Samara and Godric galloped through the night, silently, invisibly, no more than a gust of wind rippling the grass and rustling the leaves. As they raced along the edge of the forest, she wondered how on earth she was going to find Harry. Severus was right. Hagrid's place was the best bet, far better than wandering around the forest aimlessly. When they reached the grey stone cottage, Godric stopped abruptly and Samara jumped off. The door stood open, and a faint light flickered behind the windows. As she peered inside, she saw Hagrid rummaging about in the semidarkness, a lantern in his hand.

"Hagrid, are you leaving?" Samara asked, as she shyly stepped over the threshold, closing the door behind her.

Hagrid turned to face her. He looked in a mess. His clothes were muddy, and there were twigs and leaves stuck in his hair and beard.

"Miss Samara, yeh shoudn' wander abou' on yer own like tha'!"

"I have Godric with me. Listen, Hagrid, have you seen Harry?"

"Harry? Nah, jus' came back. McGonagall sen' me an owl ter come an' figh'. Gotta get Fluffy from the forest ter join."

Samara wondered what 'Fluffy' was, but suspected that it was anything but its name. Hagrid set down the lamp, all the while continuing to search around in his house. When he finally found what he was after, Samara was surprised to see it was a flute.

"I need to find him, Hagrid! There is something I need to tell him. A message from Severus."

"Him!" Hagrid's expression turned grim at the mention of Severus' name, while his massive hands clenched into fists.

"He's not what you think. He's been on our side all along. Dumbledore left him instructions, and if Harry doesn't get the message, he might die," Samara tried to explain.

"He killed im!" Hagrid yelled incensed, but seemingly worried at the suggestion that something could happen to Harry.

"That was all part of the plan. Dumbledore was already dying, and - "

Suddenly there was a loud bang on the door, making Samara freeze mid sentence.

"Open the door!" a voice shouted outside.

"Who is it?" Hagrid growled.

"Who do you think it is, you oaf? Come out, or we'll burn down the house!"

Samara and Hagrid looked at each other.

"Get outta the back door!" Hagrid whispered to her, ushering her towards the back of the room. "Don' worry abou' me, I'll be allrigh'."

At that moment, the front door was thrown open with a blast, and Samara could see a group of hooded men with torches standing outside. She quickly sneaked out the back door before they discovered her. Godric was waiting right there, and she climbed onto his back. There were yells, and several bangs at the front of the house, and as Godric pushed up into the air, she could see an immobilized Hagrid be tied up and dragged along by at least half a dozen Death Eaters. She took out her wand and aimed.

"Stupefy!" As she carefully formed the incantation in her head, a red flash of light shot out from the tip of her wand. The first and second time she missed, but at the third attempt she hit one of the Death Eaters in the back, and he crumpled to the floor. Samara was elated; it was the first time she had actually stunned a real person, a Death Eater no less! She had to try to free Hagrid. There was a commotion and angry shouts among the group, as they tried to identify the source of the attack. Encouraged by her success, Samara fired again and again, secure in the knowledge that they couldn't see her. She nearly got another one of them, but he managed to deflect the spell in time.

"There, it's coming from there!" one of the hooded men shouted, pointing his wand.

Samara's eyes widened with shock, when suddenly several green flashes came soaring right at her. The stallion reared up, horse and rider were thrown through the air and parted, and Samara flew some distance before crashing to the ground. She hit her head hard on a rock, but no longer felt the pain, as everything went black around her. Her body rolled along in the grass, finally coming to rest underneath some bushes.

***

When he finally awoke, Severus was unsure how long he had been sleeping. Despite the fact that she had just saved his life, he felt rather irate about how Samara had tricked him, and fed him a sleep potion, without any regard for his mission or duty. At least the Strengthening Solution had taken its effect, and he felt like he should be able to get up. First of all he needed to get back to his office to sort himself out. Strengthening Solution was not nearly good enough after what he had been through, he needed something far more powerful. Maybe it was not too late to try to find Harry. And where was Samara? Was she safe? He hoped she would be up in the hospital wing with Poppy, and that she hadn't actually gone out into the forest. Surely such reckless behaviour would hardly befit a Ravenclaw. Yet a nagging worry remained at the back of his mind, torturing him.

