Chapter 16

A/N This chapter is going to be unnaturally long but I don't think you all will mind. I can't even tell you how long we have been waiting to write this chapter :D. Let the battle begin! :D

Christine Dalen: Thanks to our wonderful Carrie we hit over 50 :D. Hopefully we can get many more than that in the future.

Bienvenue a Bikini Bottom: We like their friendship too :). It just feels right for them to be friends.

Amar 2: I think Snape had a reason before to be mean to everyone. Like Neville. He hated Neville because he was the other one that Voldemort could have went after and then Lily would still be alive. But because Lily is still alive in this story, I don't think he has anything to be legitly mad at.

Carrie: Words cannot even begin to describe how happy we are at your reviews. You honestly make us laugh like no one else and reading your reviews literally brightened up our whole day. We love you girly! And sorry, we are still going to have to break the "no cliff hanger" rule ;).

Seiryuu-sama: Thanks for the follow!

Adict to reading: Thanks for the follow!

AnnechanB: Thanks for the follow!

September slowly faded into October and Severus was finally starting to get the hang of teaching. His classes were actually beginning to understand the basics of potion making, the Gryffindors got themselves into trouble so he didn't have to force it upon them, and he was used to the glares from the other professors. The only thing that had worried him was he still hadn't gotten a response letter from Lily yet.

Severus crawled out of bed and threw on a pair of his teaching robes. Breakfast was in less than five minutes and he was starving. Grabbing his wand, he made his way from the dungeons to the Great Hall. As he walked, he watched many students, who too were on their way to the Great Hall, hurry as he walked by. He couldn't tell if he was supposed to think that was funny, or kind of sad.

Once he reached the Great Hall, he walked to his spot at the head table, sat down, and began eating the food in front of them. Within a few minutes, the windows opened and a great rush of owls flew into the open room. Severus looked up for a brief moment but then continued to eat. He wasn't going to get any mail so why watch others do it.

Suddenly an envelope landed at his spot. Trying not to attract attention, he quickly grabbed the letter and opened it at once. Without even needing to look at it twice, he knew immediately the handwriting was Lily's. Ignoring the questioning looks from some of the other staff and making sure his face didn't show any emotion from the letter, he began to read.

Severus,

I'm extremely sorry that this letter has taken so long for me to write. I didn't know what to say but that isn't fair to you so here I go.

James has been on edge lately and I'm really starting to worry about him; Harry too. I think Harry is sensing that something is wrong and I don't know what to do about it. We are stuck in this house waiting for something to happen. We can't do anything to help our friends or the Order in any way and its so hard. James contacted Dumbledore about letting him to be able to go out of our house but Dumbledore hasn't responded. I almost hope he doesn't respond or tells James he can't. I wouldn't be able to bare it it you and him were both out risking your lives.

Severus fought to keep a straight face as he continued to read.

But that's not why I'm writing to tell you. You must promise me Sev that you won't tell anyone because I'm not even supposed to tell anyone for my safety. It took quite a bit of time for me to decide I was going to tell you.

I'm pregnant.

Severus felt his breathing stop. No. That couldn't be right.

We didn't plan for this to happen and I'm so scared Sev. What if something happens to me and the baby dies? What happens if someone hurts the baby after they are born? It's hard enough for me to know that Harry is here during this awful time, and I can't believe I was stupid enough to do this again.

I'm sorry for bothering you.

Lily

Severus could feel the other staff members begin to stare at him. Apparently his attempts at keeping his expression emotionless didn't work.

"Is there something wrong?" Severus turned his head to find Dumbledore standing behind him, his face blank. Severus knew that Lily didn't want him to tell anyone, but this was serious. At least he could tell Dumbledore that he shouldn't let James go away from Lily.

"Meet me at the hilltop at 9 o'clock tonight. It's urgent."

Severus spent the whole day staring at the clock. He was so nervous about his meeting with Dumbledore that he barely even scolded his classes. He felt sick to his stomach every time he thought about the letter.

The moment the clock read ten minutes to nine, Severus hurried out of his office and out of the castle. Once he was out of range, he quickly apparated to the hilltop.

"Dumbledore where are you?" he yelled into the air, not even caring about giving away his position any more.

