It was interesting to watch someone else on the end of Minerva's rant, and oddly satisfying as well. I could almost see how she wore down Black's resolve, and used guilt to her advantage. 'How very Slytherin of you, Minerva,' I mused. Black eventually threw his arms into the air with a cry of frustration.
"Fine, Lupin and I will come," he said through gritted teeth.
Minerva smiled and turned to the rest of us, "The lot of you, get everything in the car out front. No magic, Mr. Weasley, do it the muggle way."
One of the twins grumbled and removed the charm that was levitating his trunk; letting it fall with a band. Everyone shuffled about and grabbed trunks, dragging them through the hallway to the front door. I took a trunk the Weasley girl was trying to drag and motioned to a lighter one for her to grab. My joints yelled in protest as I lugged the heavy trunk through the house and into the back of the charmed car.
After a bit the car was finally loaded up and we were on our way. The fact that Lupin was driving this damned thing like we were in a race never bothered me. No, what bothered me was being pressed against the door while Potter sat on my left; the boy practically sitting in my lap. His fingers kept brushing my side in a casual almost lazy way, but I kept my gaze glued to the back of Lupin's head. I felt my jaw stiffen as his wandering fingers suddenly rested firmly on my thigh. No one noticed, and the multiple conversations were starting to give me a headache. He gave my thigh a rough squeeze and I turned my head to level a glare at him. His playful expression hardened and he glared back at me. I felt my lip curl and I turned my head to stare out the window, resting my forehead against the cool glass.
The ride seemed to last forever, the roar in the car dying to a comfortable silence. I had been to Albus' home once before, but not by muggle means. I watched the scenery go by and sighed, Albus would love to see this. Potter had fallen asleep and his entire being was pushed up against my side, his head resting on my shoulder. I stole a glance at him out of the corner of my eyes. His soft lips were parted slightly as he inhaled and exhaled. His face had etched out, the boyish shape completely gone. He had a strong jaw and high almost feminine cheekbones. The lightning bolt scar stood out more without his shaggy hair covering it. A lump caught in my throat and I turned my gaze back to the scenery. 'So much weight on someone so young,' I thought to myself.
Potter's body suddenly went rigid and he let out a scream of agony I'd never heard from him. Lupin slammed on the brakes, and I braced myself to keep from falling forward. Potter's hands were holding his head and it was obvious his scar was causing the pain.
"Harry, what's wrong? Is it your scar?" Black tried to climb over Minerva to get to Harry, but she held onto his coat.
Potter screamed again, this time in a manner I only heard from Crucio victims. I shifted myself around so Potter had more room, and waved my wand over him while mumbling a stunning charm.
"Professor, you know you have to enneverate him! It could be worse if you let his body build all that pain up." Granger spoke calmly despite the look of horror on my face.
"He'll be fine, Granger. Lupin, let's get moving, the longer we sit here the more dangerous it is for Potter." I said while maneuvering Potter's body so we had switched seats.
Black barked a laugh, "The more dangerous it is for you too, Snape. Or had you forgot that your former friends had been ordered to kill you?"
I sneered, "No, Black, it is no different than when I left Hogwarts and the Order were the ones out for my head. I'm no stranger to death threats."
He made an ugly face and turned back around; Minerva leveled an odd look at me before turning around as well. Finally, Lupin began driving again and I was able to turn and stare at Potter. His skin was much paler and he was sweating slightly, but at least he wasn't in that horrible pain. His eyes were moving beneath his closed lids, and I knew he could hear what was going on around him. The conversation in the car came to a roar again and my head began to throb from it. I studied his features for a while, this time under the pretense of making sure he was okay.
Sweat dotted his upper lip and forehead, a bit of his unruly hair stuck to his skin. I blinked and turned my attention to the ceiling of the car. How was he having this affect on me? I cast the enneverate spell on him wordlessly, and his arm twitched. He remained in the same position, and I breathed a sigh of relief that the pain had passed. His fingers brushed my clothed arm and I glanced at him. He had that idiotic grin on his face and I scowled and turned my gaze back to the ceiling. Suddenly the mood in the car changed, Lupin let out a yell and slammed on the brakes. Everyone screamed and went sprawling into a mess of flailing limbs. There was a red flash and the sound of shattering glass.
"Everyone get out of the car, now!" Black roared.
This caused more flailing and I got kicked sharply in the back of the head. Potters hand grasped tightly onto mine and he pulled me out of the car after him. Bellatrix stood in front of the car, a maniacal grin plastered on her face.
"Severus! How are you these days?" she taunted.
"Bellatrix, you disgusting cow of a woman," Black brandished his wand at her.
She smirked and he growled, and in flashes of red light they were in a heated duel. Potter dropped my hand and made to rush forward to help and I grabbed the back of his coat easily; flinging his body behind mine as a stream of red crashed into the car. I sneered at Draco and he smiled back arrogantly.
"Always hexing people with their backs turned, Draco. You do indeed live up to your name."
"Shut up, Snape. You have no right to speak to me you filthy traitor." Draco fired a hex that was easy to deflect.
"You're just as bad as Potter! You're temper flares up and your defenses fall allowing me easy access to your thoughts." I smirked at the look of rage my words inspired.
"Cru-" Draco started.
"Expelliarmus!" roared Potter as he stepped out from behind me. "Accio wand," he commanded the second Draco's wand hit the ground.
