CHAPTER 22: TO THE END (PART 2)

EXT. TO INT. THE SNAPE FAMILY HOUSE (SEVERUS'S HOUSE), COKEWORTH, NORTHERN ENGLAND - EARLY EVENING (APR. 22ND, 1976)

After making sure that everything was in order both inside and outside the house, Tobias tied Hansel to his doghouse and keeled down to pet him. Severus watched as some of the guests out in the courtyard began to come into the house, trying to find a place to sit or stand in the living room. Severus then noticed his father from the back entrance of the house and turned his head to watch. Hansel, ever friendly and willing to please, licked Tobias on the face, then crawled into his doghouse and lied down.

Tobias smiled as he spoke, "Good boy, Hansel. Now you stay back here and guard the courtyard. And if Mapheria happens to come back here to cause trouble, you bark as loud as you can and I will come, OK?"

Hansel gave a reassuring bark and then licked Tobias on the hand as Tobias stood back up again and walked over towards the back entrance to the house. Tobias quickly blew out the candle lit lanterns which sat near the back entrance to the house and then quickly called in the rest of the guests who were not yet inside. A few minutes later, Tobias stood up on the stair case next to Eileen and began to say a speech to all 21 guests that were present in the house. In this speech, Tobias was saying among other things, asking for forgiveness for all that he had done and explaining to the family that they should no longer fear or hate wizards and accept them for who and what they were. While Severus was listening to his father from the back entrance, he suddenly felt the urge to turn around and look at Hansel.

Severus turned his head, only to see that Hansel was now sitting on his haunches outside of his doghouse, looking straight up at Severus and panting. Severus then turned completely around and started walking up to Hansel. It appeared as though Severus was unheard and unseen no more, at least in the case of Hansel.

"Hansel? Can you...see me?" asked Severus as he kneeled down in front of Hansel. Hansel gave a quick friendly bark then walked closer and sat at Severus's feet, putting his front paws up onto Severus's bent leg and wagging his tail. Severus became confused. How was it that none of Severus's family could see or hear Severus, while Hansel, for some strange and unforeseeable reason, could?

Severus didn't care of course. Severus was just glad that someone could see and hear him, and began to pet and hug Hansel close to him, getting a friendly lick on the face. Suddenly, Severus could hear the wooden door to the cobblestone courtyard fence slowly and ominously open. Severus quickly stood up and watched as Hansel began to growl, bearing his teeth towards the door. From out of the darkness beyond the courtyard fence appeared Mapheria, wearing her recognizable violet-purple robes, sliver strings of tiny glittering sliver bells and brandishing her wand. Severus could hear the tiny sliver bells jingle softly and sinisterly as they hung off the sliver strings on her robes and in the braid of tiny glittering silver bells in her hair, jingling as she slowly walked across the courtyard. Hearing those bells jingle again made it all the more obvious to Severus that this was the night that Mapheria was to kill his family. Mapheria quickly pointed her wand towards the back door and quietly spoke, "Colloportus!", closing the door and locking it. She then quietly spoke another spell, "Fusus Metallum!" causing the lock on the door to melt and thus making it unable to be opened again.

Mapheria then pulled it out a strange gold locket from underneath the front of her robes that was hung around her neck and held it for a moment. The small, round gold locket hung from a long copper and gold change and was covered in elegant copper filigree and with a large round blue stone in the center of its lid. She then spoke a strange spell softly, "Morfyrathos Ignis Eximo..."

In an instant, the locket sprang open and a crimson red light slowly began to out from it, transforming into a stream about 10 feet long. Mapheria watched with wicked intent as the stream of crimson red light began to circle around Mapheria like a great and faceless serpent, arching itself over her and hovering in the air around her. Hissing could be heard resonating from the light as Mapheria spoke, "If I know Eileen and Tobias, they will try to save themselves for the sake of there son. They will try to get into that enchanted cabinet of theirs, together if they can. You know what to do my pet, but not until after I have found what is rightfully mine and do what I came here to do. Make them suffer my pet...make them both suffer..."

And with that, the stream of crimson red light then moved away from Mapheria and flew straight up into the air before it vanished in a haze of crimson red light, disappearing from Mapheria's sight.

