(I am sorry about the change in Bella's name. Bella to Bela. Also if you want permission to use any of my characters please contact me first, thank you.)
Chapter 5 The Duel
"Devoro!" The purple spell traveled as fast as light and Bella had literally no time to move. The spell hit her and she crouched low waiting for its affects. Nothing seemed to happen. Bella looked at Snape curiously but he just smiled and flicked his wand, a small dash of light flew at Bella very fast and nicked her finger, which started to bleed. Bella stared at Snape again before laughing. Snape continued to smile his very small smile. Bella stopped laughing and looked at her arm.
"Hungry are we?" Asked Snape innocently. Bella cursed as she began to lick her finger. Everyone outside the dome looked on in curiosity, how could this be a harmful spell, it didn't appear to do anything but make her lick her finger. Or so they thought until they heard a loud 'crunch'. They stared in horror as Bella broke off her fingers with her teeth and swallowed them. Bella continued to gnaw at the bleeding hand as Snape looked at her mildly interested.
"You know this won't hurt me." Bella said between gulps of her own blood.
"Then stop eating." Snape said wickedly. Bella's eyes widened as she realized she was still chewing on her arm. They continued to widen until nothing but black iris remained. Bella took her arm out of her mouth and shook it; there was a bloody stump where her hand had been. She growled in pain as bones started to grow out of the stump, followed soon my muscle.
"That was a dirty trick." Bella stated, hurt.
"And that should make it less amusing how?" Asked Snape.
No, I am quite proud." Snape smirked at this and raised his wand as Bella clenched and unclenched her re-grown hand.
"Ferire Maximus!" Snape shouted and a bolt of red light shot towards Bella who moved out of the way.
"Your other spell was faster." Bella stated simply. Snape smirked at her again.
"Ferire Magnum Multissimo." Another bolt of red light shot out of Snape's wand and split into 5 different beams of light each curving and coming at Bella from a different direction. Bella jumped into the air to avoid them and was hit be a beam of white light from a silent spell. She fell straight to the ground.
"What did you do?" Said Bella as she stood up.
"Multiplied your weight by 50 for three seconds, it takes to much energy to hold longer." Snape continued to shoot non-verbal spells in quick concession at Bella, who was now rolling and dodging them as if it were easy. "Multissimo." Snape shouted and suddenly every spell had three duplicates. Twenty-five spells were now headed at Bella, there was no physically possibly way to dodge all of them. Malfoy smirked, as he was proven right when the spells hit. A loud bang filled the air and Bella was…gone. Snape frowned immediately and looked around him frantically. The air glittered with residue from the magical explosion; some settled on Snape making his black cloak looked like it was flecked with snow. Snape continued to look wary, but Malfoy just smirked and started to step into the circle filled with still randomly falling magical dust.
"Stay where you are!" Snape snapped at Malfoy as his foot hovered over the line of blood. Malfoy stepped back and looked confused. "This is not over yet…" whispered Snape, just loud enough for them to hear. The debris was still falling randomly, but the biggest pile seemed to be behind Snape. He stiffened as the pile grew and formed into body that held him around the waste.
"I believe it is over now." The body said as it turned into Bella. The snarl upon Snape's face was terrifying.
"Expeliarmus!" Hissed Snape, and Bella was thrown backward by the force of the spell, she skidded to a halt right before the edge of the circle. "Why have you not changed yet?" Asked Snape curiously as Bella stood up and dusted herself off.
"I want it to be a surprise." Said Bella teasingly.
"They are probably aware by now that you are a vampire." The group outside the circle nodded. Bella sighed.
"Snape say the cage spell, I don't want them to get hurt, however unlikely, and I would prefer them to not be covered in blood." Snape nods and mutters "Fetra." then nods again to indicate that they can continue. Bella smiles and closes her eyes. Snape immediately starts throwing spells at her, but they seem to collide with an oval shaped ward. Each spell that hits the ward bursts in a cloud of fog. Soon the cloud is so thick that Bella can't be seen. Suddenly the fog is blown away and Bella stands up and unfurls wings. Everyone outside the circle takes a step back and gasps. Bella's hair is now longer and pure black, her eyes glowed red, her skin white, and her nails sharp and long. Her wings had reappeared, but bigger and darker, and her ears were as long as a house elf's. Bella smiled and charged Snape moving as fast as a wolf. Snape held out his wand and roars "Domus Impentra!" Bella hits an invisible wall and Snape crosses his arms and raises an eyebrow as she tests the shields strength. Snape frowns and shakes his head as Bella sniffs the ward and then licks it.
