. Severus was in the process of deciding whether or not to stun the fear-crazed wizard when a horrible voice sounded from behind him, from the doorway.

"What are you waiting for? Kill this scum, Severus." The voice was unmistakably that of the Dark Lord.

There was no option. He had to now kill this man. He had failed; he had allowed himself to be discovered by the Dark Lord.

"I never knew you to be one for hesitation. Kill him. Now." It was unmistakably an order. No, a threat. It mean, kill him now or I'll kill you. For that was how the Dark Lord operated, you obeyed him or you died. Simple. Snape's head rung with an impossible pressure. He had to now kill this man. Nothing made sense in this moment, nothing. He had to now kill this man. Raising his wand, he muttered the incantation and the wizard fell in a small heap on the dusty ground. The woman leapt up and whimpered shrilly. A scream of despair. A scream of disbelief. Severus left the shop with her cry ringing in his ears.

She pulled his head into her lap as he kneeled in front of her. Her lap became damp and she realized with a jolt that he was crying. Forcing her shaking hand to still, she ran her fingers through his dark hair as she tried to calm him.

"Sev, what…what happened, why are you so upset?" She could not hide the distress in her voice. She had never in her wildest dreams thought that she would witness Severus Snape crying. His sadness was starting to cause her eyes to burn with unshed tears. He looked up at her, his face pale and contorted with an emotion that she could not interpret.

"Me, you. We can't… we can't do this Angelina. It's too dangerous, it's too dangerous. I'm… dangerous." The words hit Angelina forcefully.

"What are you talking about, Severus? I know… I know it's unconventional, but we'll be okay. Why are you talking like this?" Tears were now running down her face fast and thick. She could not understand him; just yesterday he had been fine, more affectionate than ever.

"NO, WE CAN'T!" his voice rent the air loudly. Had she been any lesser of a woman, Angelina would have been afraid, for the power in Severus' voice was daunting. However, she leaned down and rested her forehead to his as their tears mingled.

"Please, please, don't do this Severus. I don't understand. Just tell me what's wrong; I can fix it for you, Sev. I can fix it, just tell me." She pleaded with him desperately.

"No, you can't fix it. It's me… I can't, Angelina." She let out a small sob as she realized how serious he was. Her mind raced over the events of the past couple of weeks to figure out what she had done, she had to have done something to cause him to be this upset. Nothing, nothing at all came to mind and pure panic began to take over.

"Why, why are you doing this? Don't you care about me?" her voice was harsh as she questioned him brutally. Severus looked up at her angrily and she looked down in shame.

"Yes, I care about you. That's exactly why we can't… we can't be together. You deserve somebody better. I'm not what you need… Angelina, please."

"I don't care about what you think I need, Severus! I love you!" Severus froze at the last three words that she uttered. Before he could protest, she sunk down from the edge of his bed and kissed him full on the mouth. For one terrifying second he remained motionless but then began to kiss her back even as he continued to cry.