Kneeling in front of Voldemort, Severus felt a wave of sheer hatred wash over him as he was forced to keep his head low and submit. Gritting his teeth Severus waited; this would end tonight or not at all. All around him his fellow Death Eaters stood circling his dying body with ill hidden glee. While Voldemort stared down at him with hatred Severus realized it was now or never. "Severus, what do you have to say for yourself?" Voldemort asked, glaring down at his helpless victim.
Severus raised his head off the ground, making his muscles protest at the action. A sneer, his coldest, smeared across his face. "You will never again be my master!" he said, spitting at Voldemort's feet. Taken aback, Voldemort hesitated in his action; his wand, pointed at the victim, hesitated. It was the opportunity he needed; jumping to his feet Severus grabbed the wand from his hand and quickly screamed, "Crucio!" He watched Voldemort writhe at the power of the spell, his eyes rolling back in his head. The rest of the Death Eaters were slow in reaction, and Severus turned knocking them down with a "Stupefy" before running for the door.
He felt his Dark Mark burn with hatred as Voldemort screamed at the others to follow and kill him. Pushing down the panic Severus ran; he knew this house and how to get around probably better than the other Death Eaters; he would use that to his advantage. Pushing through doors he headed towards the potion's lab, intent on making his last stand there. Down the stairs he felt a wave of dizziness hit him as he stopped to balance himself against the wall. He could hear the pounding of footsteps above him and knew that they were close. His hands shook as he made a sprint for the door and locked it behind him, warding the room so that he would at least have a moment. His strength deserted him, as he collapsed to his knees, his whole body shivering hard against the cold floor. His eyes threatened to roll back in his head as only mental discipline kept him awake. Staggering to the shelves he pocketed most of the potions there before taking a stopper out of one and drinking it down. The effect was instantaneous and his hands shook a little, but he knew it wasn't enough; the potion wouldn't last. "Then I die…" he said out loud, weighing the words carefully. Pounding on the potion door by the other death eaters brought him out of his stupor as he pocketed what other vials were around him. He needed cover, they would come in hexing, and he needed to be able to survive the initial attack. His hands swept across the top of the large wooden table knocking quills and parchment to the floor before setting the table on its side. The rest of the Death Eaters were working quickly and most of his wards were gone. Kneeling behind the table he waited, telling himself to be patient and wait until the right moment. The door shook with the force of the curses and hexes as they fought down another barrier; they were close. He could hear them yelling and screaming for his blood as they continued to break down the door. Taking his eyes off the door Severus realized his hands were shaking again, this time not with fatigue but with fear. Nobody wanted to die, especially the way he was going to…but for the greater good he had to. Closing his eyes he knew he had seconds left to live; he mentally said goodbye to Dumbledore and Professor McGonagall, wishing he could have told them how much he appreciated them before he died. The opposition had broken through the last of his wards, and suddenly the door went silent. He could feel the tension in the air as he waited; sweat poured off his face.
"My traitorous friend, come out and I will make your death almost painless," Voldemort called through the door.
Severus wanted to yell and scream back that there would be no way that he would kiss Voldemort's ass, but instead he remained quiet. Voldemort was baiting him, waiting for him to yell, scream and shout and then attack. Life as a Death Eater had taught him that, and so he wisely kept his tongue.
"What's the matter, Severus, no more threats? No more yelling and screaming? Are you ready to die, traitor?" Voldemort hissed at the door.
The door burst open and the first wave attacked; Severus moved out of sheer desperation as he threw an exploding potion towards the entrance. The force of the explosion blew the table and him back, slamming him hard against the wall and making his ears ring. Three Death Eaters were dead, their bodies blown to pieces; Severus picked himself up pushing the table away from his body so he could move. Hexes flew, and dodging most of them Severus managed to throw another explosion potion, then a smoke screen potion before getting to his feet. Bodies moved around him and the Potions Master began to fight in earnest, hexing Bellatrix with a Deprimo. Lucius appeared off to his left and Severus was ready. "Diffindo!" Lucius screamed in pain as blood arced from his chest, Severus dodged, "Expulso!" He watched Mcnair slam into the wall behind him with satisfaction before making his move for the door and freedom. Pushing past the others he headed for the escape. Voldemort screamed in fury as he ran after the traitor, snatching a wand from Lucius's unconscious body. Three Death Eaters followed after their Master intent on making the kill, and Severus knew he had limited time. Sprinting hard he managed to get to the living room before being hit from behind with a hex. Dropping to his knees, Severus turned with reflexes born of desperation and threw several hexes dropping two Death Eaters to the floor.