Bella mutters "Excitatus." And the wards glow bright before dimming, and then glowing brighter.
"It appears we are at a draw." Says Snape sadly. "Shall we each owe the other one minor favor?" Bella shakes her head and twirls her finger at the dome. A spiral appears nears her and funnels outward as she opens her mouth and the blue-clear energy from the spell rushes into it. The wards around Snape grow thin and move towards Bella before it completely disappears into her mouth. Bella licks her lips and smiles at Snape who looks astounded. "How…"
"Physic vampires feed off energy, sanguine vampires feed off blood, I do both. That spell was made of your energy and had more natural energy than other short spells. Shield spells require continuous energy to be put into them, eventually they are nothing but your energy, and I ate it." Bella explained after she burped softly. Snape looked incredulous. Bella just smiled and walked toward him.
"Domus Impentra." Snape said again.
"Your not trying the same spell again, are you?" Asked Bella shaking her head. Snape snorted in disdain and pointed his wand at the top of his dome.
"Fortis Perma." A silver light exploded from Snape's wand and hit the dome falling down its sides in a cascade of magic. Snape brought his wand down with a thin thread of magic still connecting it to the dome, he pointed his wand at the ground and yelled "Modus Terra!" The thin wisp of magic split and half went into the Earth; green magic spread up the thread and covered the whole dome. Snape now pointed the wand at himself and yelled "Modus Severo. Relashio Severi Clavis Dicere I-Win. Domus Accipio Venter Severi Magia." The last wisp of magic left Snape's wand and attached to him, the dome glowed black and all the threads of magic disappeared. The dome then turned white, and then translucent like moving mist trapped in glass. Snape crossed his arms and smirked at Bella, who stood there open mouthed.
"That… is a very old spell. I see you choose not to enhance it with your blood…" Snape shook his head. "Pity, tell our friends here what that spell does, and why it is rarely used." Bella asked Snape and waved her hand as if giving him the floor. Snape rolled his eyes in utter annoyance at the display of immaturity.
"The spell basically translates to Impenetrable Dome, bound to Earth, bound to Severus, bound to Severus's saying I win, allow Severus's spells passage. To put it another way, this is an impenetrable dome that only will on disappear at by me saying 'I win', and it allows my spells to pass through it. It is not used because the amount of power to erect it kills you, once it is erected though it draws power from the Earth." Snape waves his hand as if the display of power was nothing. "As I am already dead and have more power than a human, I can perform this spell easily." Snape's lip gave the slightest curve upward in satisfaction. Hermione stared in awe, and everyone else looked dumbfounded. Bella smiled.
"It is unfortunate, however, that you chose not to reinforce it with blood, if I was truly hungry I could knock it down easily then, but as I am not, it would be impossible… Without the blood though…." Bella smiled and pulled off her, until now unnoticed, necklace. The small chain sported a metal stick; Bella swung it against the dome and was given a loud pure note. She smiled and listened, but was interrupted by snickers. Snape was actually laughing. Bella frowned, that would not do, a fledgling laughing at its sire…no this would not do at all. Bella held up the pendant in two hands and slowly drew them apart and stopped. The metal in her hands however, continued to grow until a large metal staff grew from it. Bella smiled and hefted the weight from hand to hand before swinging it in circles. When she was done the staff had a thick lump at the top adorned by three spikes going around it horizontally. Bella held the staff near the other end and swung it at the dome; she was rewarded with a loud piercing high note that caused everyone to cover their ears. Bella frowned and held her staff which became a less shiny silver and a darker metallic color, she swung again and this time was rewarded with a low mournful note that thought loud, did not hurt the ears as much.
"You don't honestly think that will break this?" Snape asked her.
"It could if I have to resort to that, I'm going to use it to channel my magic." Bella pressed one of the spikes to the dome and yelled "Infirmus!" The dome grew brighter and did not break. Bella shouted more and more spells until she was satisfied she could not break it.
"We are really at a draw this time, once you admit it and promise me my favor I'll drop the wards." Snape said impatiently. Bella shook her head.
