Again, I am so sorry about my lack of update! I cannot express how busy I've been. I'm prolonging all my homework for this!
If one of my readers is a teacher, disregard that last part...
But I have put all my free time into this. I put this as my top priority!
I hope it was worth the wait!
Well it won't be worth the wait, but I hope you enjoy it!
I do not own Harry Potter. That honor goes to JKR!
"Nellie!"
Nellie spun around, face to face with a panting Ginny.
"Nellie, Neville called an emergency meeting for Dumbledore's Army. Now!"
Nellie ran after her, heart thumping. What was happening?
Reaching the Room of Requirement, Nellie followed Ginny inside, both girls gasping heavily as they sat down. Neville stood at the head, coming out from the painting Fred and George had shown before. Nellie could see he wasn't alone, however. Behind him, three heads popped out, leaving Nellie to put her hands over her mouth in surprise, followed by joining everyone in a chorus of applause.
Harry. Ron. Hermione.
The first anyone had seen of them in months, aside from the unfortunate event that had occurred in Christmas.
They were safe.
After everyone had their hugs and greetings in, Harry began to speak.
"Well, we're looking for something," Harry started.
"Do you know what it is?"
"No."
"Do you know where it is?"
"No. I know it's not much to go on-"
"It's nothing to go on."
Nellie ignored the argument with the boys in front, and walked over to Hermione, giving her a big hug.
"I was so worried about you," she whispered.
"There was nothing to worry about," Hermione replied, "but I missed you as well."
Members walked off to their classes, in hopes of not giving speculation to the teachers. As the approached, they found they were to head down to the Great Hall.
Nellie found a giant crowd of students all around her, from every house. She made her way to the group of Gryffindors and watched as Snape walked into the building.
"If any of you know where Harry Potter is, speak now."
Nellie was glad she was hidden in the crowd because she starting shaking and biting her lip furiously. Would Snape harm her brother?
No one responded for a while, but as Snape opened his mouth to speak again, a figure burst out from the Gryffindors.
Everyone gasped as the figure identified itself as Harry himself. Before Snape could open his mouth, Harry took his chance.
"How dare you stand where he stood," Harry growled. "Tell them how it happened that night. Tell them, how you looked him in the eye, a man who trusted you, and killed him," Harry shouted with remorse.
Nellie felt a tear stroll down her eyes as she looked at the lost expression on Snape's face. Something about his expression made Nellie feel like the thought was very upsetting to him.
Before anyone could say anything, Nellie and the others could hear loud shrieks coming from a couple of the first years, grabbing their ears and covering them.
"Bring me Harry Potter, and I will let you all live," a voice called with a chill to his tone.
"Voldemort," Nellie whispered.
A girl from Slytherin, Pansy Parkinson to be exact, left the group of Slytherins and pointed.
"Well?" She called out. "He's right there! Somebody grab him!"
Nellie felt herself receive a headache, but she watched as the Slytherin house was escorted out of the Great Hall.
Within moments, the Hall was full once more, as Nellie observed the entrance of many adults that she wasn't too familiar with. The room bustled with energy as people burst into conversation, worry in the eye of everyone. Nellie looked towards were Snape had stood. She knew he had left, with the broken glass as a reminder, but to where?
The crowd spread out, and with nothing to do, Nellie took her personal leave. She watched the adults send protective charms about the castle. Walking about the walkways, trying to find someway to help, Nellie found herself being shoved aside. Running past her were Draco, Crabbe and Goyle.
With nothing else to do still, Nellie followed them.
"So what are we doing again?" Crabbe asked, panting.
"You fool," Goyle growled. "We're turning in Harry to Voldemort."
Nellie stopped running. Draco, who had saved the trio back at Christmas, was now turning them in? But why?
Trying to keep up, she found the three disappearing into the Room of Requirement, whose door disappeared right as she was going to step in, slamming her face into the wall. Sighing, Nellie stood back patiently.
Turning back, she looked out the window. What normally looked as the breathtaking view of Hogwarts was still breathtaking, but in different ways. Trees were pulled from their roots tossed aside. Fires blazed from the once proudly standing quidditch field. Crowds of death eaters piled around the school. Nellie looked closely, trying to find Snape within the crowd, with no luck.