Draco's grey eyes widened in momentary panic before he took off on a run to dive behind Bellatrix. Potter attempted to run after him, but once again I grabbed the back of his coat. He glared up at me and tried to swat my arm away.
"Chess, Mr. Potter. The king cannot run into battle; stay protected." I pushed him behind me again, and to my surprise he stayed there.
I spared a glance at the others; the Weasley twins were dodging and firing hexes with Greyback. The anger on their faces was unmistakable, and I wondered absently what Greyback's bites had done to their eldest brother.
The Weasley girl and youngest boy were back to back and dueling heatedly with Alecto and Amycus. She hit Alecto with a hex and pushed her brother out of the way of a hex. My brow rose in surprise at her ability to fight and I glanced behind me at Potter. His wand was raised and his eyes were trained on the massive Death Eater than Granger was battling alone. Lupin let out a yell that caused Potter and I to turn immediately. My heart caught in my throat as I watched Lupin throw himself onto Greyback, and pull him off of Minerva's collapsed body.
"No," Potter breathed and tried to rush forward again.
I grabbed his jacket and pulled him tightly against me, "Potter, you have to stay safe, we outnumber them. Look, the twins are aiding Lupin. You must refrain from foolishly rushing headfirst to try to save your friends."
He glared up at me, his chest heaving, "I can't just stand back and watch."
I shook my head, "You need to think of your safety."
"Fuck my safety, Snape."
I felt my lip curl and I brought my face inches from his, "So Dumbledore died for nothing. Your mother sacrificed her life for your safety! Damn all those who died to aid you, Potter, you are above such gestures."
He pushed hard against me, and I released him. He rushed off to aid Granger, firing hexes so quickly the Death Eater never had a chance to deflect them. I charged off to where Black and Lestrange were dueling.
"Lestrange! Care for a challenge?" I bellowed and fired a hex that she narrowly dodged.
She narrowed her eyes, and spared Black a glance, "You two are joining efforts then? Finally kissed and made up?"
I sneered, "Like I would need his help in getting rid of you."
She bared her teeth in a wicked smile, "As you wish, Snape." She fired a hex at Black who was too busy watching us to react. Black fell with a sick thud, his hard head hitting an equally hard rock. Bellatrix turned to me and slashed her wand violently through the air.
I'd hate to describe myself as graceful, but when dueling you can't afford to be anything but. You must be graceful enough to coordinate your body to your wand movements, but at the same time calculating enough to know when to shield or attack. A slightly slip of the foot or wand could mean your instant death, and so I could account to being a graceful duelist.
An odd thing happens when your body realizes it's fighting for its own life; it pumps adrenaline directly to your brain, it causes your breathing to quicken, and most importantly it puts itself in a hyper-aware mode. The crash of red light that missed my foot by a fraction seemed to vibrate from the earth and up my legs, and the jet of red light I sent back at Lestrange seemed to cause the same affect on her. For a moment we stood in silence, glaring with the upmost contempt at the other, a brief calming of the storm. The next moment we were moving, striking, and protecting in such fluid motion it seemed rehearsed.
I was vaguely aware of Potter charging after Draco; the youngest Weasley boy hot on his heels. I was vaguely aware of the Weasley twins and Minerva firing hex after hex at Greyback. I heard Lupin's cry of Black's name, but I could not turn to him and reassure him his partner was alive. Lestrange was more than aware of Potter's back turned to her though, and took this moment to fire a hex his way. Her mistake was her downfall, and my hex had her stunned and unmoving on the ground.
Potter turned from his pursuit of Draco at the Weasley boy's cry of pain.
"Ron!" the cry came from both Potter and Granger.
Granger's cry of agony came next as the Death Eater she was fighting hit her with an Unforgivable. I turned on the Death Eater and wordlessly cast a hex on him, watching his massive frame fall to the ground. I offered my hand to Granger, and gingerly pulled her to her feet. Minerva and the Weasley twins were still dueling Greyback, they were aided quickly by the Weasley girl. Draco's retreating form had stopped running, the brat was bent over and panting heavily.
Apparating next to an enemy is never a wise thing to do, but I knew Draco was unarmed and unable to fight. I appeared next to him with a faint pop, and he turned to me with a look of panic.
"Please, don't kill me," he begged and tears were already pouring down his face.
I shook my head, "You should know by now I'm not going to kill you, Draco. If I had wanted you dead, I would've never taken that unbreakable vow with your mother. I would've allowed you to fail your mission, and the Dark Lord would've killed you."
He glared at me, "I wasn't going to fail my mission. You barged in and took my mission from me."
"Draco, you had ample opportunity to murder Dumbledore. You, however, are not a killer and so you would have failed."
I grabbed the back of his neck and began steering him back to the fray, "Come on, Draco, the Order can keep you and your mother safe if you wish it."
He nodded and kept his gaze glued to the ground, "I know that, but my mother will never hear it. She and my father are more devoted to the Dark Lord than they are to their son."
"There are times as adults that we find ourselves not wanting to live the lives mapped out for us by our parents, Draco. The choices you make in life ultimately fall to you." I said quietly.
"He's fucking dead!" someone screamed.
I could not see who at first, because of the Order gathering around them, but when I did I nearly vomited at the sight.
A/N: I know, I'm so terribly evil.