A/N: A couple of you wondered about Voldemort visiting Snape at Hogwarts in the last chapter. This is actually canon (it's the night Voldybutt steals the Elder Wand from Dumbledore's tomb). I did my best to stay loyal to canon as we see it in DH. I don't consider this fic AU; from Harry's perspective, which is what we see in the books, nothing would change (though epilogue ignored, obviously). Something to keep in mind as we continue forward viewing some canon scenes the next couple chapters. Of course, anything you recognize belongs to JKR.
Thanks as always to my beta AdelaideArcher, and to all of you, my readers, for your support.
Chapter 22: The End is the Beginning is the End
Six weeks quickly turned into five, and five into three, and before long it was April 30, and tomorrow the battle would begin. Despite the fact that we had spent the the intervening weeks planning, I could not sleep that night.
I clung to Severus's side in bed like a drowning man holds a life preserver, a pit of worry gnawing at my stomach.
What if this doesn't work? What if this is the last time we ever sleep together? The last time I touch his warm skin?
Severus too, for his part, seemed as wide awake as I was.
"You should sleep, goddess," he whispered softly while stroking my hair.
"You aren't sleeping either," I mumbled.
"I'm afraid the possibility of this being my last night with you has me feeling rather wide awake," he said. "But you should sleep."
"I told you Severus, if you go my heart goes with you. This is as much my last night as yours," I said defensively, tears welling behind my eyes. I pushed them away, not wanting to turn into a sobbing mess on what might very well be our last night together.
"Don't say that, Hermione. Promise me if this doesn't work, you'll continue on, find someone else, and be happy," said Severus, a hint of desperation in his voice.
"I can't, Severus," I said, a single tear escaping and running against his chest. "I won't live without you. I won't."
Severus lifted my chin with his fingers, and he looked at me intently.
"You will," he said firmly. "Promise me, Hermione."
My lower lip quivering, I nodded, praying my promise was not needed. Severus dropped my chin, kissed my forehead, and gathered me in his arms.
"Oh, Severus, tell me this will work," I cried.
"It's going to work," he said firmly. "Now go to sleep love. You're not going to get any tomorrow night."
"Don't let me go."
"I won't."
"I love you, Severus."
"I love you too."
Eventually, I drifted off to sleep as we clung to each other beneath the blankets.
When I awoke Severus was gone. I was shocked that he'd managed to crawl out of bed without waking me, but then we'd stayed up so late last night, talking about what might be—or not be—in the next 24 hours. The tears that I wouldn't allow myself to cry before sleep came quickly, and I sobbed into his pillow, clutching it into folds, breathing in his musky scent with each gasping inhalation.
He's not gone yet. Get up, Hermione. You're useless to him this way. Get prepared. You're going to save him. You must.
Scrubbing at my face, I pulled myself from our bed, putting on my pyjamas and then padding out into the sitting room. I'd apparently slept in, as my breakfast was cold, a slip of parchment sitting next to my pumpkin juice.
With a shaking hand I picked it up.
I am sorry to leave you this morning, my love, but I must keep up the pretence of normality. I will see you before day's end, I promise.
SS
Day's end, I thought. Will tonight be the end or the beginning?
I put the letter aside and reheated my breakfast with a Warming Charm, chewing on a piece of toast while I ran through what I needed for tonight. The list was short: Invisibility Cloak, beaded bag, a selection of potions, and the portrait of Phineas Nigellus Black. I had my bag packed and the cloak folded next to it in less than 30 minutes. The rest of the contents of the beaded bag were left in a disorganised pile in the bottom of the wardrobe.
"Right," I said with a sigh, my hands on my hips as I stared at the little beaded bag and the cloak on the coffee table. "So I'm ready then."
Now I wait.
I sat down with a book, not really interested in reading but wanting to distract myself from whatever was happening out there. Harry, Ron, and I would have escaped from Gringott's by now, flying north on the dragon. From what I remembered, nothing would happen until sunset. That's when Voldemort would find out we'd taken his Horcrux, and we'd go to Hogsmeade.
So I just need to waste eight hours. Right. No problem.
