The moment Voldemort had fallen to ground unconscious...five had noticed instantly. Even though they were hundreds of feet away...they had realised immediately...as if they had a connection to him...and they set off to aid their master. Slowly they made their way through the maze of corridors and dungeons.

Remus hurried the group along the endless corridors...past unknown doorways and through darkened archways. Finding his way in had seemed so much quicker, than finding his way back out again.

They hadn't taken a wrong turn...he could recognise certain markings on the floors and walls...but the corridors appeared lengthened somehow. Remus shook his head...trying to clear it of all his negative thoughts...positive thoughts would get them out of this...hopefully.

He prayed that they would meet no other enemies on the way out, Remus wasn't sure if the group had it in them to fight off anything else anymore. He glanced behind him and grimaced...they were lagging behind...practically overcome with exhaustion.

"Time is of the essence," he heard Snape hiss back to the group. Remus closed his eyes...he was not going to allow Snape get to him now...not until they were out of harm's way. He took a calming breath in and opened his eyes again.

He glanced back again and his eyes met James', and he smiled warmly at him. James returned it half-heartedly...sharing an unsaid promise...we'll get him later.

Remus turned back round to the front watching his feet, every footstep echoed off the cavernous walls.

Snape had stopped but Remus was too lost in thoughts about his friends to even think about it. Remus even thought he may have heard Snape call out his name...but again his own thoughts overcame his sense of hearing.

"Sir!" came the desperate cry in Harry's voice. Remus wheeled around eyes wildly searching out Harry's...whatever it was it sounded important.

Harry looked absolutely terrified...frozen to the spot. Remus raised an eyebrow and opened his mouth to ask Harry why he had called out...but the words died in his throat as he felt it.

That unmistakable cold feeling. It swept through him like an icy wind. He turned slowly...they had to be close.

The five dementors swept around the corner soundlessly...obviously sensing a human presence they emitted an unnerving rattling sound. They were mere feet away from Remus and he staggered backwards slightly.

Happy thought ...he told himself... Happy thought...any happy thought will do...anything!

Nothing...he could think of nothing...no happy thoughts.

Of course he had them...he'd defended Harry three years ago with a patronus but now... Well any happy thought he grasped on to was suddenly tainted by bad things happening.

Nymphadora was pregnant with his child - but now they were in imminent danger.

He had just seen his best friends again - and they may not make it out alive and he would lose them again soon anyway.

Remus delved deeper as the dementors focussed on him seeing as he was closer. He'd have to try the spell without a happy thought, maybe something would pop in.

"Expecto patronum!" he waited, absolutely nothing happened. He grunted in frustration.

Back to happy thoughts ...his vision was going...the voices in his head were screaming out...in fact...no... he could see his worst memories...being bitten by a Greyback was now constantly on replay in his head and he desperately tried to push past and think of anything happy.

His fun with the marauders - that would never happen again.

Remus blinked furiously trying to see properly, Harry it seemed was down as well.

Every single bad transformation was surging through his mind now, the sound of bones cracking rang through his ears.

He felt his knees connect with the ground, and tears leaked down his cheeks. Then he felt what he needed, Sirius' hand on his shoulder.

The happy thought he needed was the fact the Sirius and James were his best friends, and although they weren't always there with him they were here. Now.

"Expecto Patronum!" he bellowed at the approaching dementors.

A bright white light erupted from his wand tip and rushed at the dementors. The dementors separated and backed off slightly, and the white creature bounded back to Remus as he stood up to greet it. Nobody had ever seen Remus' patronus before, anyone would have presumed it would be a wolf...it was logical.

But Remus despised wolves for good reason. His patronus had the form of a creature that was an opposite to a canine wolf...his patronus was a feline...the biggest and most powerful feline around...the tiger.

Remus smiled down and patted the tiger on the head fondly before it vanished. Remus' energy disappeared, as if the disappearance of the tiger had taken his energy with it.

The dementors were reforming and coming back. Sirius steadied Remus as he watched the dementors warily, he didn't think he had anything left for another patronus. He took a deep breath and raised his wand ready to say the incantation again, but Sirius cleared his throat and Remus looked around.

Harry and James now stood side by side looking very determined indeed.

"Expecto Patronum," they roared in unison.

Two identical white lights shot directly towards the dementors...two stags that charged at the dementors and didn't stop until the they had completely left without a trace.

The entire group breathed a sigh of relief. Sirius let go of Remus and Remus dropped to the ground once again...he just needed a second. He closed his eyes and opened them slowly.

Harry watched as Remus dropped...what had his old professor seen or felt that weakened him so? His attention turned to Snape who seemed very impatient and was tapping his foot.

"Why couldn't you cast the patronus?" he hissed at Snape.

Snape raised his eyebrows at him, and for a second a glimmer of pain flitted across his eyes.

"I have no happy thoughts," he answered simply.

"Avada Kedavra!" shouted an unknown voice. Harry watched in horror as the deadly green light shot, from the Death Eater's wand who had appeared at the end of the corridor, directly towards Remus. Remus raised his head and his eyes widened as he saw the spell shooting towards him.

The next thing Harry saw was Snape rushing past him and pushing Remus to one side. The green light plunged into Snape's side and he lay cold and lifeless on top Remus.

*backs away slowly* sorry to all Snape lovers...and I'm sorry it's another cliffhanger.