"If you speak any louder, you might wake up the rest of the country." Dumbledore walked out from behind a patch of trees and faced Severus. "Now," he said, tucking his wand into the pocket of his robes, "you said this was urgent."
"You can't let James Potter leave Lily alone in their house," he exclaimed, the nervous feeling from his stomach growing by the second.

"I had no intention on leaving Lily alone with Harry," Dumbledore stated plainly.

"So you'll tell James to stay with her?"

"I never said James would be the one to stay with her," he said slowly. Snape looked at him. appalled.

"Are you crazy? He is her husband he needs to be with her especially in a time like this!" Dumbledore looked at him again.

"A time like what?" Shit.

"War."

"Severus, I think it's best for you to understand that you cannot lie to me." Severus sighed and ran a hand through his hair.

"She's pregnant." Silence fell on both men as they took in Severus' words. "Please you cannot leave her there with anyone else than James," he begged softly. Suddenly a noise came from behind the trees where Dumbledore first appeared. "Did you just-" Dumbledore cut him off with a slight wave of his hand. Severus froze and Dumbledore slowly grabbed his wand out from the pocket of his robes. Neither of them moved. They both sat waiting in the dark for something to happen.

Suddenly a bright flash of red flew past Severus' ear. He raised his wand to deflect the spell and then he saw her.

"Bellatrix," he said softly. Her laughter rang through the trees. Severus gripped his wand tighter in his fist and quickly glanced towards Dumbledore.

"Look what I found," Bellatrix laughed as she started to walk towards them. "The leader of the Order Of the Phoenix, and traitor." Neither Dumbledore nor Severus said a word. "And all of this for a filthy little Mudblood." Without a second thought, Severus raised his wand and pointed it straight at her throat.

"You betrayed my Lord!" she screamed and raised her wand higher, fury in her eyes. "Avada Kedavra!"

Severus jumped to the left, narrowly avoiding the curse. Dumbledore stepped in front of him and immediately began dueling with Bellatrix.

"Send word to the Order that we are under attack!" Dumbledore yelled to Severus who looked at him like he was crazy.

"They all think I'm a Death Eater!" he exclaimed, grabbing his wand and standing up.

"None of the other Death Eaters can produce a Patronus, Severus! They will realise something is wrong. Now, I kindly ask you to do as I have told you." Severus hesitated for a moment before running a few yards away from the battle. He hadn't casted a Patronus in quite some time and wasn't sure if he could do it.

"Expecto Patronum!" Nothing happened. "Expecto Patronum!" Nothing. "Shit!" He had to think of a happier memory to use. Racking his brain he tried to think of a happy thought while a battle was beginning around him. More Death Eaters were arriving and Severus became desperate. He immediately thought of Lily and all the good times they had shared together. He let the feeling fill him and tried again.

"EXPECTO PATRONUM!" He yelled above the sound of all the fighting. A doe appeared and he sent the message to the Order. The Death Eaters, who had been ignoring him up to that point, all suddenly turned toward him.

"You filthy! Insignificant! Tetchurus! Traitor!" Bellatrix screamed, "You are unworthy to wear the mark of the Dark Lord!" The rest of the Death Eaters looked confused as they realized what the Patronus meant. Severus realized they hadn't been fighting him because they thought he was on there side. He was part of the Dark Lord's inner circle after all. But now that protecting was gone. It was Dumbledore and him against about twenty Death Eaters that had shown up, all of whom he recognized. And, Severus thought, the Order of the Phoenix would not becoming because they thought him a Death Eater. The situation was hopeless. But he would fight for Lily.

The battle raged on more deadly than before. Bellatrix had taken the fact that Severus was a traitor as a personal insult and continuously tried to kill him, but Dumbledore was fighting her and they were an equal match. And Bellatrix was struggling.

Severus on the other hand didn't know what to do. He wasn't being attacked by anyone, and he knew if he cursed one of them he would be dead in seconds. There was a silent standoff between him and the Death Eaters. They were confused.

"Severus!" One called out, "Is this really true? Have you betrayed our master?" It was Yaxley, another Death Eater who was extremely loyal to the Dark Lord and had been in the inner circle with Severus. Severus took a breath to prepare himself before answering.

"Yes." He said as calmly as he could, "I have betrayed your master." Bellatrix heard this and tried, yet again, to kill Severus but was prevented from doing so because of Dumbledore's spellmenship.