Voldemort appeared out of the smoke, his face enraged as he threw what he could at Severus. "Avada Kadavra! Crucio! Stupefy!"
Dodging them barely, Severus gained his feet. "Crucio!" he screamed, building up all his hatred and throwing it with the curse. Voldemort tried to dodge it but wasn't as lucky. Thrown back against the wall Voldemort shook under the intensity of the spell as Severus held him against the wall with glee.
"Confringo!" someone screamed behind him, and Severus was knocked away from Voldemort and against the wall. His vision swam as he fought to gain his feet; he could hear the hexes come at him and raised his wand. " Protego!" he shouted, causing a shield to take most of the force of the hexes. Throwing off the Death Eater, Severus threw another explosion potion. This one was more powerful than the others and effectively blew up the room, throwing everyone against the wall.
The Potions Master fought to gain his feet again, his head ringing so bad he couldn't hear anything but the ringing. His vision wavered, and he could feel his knees knock together as they made a valiant effort to obey him and stand. The room and half the castle was decimated, nothing was saved. "Run!" His brain screamed at him as he dug himself up from the debris and headed for the forest. The front doors were gone and half of the house was destroyed, but Severus never noticed as he ran for the Apparition point to get back to Hogwarts.
"SEVERUS! YOU TRAITOROUS SCUM!" Voldemort's scream pierced the night, and the Potions Master forced himself to run faster.
Feet pounded after him, and Severus realized that Voldemort was following him. Sweat poured off Severus as he weaved through the forest trying desperately to lose Voldemort and gain a moment to Apparate. Trees shook as he knocked the branches away from his head and jumped over logs. He was almost there. He didn't know whether it was instinct or an invisible hand that knocked him out of the way of a severing curse and kept him on his feet. The moonlight illuminated the forest little by little as Severus reached the boundaries of the wards. He could feel the weakened wards still holding as he pushed with the last bit of strength through them to reach the apparition point. Closing his eyes he focused on Hogwarts. The footsteps drew closer, and Severus opened his eyes just in time to see Voldemort begin to curse him just as he had begun to Apparate away.
Harry came face to face with Dumbledore, sweat pouring off his body as he struggled with the pain of the vision. "Harry, what happened? Is it Severus?" Dumbledore asked holding Harry tightly.
Harry frowned, trying to gain some perspective on the vision. "No, it wasn't the Professor….It was Voldemort," he said, his voice shaking in pain.
"Voldemort? Was he cursing…" Dumbledore asked only to be cut off by Harry.
"Someone was cursing Voldemort," Harry explained, his eyes widening in realization.
Dumbledore and Minerva both sat back, their faces slack in shock, before he turned to Minerva. "We need to contact the Order…We need to get them here," he ordered, thankful that Professor McGonagall acted at once pushing herself off the bed and towards the hall.
Within minutes Moody, Remus, Tonks, Arthur, and Bill appeared in the Gryffindor common room disheveled but alert. "What has happened, Albus?" Remus asked glancing at Harry's worn face with worry.
Albus shook his head. "No, Harry is fine…I believe that Severus is in trouble though….We need to find him now," he explained.
Remus hesitated only briefly before nodding. "Do we have any idea where he is?" he asked as the rest of the Order members created a half circle around Harry's bed.
Dumbledore quickly filled them in on the week's happenings, finishing by saying, "Harry had another vision of someone cursing Voldemort…I believe it was Severus."
Moody frowned. "Someone cursing Voldemort…You mean Voldemort cursing someone?"
Albus shook his head. "No, I believe that Severus tried to curse Voldemort in an effort to escape." The look of surprise on everyone's face was classic, and Harry suddenly wished for a camera in spite of the moment.
"I'll be damned!" Arthur exclaimed rubbing his head in shock before pulling himself together and turning to Harry, "Any idea of where you were when you had the vision? Any glimpses at all?"