Still intently focused on the death eaters, Nellie gasped when she heard the door to the requirement room burst open, and a group of people ran out. Harry, Ron, Hermione, Draco, and Goyle, to be precise.
Nellie watched as all but Draco ran off. She took her chance.
"Draco, what were you thinking?" She asked with anger in her voice.
"What?"
"You saved them back at Christmas from Voldemort, and now you were trying to turn them in? Why?"
"Nellie, you wouldn't understand."
"I do understand. That's my brother."
"So? It's not like he's been nice to you in the last few years," Draco laughed. "You didn't even know he was your brother."
"I willing to let it go, if it means for once I have a true family member. Not some coward who turns people into Voldemort to save themselves."
"Nellie, he'd kill my parents!"
Last year, Nellie had seen this as reason to understand Draco, and feel sorry for him, but now she was too enraged to repeat the feeling.
"The risk of him doing that to them never stopped them from becoming death eaters. Or are they cowards like you?"
Not giving Draco a chance to respond, Nellie ran off, hearing the panic and shrieks from the floor below her.
Running outside, she noticed the war had most certainly begun. Nellie dodged any attacks flown her way as she ran about, looking for Snape. She didn't know why, but she was worried for him.
Turning near the lake, Nellie noticed a snake slithering off towards the boat shack.
Nagini?
Nellie followed after, and although she ran, she felt far behind the snake. When at last she approached the shack, she stood before the door, ready to put her ear to it, when she saw three figures coming her way.
"Nellie! What are you doing here?" Hermione asked, confusedly.
"I think Voldemort is in there," Nellie replied with worry. As all four put their ears to the door, Nellie felt her stomach turn.
"Nagini, kill."
Nellie was certain the voice was Voldemort's. She hid as Voldemort left, then burst into the boat shack.
"NO!" Nellie screamed, seeing the almost lifeless face of Snape, lying on the ground.
A tear like figure fell from his eye, and as the instant he saw it Harry asked for a vial then "collected" the 'tear'.
Within time, Harry, Ron, and Hermione left, and Nellie was left alone with her guardian, slowly dying.
"Snape…" Nellie whispered, tears forming in her eyes.
"Make sure you watch that memory when your brother does," Snape murmured.
"Dad…"
"Nellie…" Snape whispered, closing his eyes.
"No, don't die!"
Snape didn't respond. Nellie burst into tears, flowing down her cheeks.
Minutes had past, and neither had moved (although Snape couldn't if he wanted to). When at last Nellie wiped the tears, she looked deeply at the face of her guardian.
"I didn't like what you did," she croaked miserably, "but that doesn't mean you deserved this. You did the best for me, and I treated you wrongly. I'm so sorry, Dad."
Nellie wanted to sit there longer, but she knew she ought not to. Sighing, she brought herself up, and left the boat shack.
It had been a long time since Voldemort had issued the call for Harry Potter. Nellie assumed if her brother had gone to him, he would be there by now. Worrying for her only family member left, Nellie ran off to the ForbiddenForest.
Nellie hadn't been in the Forest before, so she shivered the moment she entered. For the most part, though, she walked with little care aside from the death of Severus Snape.
As Nellie was about to take another step, the sound of a familiar voice made her freeze in her steps.
"Harry Potter," Voldemort said softly, "come to die?"
Voldemort stood up, readying his wand.
Nellie shook her head. She had already witness one lost life, she wasn't ready to lose her brother too. Letting her heart take the lead, she leaped forward in front of Harry, to the surprise of everyone in eyesight.
"Nellie?" Harry asked. "What are you doing here?"
"A good question. What are you doing here, failure?" Voldemort smirked.
Nellie flinched, but regained herself. "You aren't going through with this. You took away Snape from me, and that was terrible enough. But you aren't going to hurt my brother."
And with that, I leave you in some more suspense!
If you liked it, leave a review! We are nearing the end, and I'd like to know what you thought of the story!
Myraah out.