A/N: Reviews!
I had never been much of a fighter, I had been involved in a lot of fights but Harry usually took point or I took the verbal approach and would verbally beat them to a pulp. It was probably a bad thing that I was a witch yet my first instinct wasn't to go to my wand. I had been working on my problem with that lately but it wasn't something I could really fix overnight. Either way I ran. I ran, ducked, dodged and searched. I also hid, I felt a bit like a pansy but after a rather close call when a curse came at me through the window and the wall cracked behind me I figured keeping low was a better strategy. My spells did hit their target when aimed correctly but after a well aimed Reducto, I believe that I had caused a Death Eaters heart to explode.
I had always wondered what would happen if I used that on a person...
Avoiding a few more badly aimed spells I push my way into a call room slamming the door behind me, I needed a plan if I was going to make it down this corridor without getting blown to bits. I drop my wand and swear crouching down to pick it up.
"Snape, what are you doing here?"
"Arg!" I yell toppling over from my crouching position, scrambling to right myself I manage to stand brushing my clothes off. Turning from my spot in the classroom doorway I find myself face to face with a group of Gryffindor sixth years. Colin Creevey included.
"Better question is, what are you four doing here?" I ask putting my hands on my hips in what I hoped was an imposing manner. "I believe I told you to go home," I remind Colin pointing straight at him making the two other Gryffindor boys and a fierce looking Hufflepuff girl look at him curiously. "As for the rest of you, you are underage you should have left with the others awhile ago." I tap my foot looking at each of them, "Well?"
"Well we-"
"Were just-"
"Stupid Filch didn't notice"
"Snuck away when Wood-"
"Enough, follow me, let's go" I demand, they all stare up at me and I harden my glare. "I believe I just gave you four an order, follow me, now".
I feel the four of them look at me as they pass looks between each other, reluctantly they Hufflepuff shuffles forward looking rather dejected. I open the door and usher her through motioning for the others to follow. I felt rather accomplished as I lay a hand on Colin's shoulder leading them down the corridor my wand drawn.
"Keep close to each other, watch your backs. If you can go up to Gryffindor tower. I don't want to see any of you lower then the third floor, got it?"
They each nod as I push them up the stairs watching as the staircases switched moving straight to the floor I wanted them on. It would be stupid to try and drag them out of the castle now, I highly doubted that they could get into much trouble in the tower, then again if I really wanted them to be safe I should have just sent them all to the Slytherin common room. I couldn't actually think of the safest place in the castle, everything seemed to be shaking and there was noise coming from every direction. I had spent that last half hour searching for Colin and now that I had done that I was at a loss of what to do. Join the battle, or hide. If I joined the battle I would be safe from both sides until Death Eater realized I was fighting against them, I had been lucky thus far after all.
A chill runs down my spin and a shake it off with a frown, taking a deep breath I finger the vial in my pocket checking that it was still there. Clutching my wand I head down the stairs towards the Entrance Hall.
Crack
"Merlin, break my arm much" I mutter trying to bring my left arm in as close to my chest as I could. Crabbe Sr. was throwing curse after curse after me and it didn't seem like anyone else was willing to help and for the life of me I couldn't figure out why he turned on me so quickly.
"You're a sneaky one Snape, I saw you curse Nott back there".
Okay, maybe that was why. "It was a slip, I didn't notice who he was" I lie throwing up a block causing his curse to bounce off my shield. I duck around a corner hoping that he would give up and go the other way but no such luck. Around the corner he tuddled pressing in closer and closer his wand raised as I searched for a way around him, out of the dead end.
I didn't really register the throbbing in my arm as I raised my wand once more, "Expelliarmus". He dodges almost lazily and for the life of me I couldn't think of how a man of his size could be so graceful on his feet.
"Impedimenta" he yells and I barely jump out of the way. "My Father is going to hear about this!" I warn trying to come up with a decent threat. The senior Crabbe laughs moving closer towards me backing me further towards the end of the hall. I flick my wrist sending a Stinging Hex at him directing it towards his eyes, the senior Crabbe groans in pain clawing at his eyes as angry red welts begin to appear. I hold my breath and inch my way around him managing to slip by him while he continued to swear at the wall castings hexes blindly.
"Petrificus Totalus"
I freeze automatically hearing the words and frown when the elder Crabbe falls to the ground behind me. What the-
"Lizzie, we told you to be careful!"
I look around wildly not noticing anyone in my immediate vicinity, the closest person looked to be Tonks who had just passed by the end of the corridor rushing after a masked Death Eater.