"This whole time? Have you been pretending and lying to the Dark Lord this whole time?" Yaxley inquired.

"I will kill you Severus Snape, you traitor!" Bellatrix screamed into the uncertain silence.

"No, Yaxley, not the whole time. But I am no longer blind to the injustice of the Dark Lord's ruling. I have seen what is right, and it is not the Dark Lord. So I have changed my ways. I am no longer loyal to the Dark Lord."

Everyone hesitated. No one knew what to make of Severus' story. They all knew him, they didn't want to kill him. But he was a traitor. He was no longer one of them. Yaxley uncertainty raised his wand.

"Avada Kedav-" He began.

"STUPIFY!" Came a scream from the woods and Yaxley fell to the ground. Everyone turned to see thirty people emerge from the woods.

The Order of the Phoenix had arrived. Among them were Mad-Eye Moody, Remus Lupin, Sirius Black, Frank and Alice Longbottom, Dorcas Meadowes, Aberforth Dumbledore, and-

"Ah, Peter Pettigrew!" A Death Eater named Alecto cried in delight at the sight of the small, beady-eyed man. "Our traitor had arrived! Come, Peter, join us and fight for your master!"

Just as the Death Eaters had done to Severus, the Order all stared at Peter, confused.

"What does she mean?" Remus asked slowly.

"I-I don't know what she's talking about!" Peter exclaimed, obviously frightened. Alecto laughed through the crowd.

"Show them your arm, Peter!" she yelled, amused. "Show them where your true loyalties lie!" Sirius and Remus both turned and blocked Peter from moving.

"Show us your arm Peter," Sirius said, his voice shaking in anger or denial, Severus couldn't tell.

"No, Sirius, Remus you must believe me!"
"Expelliarmus!" Remus shouted and Sirius quickly went in and grabbed Peter's left arm and pulled up the sleeve. Just as Alecto had said, the Dark Mark was engraved on his left forearm.

"James trusted you!" Sirius screamed, his fists clenching in rage.

"Sirius, I-"
"Avada Kedavra!" Both Remus and Sirius started to attack Peter, a sight Severus thought he would never see.
"Stop!" Peter exclaimed, frantic. "What would James and Lily say?" Now he had done it.
"Avada Kedavra!" Remus and Sirius looked around to see where the curse had come from. Much to their surprise, the saw Severus, wand raised and eyes full of fury. Peter stood in absolute terror. The curse had just barely missed his heart, hitting the tree inches away from him instead.

Sirius and Lupin then both turned toward their former friend, anger and distrust filling their eyes, and they both pointed their wands at Peter.

"You traitor." Lupin said in disgust, "How dare you betray Lily and James? James befriended you and you repay him by selling him out to He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named? How dare you?"

"You are no longer a friend. You are a coward. You disgust me." Sirius said, his voice dripped with vengeful hate as his wand arm stopped shaking.

Peter whimpered as everyone turned on him. His eyes were full of absolute panic as he too pulled out his wand. He then turned on the spot and disapparated.

"Coward!" Screamed Sirius, before he became stupefied by Bellatrix, his cousin. Remus ran in front of his friend's body and started dueling with her. Severus realised the danger and immediately ran towards the fight.

"Bellatrix!" he screamed and both she and Remus stopped fighting. "We all know it's me you want so why waste your time?" He knew it was a stupid thing to do, but he knew that Lily would be crushed if another one of her friends was harmed in battle. Bellatrix scream rang in Severus' ears and made him clench his wand tighter.

"Filthy traitor!" she screamed before sending a killing curse at him which he had to dive into the ground to avoid.

"Remus! Take Sirius and go!" he yelled but Remus didn't move. "Remus, go!" Remus grabbed Sirius by the waist and hurried away from the battle. Unlike before, the battle was raging at force. Every person on both sides were shooting curses and hexes left and right, aiming to kill. Severus struggled to get himself up when Bellatrix shot another curse at him. He rolled out of the way and pointed his wand at her.

"Avada Kedavra!" It just barely missed her and she screamed again. She raised her wand higher and was just about to send another curse flying when Dumbledore stepped in front of Severus and began dueling with her once again.