Eileen had placed some empty spirit lanterns up for decoration and in celebration of the upcoming Deathlight Festival, which began on May 1st and ended on June 30th. Made of special clear crystal glass and cypress wood, these lanterns were more then just mere decoration. These lanterns were enchanted with magic and were said to able to draw in and hold the spirit of someone who has died indefinitely. Like the candle lit lanterns seen flying over Hogsmeade Station when Albus first arrived there, these lanterns flew and floated about independently, powered by magic. However, spirit lanterns were powered by the magical powers of the souls which glowed and inhabited within them.

With one swish of her wand, Mapheria destroyed all the empty spirit lanterns that were hung on nails above the back entrance, causing them to implode, then fall apart and fall to the ground. This was to ensure that no one's soul would be saved within one. Mapheria then looked up and noticed that a window on the second floor was wide open, which lead into Eileen's and Tobias's bedroom.

Mapheria smiled sinisterly as she peered up at it, "If I can't have what is rightfully mine, then no one will. Now I shall ensure that no one will escape and claim the Book of Resurrections and its key for myself!"

And with that, Mapheria swished her wand, causing all the doors and windows in the house to close and lock tight. Then all the locks and latches on them began to glow hot and melt. Mapheria then spoke a couple other spells that Severus did not recognize, casting them all over the outside of the house and then watched as Mapheria moved to the front of the house. There, she then transformed herself into a cloud of black smoke and then walked through the front door before transforming back to herself again. Then she quickly transformed herself into a black snake and began to slither across the floor towards the stairs while Tobias was still in his speech, crawling past everyone that was in the living room and going up the stairs. Hansel was barking like mad and pulling hard on his rope while all this was happening, trying to free himself and warn Tobias. But it was as though his barks were falling on deaf ears.

Severus didn't know what to do as he began to run to the back door and then to the front door, trying to get in and stop Mapheria. But both doors were completely melted shut by their locks and Severus was powerless to get in any other way. Then in a flash, Severus found himself inside the house, standing in his parent's bedroom, looking at Mapheria, who was once again her own self, kneeling down over a large open wooden trunk that sat in the far corner of the bedroom. Mapheria was frantically rummaging inside the trunk, tossing other items out and onto the floor.

Then she heard a familiar voice behind her, "How did you get in here?"

Mapheria quickly stood up and spun around, where she came face to face with Eileen. Severus looked over, surprised to see his mother standing there looking at Mapheria.

Mapheria then tried to play it cool and began to talk with Eileen, "Why if it isn't Eileen Snape nee Prince, the soon to be former Guardian Of The Eighth Eye."

"What are you doing in here Mapheria?" said Eileen angrily, "My husband didn't invite you here! And what do you mean by Guardian Of The Eighth Eye? I don't know what you're talking about!"

"I am not a fool, Eileen!" said Mapheria, stepping closer to Eileen and then stopping, "I know that you have The Book of Resurrections and I also know that you are its guardian. Where is it? It rightfully belongs to me!"

"You lost all chance in becoming its guardian when you nearly killed Tobias's brother Edward! Your powers are far to unpredictable and dangerous for you to be burdened which such an ancient and powerful weapon. That is why it was given to me to protect when me and Tobias were married. It rightfully belongs to me now, just as the key to it is!"

"And yet you fail to forget that I was destined to become the guardian of both at birth, due to my remarkably unusual magical abilities. I am a Bearer Of The Auranan, Eileen! I was born with the power to protect it as well as use the powers that lie within it! Not you! Now give me what is rightfully mine or I shall kill you sooner rather than later!"

"Never! You will never have the Book Of Resurrections! And even you could find it and take it from me, it will be useless to you without the key! Which you will never have!"

"And yet even now I can sense the presence of the key to the book in your robe pocket. You stole everything that was rightfully mine, Eileen! The book, the key and your beloved Tobias!"

"You will never get Tobias on your side, Mapheria! You very nearly killed his own brother! He is my husband! He loves me! Not you!"

"No!" yelled Mapheria with a wide-eyed and angry stare, "He rightfully belongs to me! I got to him first! All you have rightfully belongs to me! The key and the book, Eileen! They are rightfully mine! Give them to me now!"

"Never!" said Eileen, drawing out her wand and aiming it at Mapheria.

"Is that your final answer, Eileen?" said Mapheria, pulling out her own wand and aiming it at Eileen.