Not sure what else to do, I stuck to my routine, reading, exercising, and practicing spells to pass the time. I was on the couch when Severus returned from dinner and I heard his footsteps from below.
My heart thrummed in my chest, book forgotten on the floor, and I perched on my knees, my palms against the armrest as I leaned towards the door expectantly.
His face looked sour when he came into the room, and I gave him a wan smile.
"Hi," I said softly, to which he nodded. He strode over and sat down next to me with an exhausted thud.
"How was your day?" I asked, not sure what else to say. 'Ready to fake your own death later?' didn't seem like the question to greet him with.
Severus sighed, his face completely void of emotion, but he stuck an arm around my waist and pulled me close to him. I kissed his cheek.
"You have everything you need?" he asked.
"On the table there," I said, motioning with my chin.
"How long do we have?"
"Until sunset. So an hour or two." I knew he must be nervous to be confirming this; we'd discussed it at length over the past six weeks: the timing of everything, how I would get to the Shrieking Shack, what we would do afterwards. We both knew every detail.
"And then Potter and you…"
"We'll come," I said, finishing his thought. "And I'll be waiting for you after, I promise."
Severus shook his head as if banishing an unwanted thought, his hair waving across his cheeks.
"Then we should act normally until the time comes," he said, waving his wand and summoning our tea set.
"You're ready?" I asked. With a sneer, Severus stuck out his tongue, glass pill balanced on the tip.
"Right," I said, straightening. "I'll get our tea then."
We settled down to reading, and though I was not a Legilimens, I had a feeling neither of us took in a word. I pressed myself into Severus's side, book balanced in my lap, concentrating instead on the warmth that radiated from his body, the strength in his narrow form. Every so often I would glance up to the window, judging the brightness of the sky. The window faced east, and soon it was twilight.
It was dark when there was a pop in the room, and a house elf appeared before us. Severus rose instantly beside me, his wand drawn at the quivering beast with its large, globe-like eyes, while I sat frozen, unsure what to do. Elves did not normally appear in the room unless Severus called for one, and Severus certainly did not normally draw his wand on them.
"Headmaster S-Snape," squeaked the elf. "I has a message, sirs."
"Who is your master, elf?" hissed Severus.
"The House of Malfoy, sirs," he said, bowing so low his long nose nearly touched the ground. My eyes went wide, and Severus flicked his gaze towards me momentarily before turning back to the elf.
"This is my guest, Miss Parkinson," he said carefully, gesturing towards me with his free hand. "Now, the message."
"Yes, sirs. The D-Dark Lord says that P-Potter is to come tonight to Hogwarts, sirs, and that Headmaster S-Snape is to guard Ravenclaw Tower."
So he did warn Severus we were coming, I thought.
"Why Ravenclaw Tower?"
"I do not knows, sirs."
"Very well," said Severus darkly. "Tell the Dark Lord it will be done."
The elf bowed low once more and then disappeared with another pop. The moment he was gone, Severus turned to me, pinching the crease between his eyes.
"Let us hope no one thinks to ask if I had a guest, or if they do, what Miss Parkinson looks like," he said finally, releasing his hand and looking up at me. "What's in Ravenclaw Tower?"
"Nothing," I said. It was the truth: the Horcrux wasn't there; it was in the Room of Requirement.
"The Dark Lord would not have me guard nothing," said Severus smoothly. "Nor would Potter come for nothing."
"There is something in the castle," I admitted. "I'm sorry, Severus, I promised I wouldn't tell you."
"Even now?"
"I promised, Severus. I don't know if it will change anything," I said anxiously. "Please, let's not fight now. I promise I will tell you as soon as we return."
Severus frowned, his nostrils flaring angrily, and then he sighed.
"Very well," he said, pocketing his wand. "I'm afraid I must go."
"Okay," I said quietly, and attempted to swallow the lump that had formed in my throat.
Severus turned to leave, and then paused by the door. In a swirl of robes, he strode back to me, put his hand in my hair, and kissed me hard on the mouth, leaving me breathless.
"I love you," he said quietly. "Be safe."