Harry shook his head and started to explain about the house; suddenly he stopped, tensing slightly. Dumbledore reached out and touched his hand, watching Harry closely for evidence of another vision. Frowning, Harry cocked his head to one side, silent for another minute. "Professor Snape?" he asked out loud closing his eyes to concentrate.
'Forbidden Forest…Voldemort following … need the Order now!' the voice screamed at him.
"Professor?" Harry asked out loud again, unsure of what he heard, ignoring the stares from the others.
'Damn it, boy! Do as I say or by all that is good I will hex you…Forbidden Forest now…I'll give you a signal but you need to get the Order here now!'
Harry looked up at Dumbledore, the message clear. "Severus is in the Forbidden Forest…He wants us to meet him down there. I think Voldemort is still following him," he explained.
They moved faster than Harry thought possible, Tonks running to the fireplace and calling the rest of the Order. Dumbledore, Remus, Mad Eye and the others all stormed towards the Forest. Harry followed, his wand ready as they went out into the night.
Panting for breath, Severus tried to duck down behind a tree for a minute; however, a painful hex flew by his head, and Severus pushed off sprinting for Hogwarts. "They can't save you, traitor!" Voldemort screamed behind him, gaining on him.
Cursing inwardly Severus continued to serpentine around the forest trying to gain distance on Voldemort. Jumping and ducking he tried to avoid large branches as he ran, hoping that Potter had gotten his message.
"Severus!" The voice sounded in front of him and he almost cried in relief at Dumbledore's presence.
"Duck!" Severus screamed, watching Voldemort throw a hex at them. Through the trees he could see the Order members preparing, he could see Dumbledore raise his wand. "Duck!" Severus screamed, picking up speed as he gave all he could. Voldemort hit him as he jumped over a downed log, the momentum of his body throwing him face down in the dirt; as his body throbbed with pain, blessed darkness filled his vision.
Voldemort saw the line of Order members and Dumbledore waiting for him and quickly came to a stop. They were about fifty feet in front of him with the traitor laying face down in the dirt twenty feet away. Hissing, Voldemort eyed them. "Give me back my traitor, and I will spare you lives for now!" he called.
Harry had seen Severus fall and wanted to run and pull him out of the line of fire, but a hand on his shoulder prevented it. Looking up he looked right into the dark eyes of Bellatrix. Twisting away he noticed a line of Death Eaters behind her and realized they were surrounded. Remus turned to check on Harry and felt his blood run cold at the sight of Bellatrix holding her wand to Harry's head. "No!" he screamed, turning to curse her and realizing that she was surrounded by several other Death Eaters.
The Order stood outnumbered as Voldemort took a cautious step towards Severus's body. "I wouldn't do that, Tom!" Dumbledore hissed, raising his wand.
Voldemort laughed, sure of his victory. "You are outnumbered, Albus…I will let your precious army go if I can have the traitor," he said, taking another deliberate step towards Severus.
"I said enough, Tom!" Dumbledore barked.
Severus felt the anger in Dumbledore's voice and winced as he fought welcoming oblivion to open his eyes and search out his mentor. He could see the line of the Order and Dumbledore standing strong in front; his vision blurred, and for a moment Severus thought he was going to pass out. His ribs shifted, and suddenly a wave of pain brought him sharper into awareness as he held back a groan. His breath became ragged as he gasped for air and, raising his eyes again, he noticed the line of Death Eaters behind the Order and cursed silently. Voldemort in front and Death Eaters behind…'wonderful', he thought, applauding his stupidity at not killing each one of them when he had a chance.
Swallowing back the pain, Severus raised himself off the ground, startling everyone. He could feel the tracks of blood pour off him freely as he stumbled, before finding his balance and standing. His dark eyes glittered with hatred as he turned his wand at Voldemort. "I will never serve you again!" he spat, willing his arm to stop shaking.
Voldemort smiled. "You are clearly outnumbered, traitor…How would you feel if your friends were killed and you could have saved them?" he asked softly, hissing slightly.
Dumbledore weighed options as he watched Severus and Voldemort mince words. He could see that the Potions Master was out of strength as his wand arm shook, but still he stood. Albus's heart went out to Severus praying that they would make it out alive.