He slowly sat up and then, gathering all his strength, started to crawl through the dark and narrow tunnel back to the Whomping Willow. The grounds and corridors of the castle were quiet; everyone seemed to be in the Great Hall looking after the injured. Severus was relieved that he managed to pass through the building unseen. He didn't fancy another encounter with Minerva or Filius. The gargoyle guarding his office was lying toppled over on the floor, giving only a faint grunt when his master climbed over him, and proceeded up the spiralling staircase. The climb up to his office had never seemed so long. His heart was thumping, and when he reached the top, he nearly passed out again from the exertion. Grabbing hold of the doorknob for support, he still felt like he was only a shadow of himself.

The room was dark and quiet when he entered. All the portraits were empty. The Pensieve stood on his desk, the silvery fluid of memories, neither liquid nor gas, swirling within it. So Harry had been here, he had seen everything. Severus felt hot embarrassment flushing up on his cheeks, thinking about how much of himself he had revealed to the boy. He had not known that he would have to live with the fact, and now he wished he hadn't given so much away. Taking out his wand, he gathered up the silvery substance with a swirl and replaced the memories back into his head.

He walked over to the cupboard by the wall and opened the glass door. There stood the bottles of potions that he and Samara had once brewed for Dumbledore, still about half full. He took a goblet, poured himself some of the thick shimmering liquid and downed it. A rush of heat soared through his body as he felt his powers returning, his energy restored. He was ready to join the fight.

Suddenly, he heard the familiar voice of Dumbledore address him from the portrait behind his desk.

"Severus, I am glad to see you are alive and well!"

He turned around to face fim. No doubt Dumbledore had been watching the action from someone else's frame, and he might have seen Harry wander through the castle.

"Albus, have you seen Harry?" he inquired. "We have a problem."

"As a matter of fact I have." Dumbledore beamed. "And all is going wonderfully to plan, as far as I can tell. I see you managed to deliver the message."

Dumbledore's painted hand tried to point at the Pensieve in front of him, but he couldn't reach out from the two-dimensional world of his canvas.

"No, not in its entirety. Since you didn't trust me with the full story, I had no memory of it," Severus replied reproachfully. "I need to find him before it is too late. You wouldn't know where he might be?"

"It's not that I didn't trust you Severus, but rather that Harry didn't need to be told. He is much more like his mother than you give him credit for. He is alive, and Tom Riddle is a mortal man again." The look on Dumbledore's face was one of deep satisfaction.

Severus' eyes widened slightly with surprise, before returning to his usual austere expression.

"Then I will go and kill him." His voice was cold and determined now, while his grip tightened around the ebony wand. "Seeing as the Dark Lord failed to dispatch me, I should still be the true master of the Elder Wand, am I right?"

"You never were its master, Severus. Draco beat you to it that night on the Astronomy Tower, which means your job here is finished."

"Draco?" Severus spat incredulously, his eyes narrowing. "Does that mean then, that your grand plan was flawed?" he sneered, a trace of triumph in his voice.

"I admit I had intended to pass the power of the wand to you. But it does not matter, it will still work out." Dumbledore smiled smugly. "You are not fighting alone, Severus. For once, have faith."

"So you no longer require my services as a murderer then? This time you will allow an innocent soul to be damaged?" he asked wryly.

"Oh, I daresay this time there should not be so much damage," Dumbledore hinted with a secretive smile, still not revealing just what he thought would happen.

"Do you realise that your wonderful plan nearly got me killed for no good reason?" Severus growled. He tilted his head, showing him the nasty scars on his neck. Dumbledore flinched.

"I'm so sorry, Severus. That, I could not foresee."

"Had I not had a guardian angel, I would have joined you up there. And I can assure you I would have made you feel even sorrier."

"Miss Ravenhood," Dumbledore nodded. His eyes seemed to twinkle, although that was hardly possible for a piece of canvas. "I knew you two would get along if only your paths were made to cross."

Severus raised one eyebrow. "I see. The only reason you asked for her help was so you could indulge in a bit of match-making."

"Forgive an old man his meddling, Severus. However, it was more a case of killing two birds with one stone. And I was right. After all those years you have finally found love. That is all that matters now."