"You do not learn fledgling, do you. I have learned many tricks in my many years." Bella stepped back and held up her staff again and Snape sighed in annoyance. Bella brought it above her head and swung down, the staff turned pure black before hitting the dome. A loud explosion resulted and dust swirled around the room from the gusts of air. When the dust settled Snape stood in the middle of a circle drawn into the ground with a 5-foot deep line. Snape stared, stunned at the fact that his wards were gone; this was physically impossible! As He gathered his will someone grabbed him from behind and wrapped him in wings.
From what the group outside could see Bella had appeared behind Snape closed her wings around him and was not opening them despite the punches and kicks that could be seen hitting her wings. You couldn't see either of them, well you could see Bella's back and her wings but that was it. Suddenly the writing stopped, and Bella slowly opened her wings and turned around holding Snape. Everyone gasped; Bella was holding Snape all right, in her arms and mouth! She was happily sucking on his neck and obviously getting large amounts of blood from a fainted Snape. Her vampiric traits disappeared, her wings, claws, ears, long hair and pale skin vanished, but her eyes remained a deep red.
"Let him go!" Harry yelled at Bella. She looked up at him and held up one finger, Harry trembled in rage, how could she do this to him, he was doing what she told him to. Bella looked at him again and gave him the O-K sign with her hand. "He is obviously not ok! You're draining him dry! You-"
"Harry, look." Hermione told Harry and he relaxed a bit and looked closer at Bella. She was taking Snape's mouth and putting it against her own throat, moments later Snape grabbed onto her and started to return her actions, with more vigor than she had. Bella stopped and let Snape drink before trying to pull him off, he growled loudly. Bella sighed and whacked him upside the head lightly. Snape seemed to stop moving for a second before jumping and brushing himself off as if trying to get rid of some disease. Bella rolled her eyes and waited for him to calm down.
"Why in Merlin's name did you do that?" Snape cried outraged after he had finished straightening his clothes. Bella smiled.
"I know for a fact that the amount of energy needed to cast that spell was more than you had at that moment. Being an old vampire my blood will give you enough energy to prevent you from eating anyone, and then some. Plus you get a power boost for a week." Bella winked at him as if flirting. "Now would you be so kind as to lower the barrier, it's keyed to you." Snape growled in anger but lowered the barrier with a flick of his hand and stalked off to sit down at the table he was when they first entered.
"Now do you believe me? I haven't even shown you half of my powers yet, you are lucky to have seen these and not be dead right now." Bella said as she loomed over Draco Malfoy appearing there as if she had apperated. "In fact you are lucky to have seen me fight and be alive at all…" Bella mused. "Will you go and keep your mouth shut?" Bella asked and both boys nodded, pale faced and sweaty. Bella pointed toward the door and they scurried toward it. It opened just enough for them to squeeze through before slamming shut again. "All your belongings will already be at my house so we have one hour to relax and freshen up before we leave."
"Why can't we just apparate?" Asks Harry.
"Because apparating over long distances is tiring, and it drains ones magic. While I'm sure you could do it Harry, some of us can't without becoming weak. If I'm tired enough my animal instinct take over and my first priority is to regain my lost energy, so the first thing I'll do is look for food. Considering what I am, the closest source of food would be...well, you. So I suggest we take a plane. Besides, I like the little peanut bags." Bella smiles as Snape puts his head in his hands annoyance and the trio stares at her as if she's insane. "Now, the bathroom for the boys is to the left, Snape will show you, Hermione I'll take you to our bathroom. We should really rinse off the sweat before getting on the plane…" Giving each other incredulous looks the trio separates and follows their guide to the bathrooms.
Within an hour they were ready to apparate to the Airport.
The familiar and unpleasant tugging feeling below the naval ended as they arrived at the airport and Harry thought yet again that he really did prefer flying.
"Me too." Bella said startling Harry.
"You read my mind, without legilimens!"
"How astute your observations are Potter," comments Snape icily. "but we really need to move if we are to catch are plane."
"How would you know, it's not like you've ever been on a plane!" Cries Harry, as Ron nods fervently in agreement.
"You're right Potter, I haven't been on a plane, but from my observation anything having to do with muggles takes longer than if it were done by wizards, and we only have half an hour, so move already!" Snape hissed the last words and the trio hurried toward the entrance while Bella walked by slowly by Snape smirking. Snape looked torn between smirking back and fuming.