Harry held his breath as he watched Snape rise from the ground, painfully aware of the lack of strength behind the wand he held at Voldemort. He could feel Bellatrix smile in anticipation as her hand stroked down Harry's face. Flinching away, Harry fought to hold his stomach as it rolled heavily at the petting. Severus turned away from Voldemort quickly, sending a powerful "Crucio" towards Bellatrix, missing her by inches. "I missed on purpose. You touch him again, and I will not be so generous," Severus hissed, staring her down.
Bellatrix jumped back. Harry felt her fear as her wand wavered slightly. Professor Snape's words hit home with her as she stopped petting Harry for the moment.
"It appears we are at a stand off." Voldemort laughed, watching Severus turn his attention back to him.
'Albus, let me take care of him…If you can help the Order I can hold off Voldemort,' Severus thought, sending his thoughts to Dumbledore.
Albus hesitated; he knew that Severus was in bad shape, and dueling with Voldemort was likely to make him suffer, but he couldn't think of an alternate plan. The world seemed to hold its collective breath as neither bird chirped nor wind blew, and it became deathly still. Albus inclined his head slightly; to onlookers it merely looked like he had shifted fractionally. Severus read the sign well, drawing up his last bit of strength to stand at full height and raised his wand in defense.
Voldemort laughed as he watched Snape struggle; all eyes were on the two of them as he spoke, "So, you will die fighting…How noble." Severus didn't return the taunt, waiting for a moment when his enemy would be distracted enough to attack.
Suddenly Voldemort's smile turned cold, "Legilimens!" Instantly the Potions Master was on his knees, his face grimacing with pain as he held off Voldemort's attack. It was the break the rest of the Order needed as they began their fight. Harry ducked as Remus turned and hexed Bellatrix, rolling out of the way just in time. Searching out Albus he could sense indecision as he watched Severus and Voldemort's battle. Unexpectedly, Albus turned throwing himself in the mist of the battle behind him with the Order.
Gritting his teeth, Severus used his last reserves to keep Voldemort from tearing at his mind. He could hear dark thoughts and feelings, and he shivered in fear as he pushed every last ounce of strength to his mental shields.
Harry rolled to safety, watching not only the Order battle but also Severus. His heart was stricken with pain as he watched the Potions Master sink lower and lower before Voldemort. Without thought to what he was doing Harry moved closer, his wand at the ready. He could feel the tension in the air as the two battled. Harry's mind working franticly, he knew he had to give Snape a fighting chance, something to help him. "Legilimens!" he directed at Snape.
Severus's body was alive with pain as he could feel Voldemort carefully undoing his precious wall. The last of his strength was leaving his body, and his defenses lay scattered to the wind. Tears, unbidden, fell from Severus's eyes as he fought for just seconds longer to hold on…To give the Order the chance they needed. Without warning he felt another mind enter the battle, and a sudden punch of energy flew through his depleted body. He could feel the touch of minds together and knew it was Harry. Pushing him mentally behind the barricades, Snape felt another punch of energy. 'Please…Please Professor…Almost there…Almost…Hang on.' Harry's voice sounded in his head as yet another wave of strength began to rebuild what Voldemort had taken down. 'Take this, Professor…Take the strength.' Severus hesitated; he knew it would be painful and refused to hurt Harry. 'Please, there isn't much time…Please!' Voldemort began attacking again the wall, which was now shaking with ferocity. Swallowing, Severus let Harry connect to his mind, greedily taking the power and rebuilding what he could. He could hear Harry moan in pain and shut it from his mind, his heart aching with apathy as he continued to feed.
Harry felt like feeding a vampire as he could feel the dwindling strength leave his body and an eerie darkness start to take hold.
Waking up, Harry felt his whole body sizzle with pain. Hissing, he managed to sit up and look around. Figures were blurred, but he could sense a lot of activity as Madam Pomfrey's voice echoed off the walls, directing orders to others he couldn't see. A hand touched his shoulder and Harry jumped, turning to stare at Remus's tired face. "You're awake…finally," he said softly, reaching out to grab Harry's glasses and hand them to the patient.
Taking them gratefully, Harry was pleased to see all the blurs come into focus but frowned at the level of activity. "What's going on?" he rasped, trying to sit up further. Remus held him back; a look of worry crossed his face as he took a look around before answering.
