Hey! So, I thought I had posted this...like an hour ago, but I didn't!

Anyway, thank you so much for the reviews! Keep them coming! :D

When his feet struck the stone of the courtyard, he instantly found the three. They hadn't made it very far. Regardless of Voldemort's orders, some Death Eaters remained behind and were still attacking. One had obviously seen Potter, and now there was a gang of them attacking the Trio. Taking a half a second to admire the impressive and fierce wand work Hermione was presenting, Severus stepped forward and shot a few spells around the three, directly striking the Death Eaters.

Before any of them had realized what happened, he stepped behind a pillar. God forbid she saw him, she'd never leave his side, and Potter would never reach that Pensive. After another moment, Severus began following them again and saw them slip into the castle. He knew that he would never be able to make in through the castle without being seen.

Instead, Severus Apparated straight to the Astronomy Tower. There, he was met with a fierce battle. Lupin was battling Dolohov, and was losing. He was weak, and most likely was already weak before the battle due to transformations. Dolohov had his back to Severus, and Severus instantly reacted as he saw Dolohov raise his wand in the process of performing the Killing Curse.

Severus flicked his wrist and Dolohov was yanked backward, and instantly flung over the rail of the Astronomy Tower. Severus found Lupin on the ground, with his eyes closed, but he was breathing. Severus was immediately beside him, checking his pulse. As Severus took his wrist, Remus jumped and his eyes snapped open.

"Severus?" he asked in disbelief.

Severus swallowed his pride, and helped the man to his feet. Lupin stumbled and leaned against the wall.

"What are you doing here?" he asked, keeping a tight hold on his wand.

"Saving your life, again," he answered shortly, heading for the stairs.

A hand on his arm stopped him.

"Thank you, again. I owe you,"

"Don't worry about it," Severus said, shunning away from the sincerity of the man's gaze and descending the stairs.

As Severus snuck through the halls, he attacked any Death Eater he came across, eventually clearing the path to Dumbledore's office. As he rounded a corner, the wall beside him exploded, sending him hurtling through the air. He was suddenly on his back, with an intense ringing in his ears. Severus felt sluggish and disoriented. A face appeared above him, and he blinked a few times, trying to focus. It was thin, and the lips were moving, trying to speak to him, but he couldn't hear anything. Severus was then being helped to his feet, and the voice was becoming clearer.

"Are you with me?"

Blinking a few more times, the face of Remus Lupin suddenly came into focus. Severus stared at him for a moment, before staring around him. Didn't he leave him on the Astronomy Tower? What was he doing here?

"Severus, are you alright?"

Remus had a strong hold on his robes, and was holding him against a wall. Severus tried pulling Remus off of him, but for such a thin man, he was strong. The ringing was growing smaller by the second, and Severus could feel his focus coming back.

"Severus?"

"Fine…I'm fine," he managed to slur out.

"Perhaps you should sit down for a moment,"

"No, I have to go," he muttered, stumbling down the hallway.

Severus clung to the walls, or what was left of them, trying to make his way down the hallway. He knew that Remus was still there, behind him, not ready to let him wander off on his own just yet. As they rounded a corner, Remus suddenly shouted.

"TONKS!"

Severus instantly looked up to see the black-haired woman supporting herself with the wall as a Death Eater was furiously attacking her. His shout had distracted her for a moment, but Severus had already muttered a curse under his breath to stop her impending death. The Death Eater spun around, shocked at the sudden turn of events. The woman fell to the floor, exhausted.

"Get your wife," Severus muttered, standing to his full height in the middle of the obliterated hallway.

Remus stepped forward, only to be met with a slew of attacks from the now enraged Death Eater. Severus instantly distracted him, sending his own curse hurtling towards the man. The man instantly forgot about Remus, and focused on Severus, knowing by the wand work, he was more of a challenge.

Severus gracefully attacked the man, subtly flicking his wrist, twisting it this way and that, appearing to show little to no effort in the action. This infuriated the man. He brought his wand down in a cutting motion, the spell firing out like a dagger and striking Severus' shield so hard he stumbled backwards. He stood for a moment, stunned at the force, before turning more aggressive. He hadn't wanted to kill the man, just subdue him. But he had now asked for a battle Severus was only too happy to give him.

Severus' motions grew more violent as he stepped towards the man. The man's eyes flickered with fear as he took a step back, sensing he had just angered a very aggressive man. The man's foot struck a stone and he fell onto his back, and Severus refrained from delivering the fatal blow.