Indeed, it was all that mattered. Lily had been his reason to die, but there was nothing more he could do for her son. Samara on the other hand was his reason to live, and that meant so much more. Whatever twisted conclusion to his scheme the old man had in mind, Severus found he no longer cared. He no longer owed him anything. He had never expected to survive beyond his function in Dumbledore's plot, it still seemed a small miracle that he had, but he was determined to make the most of it. Even though he still struggled to comprehend what Samara saw in him, and how he could possibly deserve her, he knew one thing for sure: There was nothing he wanted more than to love her and make her happy. First of all though, he had to make sure she was safe, and then that tormenting disquiet crept back into the focus of his mind.

He opened one of the windows to peer outside. Down in the grounds, the battle was raging again, and people were streaming into the castle. He climbed onto the window sill and jumped. His cloak carried him as he sailed down like a giant bat, landing softly on the grass. He took a look around. The Death Eaters were being driven back by the onslaught of a herd of centaurs, fleeing into the castle. Through the windows of the Great Hall, he could see the multi-coloured flashes of curses being fired into the air. This must be were the fight was taking place.

Suddenly, he spotted Hagrid amongst the mayhem. The gamekeeper and his half-brother were locked in battle with one of Voldemort's giants. Grawp was pummelling the other giant with his fists, but his opponent was larger and stronger. Meanwhile Hagrid was firing curses at him from the tip of his umbrella, but they were just bouncing off the giant's thick skin.

Severus knew what to do. The only way to take out a giant was to fire at the eyes. He drew his wand, took careful aim, and sent a stunning spell towards the giants' face. The giant stumbled and swayed for a moment, before crashing to the ground with a thud that made the earth shake. Hagrid turned around, and looked at him with surprise, while Grawp was cheering and clapping enthusiatically.

"Have you seen Miss Ravenhood?" Severus yelled, as he moved towards Hagrid.

The gamekeeper's eyes and face appeared red and swollen from crying, and were now again filling with tears.

"Headmaster, the're gone," he sobbed. "The girl an the horse, finished by them Death Eaters."

Severus could feel the colour drain from his face, as cold fear ran over his body, and his heart seemed to stop. It couldn't be true - Had he sent her to her death? He grabbed hold of Hagrid's arm.

"Where? How?" he shouted, his face almost demented.

Hagrid, however, was now sobbing uncontrollably, unable to give a coherent answer. Severus let him go. Terrified to the point of madness, he ran down towards Hagrid's stone hut as fast as his legs would carry him. Dumbledore's words echoed in his ears "That is all that matters now."

* * *

When Samara came round, she groaned in agony. Her head was throbbing with pain, and when she raised her hand and ran it over her skull she could feel sticky blood in her hair. She slowly sat up. Feeling around for her wand, she found it lying next to her on the forest floor. She pointed it at her head to mend the cut, and the pain subsided. Putting the wand back into her pocket, she got up, and brushed the leaves off her robes. Slowly her memory of the night's events returned: Severus, Hagrid, the fight with the Death Eaters. Where was Hagrid, where was Godric? Hours must have passed since then, as it was already dawning. She shivered, wrapping her cloak tighter around herself. It was freezing cold in the forest. Stepping away from the line of trees, she took a look around. Hagrid's hut was visible as a black shadow against the break of dawn, the windows were dark and the door stood open. Hagrid was not home. There was a body lying in the grass - An unconscious Death Eater but not Hagrid, she noted with relief. Then a short distance away she saw a large dark form on the ground. She moved closer, and when she recognised what it was, her heart stopped for a moment. The iron grip of pain and horror around her chest hardly allowed her to breathe. It was Godric; he was dead.

Her knees buckled, and she sank to the ground next to him. His large black eyes looked at her emptily, as he lay there stretched out on the grass. She was overwhelmed by an enormous sense of loss, numbing out all other thought. Hot tears dripped from her eyes, and fell onto his neck like diamonds onto black velvet. Godric - her brave friend, he had sacrificed himself to save her life.

She was so lost in pain and sadness, that she didn't notice how the air around her turned colder and colder, how the dew on the grass turned to rime, and how her breath started to fog up in front of her face. Suddenly, she felt cold fingers dig into her shoulder. Looking up, she found herself surrounded by three hooded, faceless creatures. Despair and hopelessness clenched around her heart like icy fingers. Dementors. She was in mortal danger. She took out her wand, and pointed it into the air.

"Expecto Patronum!"

But only a feeble glow flashed up from the tip of her wand and died away. She tried again, desperate, but to no avail. The sadness in her heart was too heavy, snuffing out the happy thoughts needed to produce a Patronus. Meanwhile, the Dementors were moving closer. She could hear their rasping breaths, felt the paralysing terror and cold.