"I love you too," I said. "I'll see you in the shack."
Severus gave a curt nod, and strode from the room, no doubt to find the Carrows.
As soon as Severus was gone, I threw on the Invisibility Cloak, pocketed my beaded bag full of supplies, and headed out the door behind him. We'd decided that as soon as Severus left, I would too in order to give me the best chance to travel undetected.
The castle was quiet as I slipped past the gargoyle at the entrance to Severus's office, the battle not yet begun and students tucked into their common rooms for what they believed to be another average night.
Except for a close run-in with Mrs. Norris, I saw no one on my way out of the castle. I quickly made my way across the grounds towards the Whomping Willow and slipped into the secret passage that would take me to the shack.
Were we in Hogsmeade yet? Would I hear the Caterwauling Charm from the Shrieking Shack?
Pushing the thoughts of outside from my mind, I moved down the long, narrow passage as quickly as possible, finally emerging into the dirty, ramshackle room at the end, with its peeling grey wallpaper and boarded windows.
The room was dark and I lit my wand. I knew that Voldemort would try to kill Severus in this room, but where was I to hide? There was no furniture in the room except a single small table near one wall and a stack of crates in the corner nearest the tunnel.
I supposed the crates would have to do. I took off the cloak and began moving the wooden boxes, placing one in front of the tunnel entrance where I knew it Harry would need it to hide behind, and hoping it would keep Voldemort or anyone else from discovering my hiding place behind the others.
It didn't take long to create a semicircle of crates in the corner, leaving space behind them for me to hide and a small gap between two of them so I could see most of the room. Putting the cloak back over me, I put out my wand light and settled down to wait.
I never did hear the Caterwauling Charm from Hogsmeade, but it couldn't have been an hour before there was a splintering crack and the window across from me was blown inwards, a green and silver swirling mass coming through behind it.
I had to bite my tongue to stop myself from screaming as Lord Voldemort formed in front of me along with his snake, encased in a silvery bubble of protection. It was only the second time I'd seen him in the flesh, and never so close as this, and the view was frightening: he stood tall, as snakelike as Harry had described him to me, his red slitted eyes glowing in the darkened room.
An oil lamp that hung from the far wall sputtered to life, filling the room with an orange glow, which only made Voldemort's skin seem more pallid and scaly.
His eyes flicked to his snake momentarily, and then he conjured a green leather armchair behind the table and sat down. A few moments later a black shape flew in through the open window to Voldemort's left, and once again I had to bite my tongue as the man I loved appeared in front of me.
Oh, Severus. Please be careful.
"My Lord," he said, going to his knees, his lank hair falling in front of his face.
"Why have you abandoned your post, Severus?" asked Voldemort in a high, clear voice.
"My Lord, you were correct. Potter has come," he said, his face expressionless, and I marvelled at his self-control. "The teachers and students are building their defences. I apologise, my Lord. I was unable to apprehend the boy before being driven off."
"No matter," said Voldemort, his voice cold. "The Carrows?"
"Captured, my Lord, or dead," he said.
Voldemort gave no impression what he thought about this, only waving his hand for Severus to rise, which he did, his hair still blocking his profile from my view.
"Tell my Death Eaters to strike at midnight if they do not hear from me further, but to go to the forest if I call them again. You may fight with them for now," said Voldemort.
"As you command, my Lord," said Severus, who began to turn away.
"Severus," said Voldemort, interrupting his escape.
"Yes, my Lord?"
"Tell Lucius to come to me," he said.
"My Lord," Severus said with a nod of his head, and then he was gone in a swirl of black robes, flying through the window into the night.
Be safe, my love.
"It is time, Nagini, for us to make our first strike," said Voldemort. With a flick of the Elder Wand towards his throat, he began to speak, and I could hear his voice echoing beyond the shack, knew it was being heard inside Hogwarts as clear as if he had been standing in the Great Hall.
"I know that you are preparing to fight," he said. "Your efforts are futile. You cannot fight me. I do not want to kill you. I have great respect for the teachers of Hogwarts. I do not want to spill magical blood. Give me Harry Potter and none shall be harmed. Give me Harry Potter, and I shall leave the school untouched. Give me Harry Potter, and you will be rewarded. You have until midnight."