"If you want the key and the book so badly Mapheria, then you will have to kill me for them!"

Mapheria grinned sinisterly as she spoke, "So be it!"

Severus then cried out in fear for his mother, "Mum! no!"

In an instant, Mapheria waved her wand and cried, "Avada Kedavra!" - sending out a bolt of green light from the tip of her wand and towards Eileen. Eileen quickly deflected it towards the wall. Eileen then countered with, "Petrificus Totalus!" - sending out a bolt of blue light and sending it towards Mapheria. Mapheria deflected it back to Eileen, who then deflected it away from her. In a flash, Severus was once again back downstairs as those who were present downstairs, including Tobias, soon heard the commotion upstairs and began to panic. Eileen and Mapheria were now dueling with one another down the stairs, with everyone downstairs looking on in fear. Those inside were soon trying to get out of the house and out of the way of the duel, but quickly realized that the doors would not open. And when some of them tried to disapparate, it would not work. They were all trapped inside, with seemingly no way out.

Tobias, wanting to stop Mapheria, soon ran to the rescue of his wife. But before he could get close enough to Mapheria to stop her, Mapheria pointed her wand at him and cried "Immobilus!", hitting him with a bolt of white light and causing him to fall to the floor. Mapheria then focused her attention back on Eileen, who continued to barrage her with a variety of curses and hexes. Then Abigail stepped in, helping Eileen push Mapheria back towards the direction of the kitchen, where they would be able to deal with Mapheria properly by shoving her into the cupboard. With one cheap shot of "Expelliarmus!" from Mapheria's wand, Mapheria knocked Abigail's wand out of her hand, causing it to fly off and land in a place out of Abigail's reach. Abigail was forced step out of the fight to try and reach it. Finally, when Eileen had weakened Mapheria's defenses just enough, Eileen then cried out, "Lumos Deflectio!" - sending a wall of light towards Mapheria, knocking her back hard into the wall behind her.

Unable to withstand Eileen's brute force any longer, Mapheria quickly transformed herself into a gecko lizard and began scurrying towards the front door. All around Mapheria, some of those inside tried to stomp on Mapheria as Eileen continued to send curses towards her. Then at the last moment, Mapheria crawled underneath the front door and out of danger. She then transformed herself back to her own self and quickly turned and faced the house. Eileen, like others in the house, tried to open the door in order to follow Mapheria. But the door would not budge, not even an inch.

Seeing that the door would not work, Eileen quickly went back to see if Tobias was alright while Severus ran to the window closest to the front door. Outside, Severus could see Mapheria facing the house and looking up at it, seemingly in a daze. It was as though, for the briefest of moments, Mapheria was having second thoughts about what she was about to do next. But after a few brief moments, Mapheria narrowed her eyes and spoke, "Farewell, my once-was family...Incendio Bombarda!"

With a swish from her wand, Mapheria sends a bolt of red light towards the house, causing it to explode and catch on fire. Then in a flash, Severus was once again outside of his house, which was now engulfed in flames. Then images began to flash before his eyes, images of those who were trapped inside, unable to get out. In the far corner of the living room, Severus could see his uncle Edward Snape, trying desperately to find a way out of the house, but to no avail. And yet other family members were panicking and running around inside the burning house, screaming, pleading and crying out in fear and terror. A couple family members were already engulfed in flames, shrieking in pain and running around in panic before ultimately falling to the floor, dead. Yet a couple more family members were falling and rolling on the floor, trying to put themselves out, while still others bravely tried to help put others out and try to find a way out.

In yet another corner of the living room, Severus could see his cousin James Starvel and James's younger brother Patrick holding onto one another. Patrick, who was only 10 years old at the time, was shaking and sobbing loudly as James held him close to him. Unlike Patrick, James was trying to be calm and wrapped Patrick up in his robes as if trying to shield him from the flames. But even they were destined to find their fate. Some even tried climbing out through the windows, which appeared to have been broken out by the explosion and yet they couldn't get out through them.

Severus then could see Abigail, who was running towards the kitchen and towards the fire proof cupboard. Noticing James and Patrick cowering in the corner, Abigail pleaded with James to let her have Patrick, but James knew that their was only enough room in the cupboard for one adult or two small children. James and Abigail yelled at each other over the roar of the flames, arguing with one another.