Entering the ticketing area and Bella went to a machine and took out the prepaid tickets and motioned for them to follow her. They entered the security check and were stopped because it was suspicious they didn't have any carry-ons. Bella went behind a screened area with the guard. A moment later she came out smiling and told them the guard said it was okay to go.
"What did you do?" Asked Snape accusingly.
"Jedi mind trick." Replied Bella as if it were obvious.
"What?" Asked Snape and Ron together. Harry and Hermione laughed, they recognized the quote.
"This is not the group you are looking for." Bella held her hands in front of Snape's eyes and waggled her fingers. Snape rolled his eyes and asked again what she was blathering about. Hermione explained the concept of Star Wars and the force. Snape looked slightly intrigued and started comparing the power to wandless magic and vampire charisma. Hermione nodded and agreed that that was what Bella did; she used her vampire charisma to charm the guard. Bella told them to hush or talk about this as if it were a video game. This confused Snape more so he decided to stay quiet for the moment.
Snape seemed to scorn the many shops selling souvenirs and food. Waiting in the line to get their luggage checked the guards looked at them suspiciously when they had no carry-ons except for Bella's backpack and a bag carrying their cloaks because they were now attired in muggle clothing. Hermione, Harry, and Bella were accustomed to wearing muggle clothing, and Ron was familiar with it having been with Harry and Hermione in the muggle world for a year or two. Snape however tried to go out of the wizarding world as little as possible and disliked muggle wear. Fortunately, or perhaps unfortunately, Bella had gotten clothes for him. He was wearing black jeans, black boots, a black trench coat, and a black silk collared shirt with buttons. All of theses he could deal with, but Bella had also somehow forced this powerful wizard to wear black sunglasses, a belt with a skull on it, and a couple of rings with emeralds as green as the Slytherin banner. Snape looked murderous.
Everyone else looked normal, jeans and a regular t-shirt, a jacket and tennis shoes. Bella on the other hand looked similar to Snape. Black jeans, black small boots, black trench coat, and white t-shirt that said bite me. She also had leather bracelets, silver rings, a hoop earring, and a necklace. People were looking at her with quick glances while she smiled back at them and they either returned the gesture or frowned and walked faster. At one point Bella held up her hand and asked if anyone was hungry, everyone said they were. Bella bought three pretzels, some chocolate, water, fruit, and gum for the plane ride. She also bought some magazines for them to read. Ron and Harry found these fascinating as neither had read them before, Ron because he was a wizard and didn't read muggle magazines and Harry because the Dursley's had never bought him anything he didn't absolutely need. Hermione skimmed through them and asked if she could buy a book on mythology, she wanted to compare the muggle views and fantasies to wizard fact. Bella insisted that Hermione save her money and bought it for her. She bought Snape a soda and added three drops of red liquid from a vial to it before giving it to Snape, who looked pleasantly surprised for a second before going back to grumbling about muggle inadequacies. They continued walking to their terminal, B8, and reached it in another five minutes. Everyone sat down to wait while Bella checked their tickets in. Snape was sitting next to a young girl with blond hair and a pink dress. He sneered at her as the lollipop she was licking got stuck in her hair. But when she started to cry he grimaced and leaned over.
"Shhh. Shhhhh, it's alright, hold still." Snape said as he commenced to use his long fingers, dexterous from fixing ingredients for potions, to untangle the long golden curls from the lollipop. The girl sniffled and smiled at Snape before hugging him and running over to her mother at the check-in line pointing at Snape. The mother looked and smiled at Snape, who surprisingly smiled back. Ron, Hermione, and Harry, looked astonished, it was inconceivable, Snape being nice! They stared at Snape as if he had turned into a flobberworm. When the incident was over Snape put his head in his hands and grumbled to himself. "Thank God that brat stopped crying."
"That's more like the Snape we know." Ron whispered to the other two who nodded their heads in agreement as Snape snarled at them. Bella walked over and looked at the four of them, opened her mouth to as if to ask a question, then decided against it. She shook her head and smiled before addressing them.