"People were injured in the battle, Harry. We sent out a call for all operatives and they came," Remus explained. "Voldemort's followers had plenty of fight left and well, this is the result." He motioned with his hand at the infirmary.
A stabbing pain in his head made Harry's world suddenly spin, and carefully he lay back. "What happened? Did we get Voldemort?" he asked, suddenly remembering the battle in vivid detail.
Remus sighed, debating with himself whether he should tell Harry, but after a moment of deliberation continued speaking, "No, Voldemort and most of his cronies got away…Although, thanks to Severus they no longer have an operable base. We can be grateful for that at least."
"Professor Snape!" A sudden memory burned brightly, and despite the headache Harry once more sat up and looked around. "Where is Professor Snape?"
A flash of pain flittered over Remus's face before he answered, "Severus…was badly injured a result of being tortured by Voldemort. When Voldemort finally retreated Albus reached you and Severus. He managed to cut the link that you two had created before sending Professor Snape to St. Mungo's."
Harry waited impatiently for Remus to continue, but after a minute he realized that his former teacher had stopped. "Okay, so is he better? When can I see him?"
Remus rubbed his hand over his face, a deliberate action as he hedged for time. "Um…Severus is in bad shape, Harry…St. Mungo's has already done everything possible…Whatever family he has we have tried to contact."
Suddenly it felt like a thousand bricks were being carefully balanced on his chest. It hurt to breath, it hurt to speak. Gaping, Harry shook his head. "No…No!" he yelled vehemently; scooting off the bed and finding purchase on the ground, Harry began searching the beds, screaming.
Remus caught Harry, holding him tightly as Harry kicked out fighting the strong hold. Changing tactics, Harry screamed for the Headmaster, fighting harder as more hands encircled him. He could hear Madam Pomfrey as she came up beside him holding a vial, her eyes strangely pained. Another hand grabbed his face so that she could pour the liquid down his throat. Harry held his breath, fighting the urge to swallow. Struggling, Harry spit some of the liquid out but could feel the viscous liquid pour down his throat. Albus appeared just as the edges of Harry's vision began to blur, his eyes pleading with the Headmaster. "Please! Please help me! Severus…" he cried just before darkness took hold.
Warmth covered Harry's body. That was the first think he became aware of. The warmth felt nice and soft against his body. Opening his eyes, Harry looked at the grey/white ceiling above him. 'Maybe it was a dream…Maybe I'll wake up and find that Professor Snape is sneering at me, telling me that I should have been more careful.' Turning his head, Harry's first sight was Remus staring back at him. "Hello, Harry," Remus said carefully. Dumbledore and Minerva both sat forward, and Harry frowned in puzzlement.
"What happened?" he asked, trying to sit up in bed but finding he couldn't move. A pair of leather restraints held him tightly, and suddenly his memory jarred. He must have looked panicked because in the next instant Remus began stroking his hair softly.
"Harry, do you remember what we were talking about?" Remus asked, catching Harry's eyes and holding them to his own. Harry nodded weakly, searching out Dumbledore's sad face.
"Please…it's not true…Please sir, it can't be," Harry pleaded, still struggling against the binds.
"Harry…I am very sorry," Albus said, finally reaching to take a hold of one of Harry's clenched fists. "They are doing everything they possibly can for the Professor," he explained softly.
Emotion ripped at his heart as Harry fought the truth. "No…Please."
Albus dropped his gaze at the sight of the emotion; his own tears still remained bottled. There was precious little time to grieve, and for now it wasn't possible. Steadying himself, Albus looked up again. "I know this is hard for you…I would like to take you to St. Mungo's to see Professor Snape. It may help you…"
Remus nodded his understanding, then turned to Harry. "Can you rest for a little bit longer, Harry? It's still early and St. Mungo's won't allow you to visit just yet…I will go with you if you want…Or you can go with Dumbledore," he offered.
Harry nodded. "I want to see him…" he said softly.
Albus nodded. "I will take you…Right now rest for a little while," he said standing up. Minerva and the others did too.
Remus remained a ghost of a smile on his lips. "Would you like me to stay for a bit? You have been having terrible nightmares."