"Am I dead?" I question dumbly before noticing three pairs of feet. "Forget I asked".
A Ron like snort can be heard as they follow behind me down the hallway, "Lizzie, we're going- Never mind. If you get the chance, get the snake."
"The snake? You want me, the person who is deathly afraid of snakes, who has reoccurring dreams of a freaking basilisk, to kill Volde-shorts snake?"
"Yes" Harry says simply, I shiver. I hated snakes. "Can't you do it? How about you tell someone else too, just in case?" I suggest in a lower tone as we come to a main hall, I hear a scoff but shrug it off heading in the other direction leaving them behind to do whatever it was they were going to do.
I had often always been in the thick of things with my brother with the exception to the last year, with my own things going on last year I only knew bits and pieces about what Harry had been doing with Dumbledore. Horcruxes, I knew enough to know they were bad, and I could only guess that was what Harry had set out to do. If that was what the snake was then I couldn't think of a way that I could kill the damn thing successfully? What, did I have a magical Horcrux destroyer in my back pocket? I duck behind a pillar briefly before sprinting across the Entrance Hall towards the Great Hall shouting spells along the way.
I feel a strange coolness pass through my body and frown approaching a tired looking Neville who was standing out front of the Great Hall. After my mad dash across the Entrance Hall I had gotten caught up in a fight helping Lavender and Ginny who had been cornered by Greyback.
"Lavender's with Pomfrey, they're trying to clot the blood" I mumble stepping up beside my friend who jumps at the sound of my voice.
"Lizzie!" he yells pulling me towards him crushing me into his side. I could feel my shoulders un-tense slightly, the break to tend to our wounded, and wait for Harry to turn himself in had been going on for awhile now. I had been in the Hospital Wing, well what remained of it, assisting Madam Pomfrey as she gathered what she could to make rounds around the castle where people were spread out.
"Have you seen my brother?" I question peering around his shoulder, Neville stiffens slightly. "He may be in the Great Hall with Ron, Fred..." he trails off. I feel my heart clench, Fred? Fred Weasley was dead? I feel tears well in my eyes as I pull away with Neville, "Lizzie, don't-" I dont hear the rest of what he was saying as I walk towards the large group of red-heads crowded around a spot on the floor.
"Hermione, where's Harry?" I ask squeezing my friends arm as she stood back watching our surrogate family. Hermione jumps, looking down at me with tears falling from her eyes.
"Oh Lizzie," she cries, "we were wondering where you were. I'm so sorry."
"Sorry?" I question, I should be telling them that. I could feel my heart clenching as Mrs. Weasley sobs cut through the air, George kneeling on the floor staring down at his other half like he wanted nothing more then to join him in that moment. It was torture to look at, Ron was standing pulling Ginny close to his side his other hand clenched into a fist, knuckles white. Looking away I let my eyes fall on a group who was getting some attention from Madam Pomfrey, Neville still standing at the door looking over at me with sad eyes.
"Lizzie, Remus and..." she trails off, I frown and follow her gaze, I feel my eyes widen and my heart shatter as I see his body on the floor ten feet away.
"No" I whisper, retching my arm away from Hermione who was grasping onto my left arm now, hard. "No, please, no."
"Lizzie," Hermione calls as I push past Percy who looked up as a sob tore through my throat.
"Remus! No! Remus! He can't-" I sob falling down onto the floor grabbing for his hand, his eyes were closed and though a little dirty he looked like he was just sleeping. I could feel my pulse all over my body as the sobs shook me. My godfather was dead, the last immediate connection to my parents gone. I only cried harder when I noticed who was lain beside him, his wife. I had been pleasantly shocked when Ginny told me Tonks and Remus had gotten married, that Tonks was pregnant. At this point I didn't know if I was sadder for myself or their child. I continue to grasp the cold hand of my godfather wondering if this was how Harry had felt when Sirius died. I had been said at the time as well but it literally felt like a connection had been ripped away from be, that last final straw connecting my parents to the world, to me, ripped away.
"Come here, love" a soft, shaky voice orders, I shake my head pulling away from the person wanting stay as close as I could to Remus. "Lizzie, your beginning to scare people."
"I- he's gone" I cry, allowing myself to be pulled into Hermione's arm. I should feel her shaking and knew she was crying too. "I know, I know. He loved you so much, you know that right?"
"I- I know. I didn't get to-" I sniff, my voice cracking. "I-they just had a baby!"
Hermione strokes the back of my hair, "I know, I know."
I bury my head into her shoulder all thoughts of finding my brother flying out the window, at least he was still alive, at least I still had him and Severus.