Severus heard scream rang through the hilltop and everyone turned their heads to see who it was. Alecto fell to the ground, her body frozen in death. Suddenly he felt a searing pain in his left forearm and he screamed in agony. Dumbledore turned his head away from Alecto and looked at Severus. The Dark Mark burned like nothing Severus had ever felt before. He looked at Bellatrix and suddenly he knew. Her wand was pressed into her Mark.

She was calling Voldemort.

"Everyone, the Dark Lord is coming!" Severus yelled as loud as he could. Instantly, screams of terror washed over the people on the hilltop.

"Everyone!" Dumbledore called to the Order, "Go! I can deal with Voldemort."

"But Dumbledore-" Alice Longbottom began to protest.

"No, trust me. You should leave. Protect yourselves." Slowly, the Order began to leave until Dumbledore, Sirius, Lupin, and Severus were all that was left of the Order. Bellatrix smiled cunningly at them, stepping over the body of Dorcas Meadowes, the only casualty from the Order, as she hid in the cover of the trees awaiting her master.

"I'm not leaving." Sirius announced, recently sprung from his frozen state.

"Nor am I," Lupin announced, "I'm staying for James."

Dumbledore sighed, "Very well, Severus-"

"I have to stay," Severus responded, cutting off the old man.

Before Dumbledore could protest anymore there was a loud pop, and Voldemort appeared before them. Dumbledore stepped forward to meet him.

"Tom!" He called out in greeting, as though they were old friends. There was a sadness in his voice however, and his wand remained out and pointed, not shaking at the slightest.

"As I have told you, that is no longer what I am called, Dumbledore." Voldemort responded calmly, but Severus could see the anger in his eyes.

"Alas, I know, Tom. However, you will always be Tom to me." Voldemort sneered at the old man.

"I am afraid that will not help you." Voldemort raised his wand as well, "For you see, I do not come here for you. I come for the traitor. This does not concern you." And with a flick of his wand, he tried to move Dumbledore aside, but Dumbledore blocked him.

"But it does, Tom, Severus is one of us." That was the final straw for Voldemort. He pointed his wand right at Severus' heart.

Severus raised his wand in response, and was surprised to see that the wands on either side of him also were raised not at him, but at Voldemort.

"There will be no more deaths tonight, Tom," Dumbledore continued, "I implore you to leave. Now."

Voldemort screamed in fury and began to duel.

Even against all four of them, Voldemort was hardly struggling. He deflected all of their attacks and sent curse after curse at each of them. Barely five minutes into the battle, Dumbledore decided it would be best to leave. They were not strong enough to defeat him, but Dumbledore would not allow any more deaths.

With a flick of his wand, Dumbledore caused the body of Dorcas to disappear, most likely to somewhere where it would be safe to be buried. Then, he turned to the three other men.

"We must leave!" He announced, deflecting a curse, "Grab hands so I can take you to the same place!" Sirius and Lupin, who were still on either side of Severus, hesitated, "Now!" Dumbledore ordered.

Each sending one final attack towards Voldemort, they grabbed hands and felt the tug behind their navels as they flew through time and darkness together, the sound of Voldemort's fury ringing in their ears.

Severus blinked as he took in his new surroundings as he let go of Sirius' and Lupin's hands. Gadgets were everywhere and there was a Phoenix by a desk. Severus concluded he was in Dumbledore's office.

"Dumbledore," Lupin began, "I thought you couldn't apparate in or out of the castle?"

"That is usually true, however I do have the power to change that if necessary." Dumbledore explained, "Now, Sirius, as I understand it you are the Secret Keeper for the Potters?"

"Yes but-" Sirius began.

"I wish for you to take all of us there. Now."

"But Dumbledore," Sirius began again, casting an uncertain look towards Severus.

"Sirius and Remus, I wish for you to ignore you differences with Severus for at least the time being, Severus has been helping me, Lily and James, and the Order and has gained my trust."

Both men hesitated for a second, then decided it wasn't worth it to fight and each nodded their heads toward Severus who rolled his eyes before grudgingly nodding back. No one was extremely happy with this, but Dumbledore ignored the unfriendly atmosphere.

"Now then, Sirius, if you would please." Dumbledore said. The four men took hands once more and disapparated to the house of Lily and James Potter.