Even from the ground the man was not ready to give up. Severus sent a strong stunning hex at him, and the man fell unconscious on the floor.

Severus lifted his eyes and found Remus and his wife standing ready to fight. When they saw the man unconscious, their bodies relaxed slightly. Remus was just about to speak when the black-haired woman's face suddenly showed horror before casting a spell so close to Severus he had to dive out of the way. The duo began a vicious assault on the stray Death Eater, and Severus immediately joined in. The two had the situation under control, but Severus finally felt like he was in the right place – fighting beside the Order to protect the good.

The man was on the floor seconds later. Severus turned away as the two embraced, suddenly feeling cold and anxious. Where was she?

Arms suddenly were around his shoulders and he stiffened.

"Thank you, Severus," a woman said softly in his ear.

Tonks pulled away and wrapped an arm around her husband's waist. Severus stood for a moment, peering at the two. Albus said they would be dead, but here they stood. If he hadn't come back, they certainly would be. Clearing his throat, he nodded and swept down the hallway, holding all the grandeur he did when the walls were intact and people flinched at his presence.

Severus kept himself hidden from those moving around the castle. If he was seen, one of the teachers would surely hunt him down. He found bodies everywhere he looked, causing his stomach to flip. Each time he passed one, he peered into their face. He found horror, pain, peacefulness, blood, but never her.

Anxiety filled the air – the time was drawing near.

Severus had made the decision to sneak into the Forbidden Forest and find Voldemort, when he stumbled across a scene on the stairs.

Potter was speaking to Hermione, who was sitting beside Weasley on the stairs. She stood, and the two peered at each other for a moment. Hermione was suddenly hanging on Potter, obviously crying. He had told them. He had told him that he was going to have to sacrifice himself to save them all.

He watched as Potter straightened his shoulders, turned, and made his way down the stairs. Hermione stood there, and Weasley made no move to get up. Severus then knew what Dumbledore saw in the boy and was always trying to get Severus to see. Potter was self-sacrificing, hell bent on making sure evil did not win…even accusing Severus for numerous things over the years because he thought he was against them from the start.

Hermione resumed her seat beside Weasley, and the two hugged. Severus watched as her small frame shook with sobs. She had just watched her best friend walk to his death, and she could do nothing. Severus watched as seven years of his life walked out of the front door. Severus had spent that long protecting Potter and his friends.

Severus could still remember when Albus had told him that the boy must die at the proper moment. That was when Severus was still solely devoted to Lily. Even so, he was now devoted to Hermione, and his desire to protect her and her friends hadn't waned.

Hermione and Weasley remained on the stairs, and Severus knew he could not get by them without being seen. Severus studied Hermione for another moment before Apparating to the courtyard. He instantly hid behind a large pile of debris, hiding from the people who were searching for the dead and wounded. People stopped for a few moments to watch as Potter made his way to the forest with his head held high. As soon as he would pass, people would lean into one another and begin to whisper frantically.

Severus could read the sadness in their expressions as they watched the poor boy head into the forest alone. As much as Severus sometimes hated Potter's very existence, if he was put into that situation, he wouldn't want to be alone. So, Severus stood from his hiding place, and followed Potter in the open, past the various staring people. To the rest of the public, Severus was still the man who had killed Dumbledore and allowed the Carrows to torture their children.

The closer the two made it towards the forest, the darker it seemed to become. Severus silently followed behind Potter, wondering what he could be thinking. If Severus had to walk to his own death, he didn't think he could make his feet move. Severus was impressed with Potter, to say the least.

Potter suddenly froze, and Severus instantly came to a stop behind a large tree. Potter was speaking to someone, walking around, apparently seeing things that Severus couldn't see. Suprisingly, Potter was smiling lovingly at something, and Severus as sure that the boy had suddenly lost his mind.

Potter began walking again and Severus fell back into step.

Soon, they came to a clearing. Severus stood back, seeing Voldemort and his band of Death Eaters. Hagrid yelled when Harry stepped into the clearing, and the Death Eaters began hissing amongst themselves. Voldemort stepped forward, and Severus felt his heartbeat quicken almost instantly. The boney hand raised with the twisted wand that had killed dozens of people.

Severus' eyes snapped to Potter, who stood there, with his hands clenched at his sides. Why wasn't he doing anything? Where was his wand?

There was a small moment of silence, of intense magic crackling in the air. Voldemort drew his hand back, taking a deep breath.

"AVADA KEDAVRA!"

A flash of green light. Voldemort was thrown to the ground. Harry Potter remained still on the forest floor. He was dead.