He flicked his wand at his throat once more and rose from his seat.
"The fools will fight," he said towards his snake, who hissed from within her bubble. "They will fight and they will fall."
Voldemort began to pace, his cloak trailing behind him on the floor like the tail of a serpent.
He twirled the wand in his long, pale fingers, so much like Severus's, and yet so different. Severus's hands were beautiful: elegant and dextrous, with calloused fingertips. Voldemort's hands were like that of a skeleton wrapped in pale, silvery skin, every knobbly joint visible beneath his translucent flesh.
I heard a loud bang from far away, and knew the battle must have begun. There would be Death Eaters, giants, and Inferi, all storming the castle, shaking it to its core. My fellow students and teachers, the Order, and the DA would be fighting, some of them dying, and somewhere inside were Harry, Ron, and Severus, the three people I loved the most in the world.
As the battle raged on without me, I could see orange flames appear through the window in the distance. All I could do was say a small, silent prayer from my place behind the crates as Voldemort continued to pace in front of me.
A loud crack signalled the arrival of Lucius Malfoy, and I knew instantly when he landed that he had been tortured some time before: his blue robes were slashed and splotched with stains of dried blood and dirt, his face was covered in bruises, and one eye was black and puffy. His once silken hair was dry and unkempt, and the single grey eye I could see was flickering with terror.
"Why did you not come immediately when I called, Lucius?" asked Voldemort. His voice was clear and even, but something told me he was angry.
"M—my Lord, I apologise. I was searching for my s—son," stammered Lucius, his eyes pointed downwards. He fell to his hands and knees, bowing in front of his master.
Voldemort flicked his wand and Lucius was sent sliding with a thud into the corner of the room opposite me, where the light from the lamp barely touched, shrouding him in shadow. Lucius made a soft groan as he hit the wall, and remained in a heap, his limbs splayed outwards, either unwilling or unable to move.
"You disappoint me again, Lucius," said Voldemort. "I thought we discussed this already."
"Y—yes, my Lord. We—we d—did, my Lord," said Lucius, his voice hoarse and shaking. Even with one eye swollen closed he looked terrified.
"And how is Draco, Lucius?" asked Voldemort.
"I—I do not know, my Lord," said Lucius in a whisper, "But he—he is in the castle, I am sure of it. If I could go find him—"
"—You will stay until I say otherwise," said Voldemort with an air of finality, and Lucius nodded dumbly, shrinking back into the darkened corner.
Voldemort began pacing the room once more, still rolling the wand between his fingers. He looked as if he was considering something very hard, his eyes never leaving the pale wooden rod.
He's deciding what to do about Elder Wand, I thought, and Severus…
"My Lord," said Lucius after some time. I was surprised he dared to speak at all. "My Lord… please… my son…"
"If your son is dead, Lucius, it is not my fault," said Voldemort, stopping and looking at the man. "He did not come and join me, like the rest of the Slytherins. Perhaps he has decided to befriend Harry Potter?"
"No—never," whispered Malfoy.
"You must hope not."
"Aren't—aren't you afraid, my Lord, that Potter might die at another hand but yours?" asked Malfoy nervously. "Wouldn't it be… forgive me… more prudent to call off this battle, enter the castle, and see him y—yourself?"
"Do not pretend, Lucius. You wish the battle to cease so that you can discover what has happened to your son. And I do not need to seek Potter. Before the night is out, Potter will have come to find me."
Voldemort's gaze returned once more to the wand. "Go and fetch Snape," he said.
"Snape, m—my Lord?"
"Snape. Now. I need him. There is a… service… I require from him. Go."
Lucius rose ungracefully to his feet, stumbling forwards, and then Disapparated with a crack.
"It is the only way, Nagini," whispered Voldemort, returning to his chair.
He's decided, I thought from my hiding place behind the crates. This is it.
I would see Severus again very soon, and we would find out the answer to the questions that had plagued us for the last several weeks: would our plan work? Would Severus live or die?