"You can't save us, Abigail! Please! Go! You're the more important one here! The wizarding world needs you more then they need me and Patrick! You need to go!"

"James, please! Let me have Patrick, I can save him!"

"No, go! There's no room in the cupboard for both you and him! I will try to save him myself! Please, get in the cupboard now!"

"But you and Patrick won't survive!" shrieked Abigail, pulling on James's arm, "You're both going to die! Please, give Patrick to me!"

"No!" cried James, shoving Abigail away, "Go! Get out of here! Please, go! Go now before it's to late! Run Abigail, run!"

James then began to scream out in pain as the flames began to consume him and Patrick. With great reluctance, Abigail looked at James in horror, then ran towards the cupboard in the kitchen, quickly crawling into it. But as she tried to close the door, the door stuck, leaving it jammed open about five inches. Abigail began to panic, struggling to get the door to shut completely. But without her wand, she would be unable to close it all the way. Then the flames began to circle around the cupboard, burning away the wall it was built in and leaving it exposed in the center of the burning circle. Then something strange began to happen. The circle of flames around the cupboard changed into a deep crimson color and as Abigail looked out through the gap in the door, she could see the burning face of a dragon glowing within the crimson flames all around her, coming towards her and the cupboard.

With both fear and awe in her voice, Abigail's eyes open wide as she spoke, "Morfyrathus Fire?...but how...?"

A rush of crimson flame then suddenly flooded into the cupboard through the gap in the door, causing Abigail to scream and cry out in pain. Severus could see all this and yet he could do nothing to help as images of the house engulfed in flames began to appear once again, while the screams, shrieks and cries for help continued, resonating through the air. Further flashes of images soon entered Severus's mind, flashes of images of those who had died in the fire, which appeared as though they were looking straight at him. Then suddenly, darkness.

INT. THE SNAPE FAMILY COURTYARD, COKEWORTH, NORTHERN ENGLAND - A HALF HOUR BEFORE DAWN (APR. 23RD, 1976)

Then in an instant, Severus found himself lying on the ground, his face and clothes covered in ash and soot. Soon, Severus began to hear Hansel running towards him, whimpering, barking at him and licking his face. Feeling Hansel licking his face, Severus groaned quietly as he rubbed the back of his neck and sat up.

As Severus sat up, he quickly realized that it was almost dawn, with the glow of twilight just beginning to shine over the horizon. Severus could see an eerie blue glow shinning on everything as a heavy fog blanketed the courtyard and hung in air around him. To him, it felt as though he was being bathed in light from another world. He noticed that it was strangely quiet for being dawn, when birds would normally be heard chirping and singing their songs. After finding his bearings, Severus started to look all around at the devastation which lied before him, partially hidden within the heavy clouds of fog. From what he could see through the fog, he could see that the house was completely burned to the ground, with broken cobblestone, bricks, burned rumble and ash scattered everywhere. It appeared as though an explosion had occurred there and that it had destroyed almost everything in sight. Even now, the rubble that was the house was still smoldering and smoke from it was still raising into the air around Severus. Having witnessed the demise of his family, Severus bowed his head and began to cry, unable to hold back his tears.

It appeared as though only he and Hansel were the only things still living there. Then suddenly, a strange blue light began to shine through the fog and beamed into Severus's eyes, grabbing his attention. The light was coming from the direction of where the house once stood, prompting Severus to wipe the tears from his eyes and stand up, following the light to its source. As Severus got closer and closer to the light, the fog around him parted and a soft whirring sound could be heard, which slightly irritated Severus's ears. The light once again beamed at Severus's eyes, causing Severus to bring his arm up to shield his eyes.

Then Severus saw where the light was coming from. It was shinning off of something round, silvery and metallic, which was sitting on top of a small pile of glowing embers. Severus then realized what it was and kneeled down over it. It was the curious silver tin that his mother was holding up and then stuffed into her robe pocket before the fire, untouched by the flames and completely intact. Severus was stunned and a bit confused. It was as if some strange and ancient magic reverberated from it and had protected it while the house was burning. Severus stared apprehensively at the silver tin as a flash of blue light danced across its lid and over the seven small circular holes that were set in a circle within the lid, with sparkles of blue light circling and flying all around it. Then, for some strange reason, Severus felt the need to pick up the silver tin and hold it. But Severus was wondering if he would be able to pick it up at all or if all that had been happening was merely just a figment of his imagination. But Severus, following his feelings, reached out and touched the sliver tin. Severus could feel the coldness of the metal, how the fiery embers that glowed around it were still hot and yet the sliver tin itself was ice cold.