"We board the plane in ten minutes, if anyone has to go to the bathroom go now. If anything goes wrong during the flight tell Snape, he's better at subtle" Bella looks around carefully before whispering, "magic than I am, and he's a potions master, he'll have a remedy for almost anything no doubt. If you get bored tell me and I'll get you something to do from my backpack, there's a charm on it, infinite space inside, I'm sure you've seen it before. Now rush off the Hermione I trust you to come back quickly and know where the bathrooms are, Harry, you know what muggle bathrooms are like, show Ron. Hurry, and be back quickly, you have nine minutes." Everyone rushed off towards the bathrooms leaving Bella and Snape alone. Bella opened her mouth to say something but Snape snarled at her and she closed her mouth and smiled. She talked anyway. "I have something for you to do on the plane that might peak your interests." Bella handed Snape a book, he took it, mildly interested. "This is a book on modern and ancient medicines, you might get some ideas from the new compounds and minerals they are using today. You'll also see some similarities between these medicines and the ones you commonly use. If you were to help improve on the modern medicines you could make a boatload of money if the ingredients were readily available to the manufacturers, muggle manufacturers. Think about it."
Snape had started ignoring her as soon as she had handed him the book and his long nose was buried deep in the pages his eyes running back and forth quickly. Bella smiled; satisfied that he was content for now. The three came back from the bathrooms then and sat down to wait. They chatted quietly.
Five minutes later they were on the plane and being seated. They had a row to themselves because of the size of the plane they all sat together. The three first timers figured out how to buckle the seatbelts with relative ease and relaxed waiting for take off. Bella handed them each a piece of gum and made them listen to the emergency instructions. Ron looked nervously out of the window as Harry put on the headphones and listened to some music. Harry was ecstatic. He was on an airplane! With his friends and they were going to train to be aurors! Snape was alive, their teacher was, interesting to say the least, and he was alive! Voldemort was dead, it was his life and he was enjoying it. Harry sighed and put his arms behind his head. He was asleep before the plane left the ground.
Ron however was amazed, and terrified. He kept bombarding Hermione with questions on how this could stay in the air without magic until Bella pulled a book out of her backpack that explained flight and gravity and momentum. Ron read diligently because he knew his father would want to hear about this, as it was something he had always wanted to know. Ron soon go bored though and started looking around at the plane, he changed the angle of the seat, the music, the tray, so many times that eventually Bella gave him a camera to take pictures with to send to his dad. Ron calmed down only after Snape gave him an icy glare because of the noise he was making. Ron looked out the window at the scenery.
Hermione was, as usual, reading. Deeply immersed in her book she didn't notice when Ron grabbed her arm in terror during the take off, until he squeezed so hard that she let out a squeak of pain. She glared at Ron, but after realizing his terror, she held his hand and helped turn his terror into fascination. But the endless bombardment of questions started to tire even Hermione out, until she was saved by Bella giving Ron the book. Hermione went immediately back to her own book.
Snape during the whole scene was sitting with his book in his lap, glaring at the women staring at him in the seat in the next isle. The woman didn't seem fazed at all by his icy glare and continued to wink and smile at him. Bella turned and whispered in his ear.
"She's flirting with you," Bella whispered to Snape's shock. "and no, you can't curse, scare, eat, enchant or kill her." Snape's face did something resembling a pout. He decided to ignore her and went back to his book. Ten minutes later he looked at the lady and she saw him do so, she winked at him again.
Snape turned to Bella and whispered, "I can't take this, help me get rid of this annoyance." Bella smiled and held his hand, then pecked him on the cheek. The lady immediately looked away.
"Happy now?" Bella asked.
"No I am not. You violated my personal space and broke the agreement we made! I will not even go into what your husband might do if he possibly found out."
"He trusts me, he'll understand, and better me than her right?" Snape looked back at nearly anorexic women in black eyeliner and lipstick and shuddered in agreement before going back to his book.
Bella smiles and put on some headphones relaxing and leaning back against the seat before unwisely falling asleep.
"Is this really edible?" Asks Snape as the airplane food is put in front of them.
"Yes it is, deal with it." Says Bella as she lets more drops from the vial fall onto the airplane food. Ron grumbles loudly. "Look, when we get to my house I'll have the Count help me make a nice roast."
"The Count?" asks Harry who had awoken some time earlier.
"Oh yes, I never told you about how…the story about how Severus became a vampire." Everyone immediately perked up to listen. "Well you see Atren" Bella points at herself to show that that would represent her, "owed Dumbledore a really big favor, no I will not say what, and to repay him he asked me to come to the aid of whomsoever activated a certain ring." Bella pointed to a ring she was wearing and an identical one Snape was wearing. "Both rings would light up when activated, and would act as a portkey to deliver me to that person. What Albus did not tell me is that the ring is activated only when the wearer is near death, so when Atren was brought to Snape the only way I-she could fulfill the promise was to turn Snape. And that's the basic gist of it."