"Expecto Patronum!" she cried again, yet nothing happened.

Now another Dementor had reached her and bent over her. His face under his hood was grey, and without eyes or features, with only a gaping black hole of a mouth. She was so cold her blood was surely going to freeze in her veins. It was over. Samara closed her eyes. Her last thought before they took her soul would be of Severus.

"No!" a voice suddenly cried in the distance.

The Dementor let go of her, and started to move back. When Samara opened her eyes and looked up, she saw a silvery white horse galloping towards her, its curly mane billowing. Made entirely of soft glowing light, it was the image of Godric. Where had it come from? It looked almost exactly like her Patronus, but she hadn't been able to produce one. Or was it Godric's ghost that had come back to save her? The silvery horse reared up, striking out against the Dementors, driving them back towards the forest. Samara felt the temperature rise, and, a moment later, an arm protectively wrapped around her shoulders. She recognised the gentle hand that stroked over her hair, and the deep timbre of Severus' voice speaking her name.

"Samara!"

She looked up into the dark eyes that surveyed her with trepidation and concern. And then she understood that the silvery horse had been Severus' Patronus. Her heart was overflowing with joy, as she realised what that meant.

"Samara, say something, please!"

"Sev-ve-rus" she stammered, her teeth chattering.

"I was not too late!" He breathed a sigh of relief, as he lifted her up, and hugged her tight, burying his nose in her hair. "I will never let you go now."

At that moment, the sun rose over the castle, dipping his hair into a warm golden light that shimmered around him like a halo. He slung her arm around his shoulders, lifted her up, and carried her towards the edge of the forest, from where he Disapparated to Ravencroft with her.

Samara was still shivering, and shaking in his arms when they finally reached the house. Twinkle opened the door, and Melissa came running into the entrance hall behind her. They had been up all night, sick with worry when Samara had not returned from work.

Melissa's jaw dropped, as she gaped at the sight of Samara in the arms of her Potions professor, Death Eater, and convictable murderer. He shot her a forbidding look, daring her to speak, and noted with satisfaction that he could still silence a student with a mere glance, even years after she had last sat in his classroom. Without a word, Severus walked past her to put Samara down on the sofa in front of the fireplace. The warm glow of the cheerful flames felt soothing and comforting. Samara sighed, she was home.

Trixie brought her a mug of steaming hot liquid, and the three sat gathered around her, watching her drink with careful sips, as she related the events of the night. When she came to what had happened to Godric, she swallowed hard, but couldn't prevent fresh tears from rolling down her cheeks. Severus reached out, taking hold of her hand for consolation. The sadness in the room was almost palpable, as none of them seemed able to speak. Then Samara suddenly realised with a pang of guilt just how worried Poppy must be, after she so suddenly disappeared.

"Trixie, Poppy doesn't know what happened. Could you go and tell her I'm fine? Maybe you can stay a while and help her. I feel a little guilty about abandoning her there."

The little elf nodded eagerly, but just before she could Dispapparate, Melissa caught her hand.

"Wait, Trixie, I want to go and help, too. You don't mind, Samara, do you?"

"No, go, I might join you later once I feel better. And Trixie, please bring Godric's body back, won't you?"

Melissa fetched her wand and her cloak, but before she could leave, Severus stopped her with an intimidating scowl.

"I expect you to be discrete about what you saw, Miss Braidings," he warned her.

"Yes, Sir," Melissa nodded.

Then Trixie Apparated them to Hogwarts, and Samara and Severus were finally left alone.

"Voldemort is gone." he said after a moment of silence, pulling up his sleeve to show her his forearm.

Where the dark mark had been, there was now only blistered, inflamed skin, like a terrible burn.

"You are free then…" Samara said softly.

"Yes, free," he replied, as his eyes looked at her with pure wonder.

Samara stroked her hand across his arm, and under her caressing touch his skin healed, leaving only a faint white scar.

"How does it feel?" she asked.

"Wonderful."

The sound of his deep voice once more made her stomach flutter with butterflies. And then he pulled her towards him, down onto the thick fluffy rug in front of the fire, and kissed her.

"I love you, Severus," she breathed against his lips.

"Hmm," was all she got back as he deepened their kiss.

But he didn't need to say the words, for she already knew.