Severus then wrapped his hands around the silver tin, picked it up and then laid it in his lap, looking at it in both awe and confusion as a flash of blue light danced over it once again. Severus was interested in the strange inscriptions on it most of all, because it was a writing that he had seen only once before in a book on ALPs Scriptures. And strangely, Severus could read some of the writing on it.

Severus looked at the sliver tin coolly and questionably as he read some of the writing on the sliver tin, "...to find its seven eyes, you must first find its seven tails?"

Hansel suddenly began to whimper and bark, getting Severus's attention. Severus didn't know who or what Hansel was barking at until he looked up and saw a figure of a woman, covered in soot and walking out of the clouds of fog in front of him. Severus then realized that it was his Aunt Adelaide, seemingly walking out of the fog in a state of dread and confusion. She then spotted Hansel and cried out, "Hansel! You're alive!" - she then called back behind her - "Hansel is alive! Nathalius, come help me free him!"

Adelaide then ran towards Hansel and kneeled down next to him and his doghouse.

"Hansel! You're alive you old mutt! Finally, we found someone alive here," cried a man who followed Adelaide out of the fog and kneeled down next to her as Adelaide. He was a tall, fair-skinned man with shoulder length black hair and hazel-brown eyes. Though his face and clothes were partially covered with soot, Severus recognized him almost immediately.

"Nathalius! He's no mutt! It's a miracle that he is still alive!" - said Adelaide, who then talked towards Hansel as she grabbed onto Hansel and hugged him close to her - "Aren't you Hansel? You big, hairy, beautiful boy." - Hansel barked excitedly and licked Adelaide's face, seemingly happy to see her.

"Aunt Adelaide, Uncle Nathalius. You...you were here? But I don't..." Severus then heard a shriek from out of the fog, coming from the direction of where the house once stood. This shriek caused Adelaide and Nathalius to stand up in attention and turn quickly to face the direction from where the shriek came from. Stumbling out of the fog and with her hand over the left side of her face, was Abigail, crying out for help and shrieking out in pain. Abigail had been badly burned on her left shoulder and on the left side of her face, struggling to stay on her feet long enough to get to where Adelaide and Nathalius were standing.

"Abigail! Oh no, Abigail!" cried Adelaide as she and Nathalius ran towards Abigail and helped her out into the clearing. Abigail soon fell into Adelaide's arms and then fell to her knees with Adelaide, sobbing. Abigail was almost completely covered in soot and the parts of her robes on her left side were torn and burned. Adelaide tries to comfort Abigail while Nathalius calls for help from police nearby. Soon, more people appeared out of the fog with blankets and began helping Abigail to waiting medics. While Adelaide was helping Abigail, Nathalius quickly untied Hansel from his doghouse and began pulling him along with him. After a few moments, Severus was once again alone. Severus then noticed a blue light shinning in his face and brought up his arm to try and shield his eyes. Looking past his arm, he noticed that the light was coming from the still intact hedge that was nearby. Cautiously and with the sliver tin in hand, Severus stood up and walked over to the hedge, unsure of who or what he was going to find there. Severus then cautiously and quietly pulled the hedge apart with his hands to see what was behind it and soon gazed upon the source of the blue light.

It was a lone spirit lantern, hovering quietly and with a bright blue light shinning within its center. Severus then remembered that the light itself was the soul of a wizard or witch that had departed and was held within the lantern while it traveled to the Spirit world. Spirit Lanterns were carriers of the soul of the departed, built by the soul of the departed that dwell within them by use of their abilities in spirit magic. It was obvious that Mapheria was unaware of this when she destroyed the spirit lanterns that had been hanging above the back entrance and assumed that no one of Severus's family knew spirit magic and wouldn't be able to save their soul in one. But as far as Severus knew, he knew of only one person in his family who was experienced enough in spirit magic that when they would die, they would be able to make a spirit lantern with their own spirit magic and hold their soul within it indefinitely, his mother, Eileen.