"That doesn't make sense, yo-Atren isn't a vampire." Hermione says blatantly.
"She's not?" Asks Ron.
"No, she is not. She, like Potter here, is too good to be normal in any way." Snape says annoyed. "She is both a vampire as well as a werewolf, and was born, not made, even though that shouldn't be possible. She is also over a couple thousand years old, though she still looks like she's 25, is nigh invulnerable and immortal, etc, etc, etc." Snape grumbles before going back to his book. Harry looks at Bella in horror and anger.
"If you're that powerful why didn't you kill Voldemort!?!" Harry nearly yells. Everyone besides Bella flinched; even after his death Voldemort's name caused fear. Bella looks at Harry sadly, but before she could say anything she is cut off.
"And why didn't you save my brother!" Cried Ron.
"Ron, I'm sorry, I can't save everyone, the only person I knew to save was the person Dumbledore sent me to save, and before you ask how Dumbledore could choose Snape over your brother I will say that he was positive Snape was going to die, he was bound to be killed by either Voldemort or someone who didn't know he was on their side. He guessed that Snape would die and show Harry his memories, that is why he gave me the ring, he said the person I would find should have a second chance, and something about him still having work to do…Dumbledore didn't know your brother would die…I am truly sorry…" Bella reached over and squeezed Ron's hand, he pulled away, but nodded that he understood. Bella then turned to Harry. "The prophecy, he was immortal to all but you, and before the prophecy, I would have probably been controlled by him, though he would have a hard time killing me, he was not called one of the most powerful wizards for nothing. His imperius charm would have worked on me, and the things he could have made me do, I shudder to think. I was told to stay away by Albus Dumbledore, don't ask how I know him, everyone knows Dumbledore, and him being who he was I listened to him. If you want his side of the story you'll have to ask his portrait, I have one of his at my house, he thought you might want to talk to him. If you want Snape's side," Snape looked at them scathingly as if daring them to ask, "you'll have to coerce him into telling you. It will probably involve a lot of blood Harry, just to let you know, as I have heard you are not the type to let a challenge go by, and Hermione I have heard your not one to let an chance at knowledge, you should heed this too, and Ron, you are curious as well so beware." Snape had perked up at this and was looking at the trio knowing this was true and one could almost see ideas running through his head.
"Professor-" Hermione starts cautiously.
"Three pints each." Snape states his nose still in his book.
"What?" Asks Hermione for once confused. Snape casts a nonverbal muffliato holding his wand beneath his trench coat.
"My price for telling you is three pints of blood each." Snape states again as if were the most obvious thing in the world.
"But that's enough blood loss to kill a person!" Hermione cries.
"Being a Potions Master I am quite capable of brewing a simple blood replenishing potion." Snape says scathingly as Hermione sinks into her seat. Harry immediately says "Deal." Startling Snape and moments later the others nod in agreement, Ron a little hesitantly. Snape nods and turns to Bella.
"Tell them what you will do if they break their promise." Snape says to Bella in a matter-of-fact way. Now Bella turns to the trio and looks at them for second before beginning her short speech.
"Imagine if you will the most awkward moment you can think of," all three nod, "add a small dash of pain, and multiply this little mixture by ten. That is your punishment, unless of course you ask for something else, which won't be any better mind you." All three pale slightly at these words and Snape smirks as he admires Bella's handiwork. Snape then puts down his book, his nose still being in it the whole time and checks the muffliato before nodding and opening his mouth to begin the story. Hermione interrupts.
"You have to in turn promise to not obliviate, or erase of memories in anyway, after the story." Snape mutters profanities under his breath before addressing Hermione.
"Well versed in diplomatic loopholes are we Miss Granger, hmm? Fine, I agree to these terms on the account that if I do not I will lose 6 pints of free fresh blood. Since I assume that Bella would put the same punishment on me if I were to break my part of the deal you do not have to doubt that I will break my promise. Now if I may continue?" Snape leans back in his seat hands crossed on one leg. "I doubt I will ever forget that day, it was the day the Dark Lord fell, the happiest day of my life, if I hadn't died not hours earlier."