"Mum?" asked Severus. But the only response that Severus got was a very soft whirring sound and the light within the spirit lantern suddenly changing from blue to purple. Suddenly, the sliver tin that Severus was holding began to glow with the same blue light that the spirit lantern had shown earlier, with a cloud of blue light and sparkles of blue light dancing around it. Severus looked down at the sliver tin, wondering what was going on. Then, an image came into his mind. It was an image of his mother and it was talking to him. He listened to the image of Eileen in his mind, nodding a couple times in response to what she was saying.

"Yes...I understand...I will do as you say...I will guard it...But what about Edward? He needs to know that...Oh, I understand...Yes...I will...I will..." - Severus then began to tear up once more and looked away, looking down at the ground once more as the spirit lantern floated closer to him. With tears trickling down his cheeks, Severus brought his forehead up to the spirit lantern as it floated close to his face.

"Yes, I will be strong...I will try...I miss you Mum...Why did you have to leave me here alone?" - Severus then began to sob quietly as the spirit lantern bumped up against Severus's forehead. Severus continues to listen to the image in his head as he looked up at the spirit lantern once more, "I know...Yes...Aunt Adelaide has been taking care of me and Hansel. Hansel is getting old, Mum. It is likely that he won't live for much longer..." - Severus then looked at the spirit lantern puzzlingly, "What?...Oh, I didn't know...and you gave it to him?...I didn't know..." - Severus then followed the spirit lantern with his eyes as it began to float up into the air, its light changing from purple, to blue and then to golden-yellow, "No...Don't go...Don't leave me..." - the spirit lantern stopped a moment and turned around in the air. Severus's eyes then grew wide, "What?...That's impossible...I hate Verena, why would I ever want to love and be with her? I love Lily...oh...I see...I know..." - Severus then looked away towards the direction of where Adelaide and Abigail went, then looked back, only to see that the spirit lantern was now hovering high above the courtyard.

Severus then looked up sadly at the spirit lantern as it slowly flew off towards the Northeast, drifting slowly farther and farther away as its light once again changed, going from golden-yellow to blue once more. Severus then spoke, "Mum...goodbye..." - Severus then bowed his head and began to cry once more, with tears falling on the lid of the sliver tin as he continued to hold it in his hands. Suddenly, Severus began to hear the distant voice of Verena calling to him, "Severus? Severus! Wake up, Severus!"

Severus quickly placed the sliver tin into his robe pocket and wiped away the tears in his eyes with his sleeve before he turned towards the source of the voice and walked into the fog towards it, "Verena? Verena, where are you?" - Then, in a flash, Severus once again found himself lying on the ground face up, looking up at a mildly concerned Verena, who was kneeling down over him and trying to shake him awake. Severus blinked his eyes for a moment, then sat up, rubbing the back of his neck as Lucius kneeled down next to Verena and Scabior stood behind Lucius.

"Are you alright, Severus?" asked Lucius.

"He seems alright, Lucius. But where on Earth did he go?" said Verena as she and Lucius helped Severus onto his feet, placing an arm a piece over their shoulders.

"What happened? I fainted. Where did I...?" said Severus, acting as though he was drunk, falling in and out of consciousness.

"You fell out of a hole in the air, Severus. It looked like a part of The Fringes," said Scabior nonchalantly, fidgeting with his fingers, though Scabior was concerned in his own way.

"The Fringes? You mean...?" said Severus as he continued to act a bit groggy, trying to keep his eyes open.

"Yes, Severus. It appears that you were in the spirit world for a few minutes and it sent you somewhere. But where I do not know," - Verena then spoke to Lucius, "Come, Lucius, we need to take Severus somewhere where he can rest and be looked after."

And with that, Verena and Lucius helped Severus walk back towards Hogsmeade and out of the Dark Forest while Scabior drew out his wand and looked around him as he followed along behind, watching to make sure that no one and nothing was following them. Unbeknownst to the group however, they were being watched by strange blue figures, who watched in the shadows hidden in the underbrush. The brush glowed a dimly blue light in the darkness nearby as sparkles of blue light danced around it in the air. Soon, a brief moment of gentle child's laughter was heard in the air as a pair of little glowing blue tails disappeared into the underbrush, vanishing out of sight. The blue light that glowed within the underbrush then faded and vanished without a trance. The forest had become quiet once more.

CONTINUED...CHAPTER 23...