Change The Fate: The Fallen Angel Arise

By TheUndefeatable

Disclaimer: Sadly, any character who you know, before reading my story, are not mine!

Rate: Rated T just to be safe
Summary: There is always a light in the middle of darkness, you just must be brave enough to see it and to embrace it! Then, you will see that you don't need to take the burden all by yourself; you see that you are not alone. A sequel to 'Face The World Alone: Tale Of A Fallen Angel'
Warning: Mention of child abuse and attempt suicide, some violence and bloodshed in later chapters, but not any thing explicit! Don't like it, don't read it!
A/N: Hi everyone! This is a rather fast update, since I wrote most of it in holidays! Let me know what you think.

Edited May 2019.

Dumbledore after helping Severus with his pajama bottoms, sat in a chair beside his bed. Both of them remained silent with Severus being too overwhelmed to speak and Dumbeldore not knowing how to comfort him.

Chapter 10: The New Beginning

By the time Pomfrey returned it was near lunch. She explained that based on the evidence a hearing would be held after the suicide case was closed. One look at Severus was enough to make her worry about Severus especially when she noticed the disturbed look in his eyes.

She crouched beside his bed and put a hand on his shoulder. Severus flinched at her touch, but she disregarded it and asked, "Severus, are you alright?"

It took Severus a few moments to answer and then he said in a small voice. "I want to take a bath."

The adults exchanged angry looks. It was not lost on them why Severus wanted a bath. Though Poppy had to admit that after what Severus went through for the last three months, a bath was needed. After all, cleaning and freshening charms could only go so far.

She tried to control her emotions lest Severus think she was angry with him. When she felt calm enough again she said with a small smile, "Of course after we move you to your room Albus can help you to take a bath. However, we need to be careful about the casts on your hands and feet. Tomorrow, I can give you the Skele-Gro potion so that we can get rid of these casts. How will that be?"

Severus didn't answer as he had stopped listening after hearing the first part. During the examination though nothing had happened, he couldn't help but feel dirty. That's why he brought up the subject of taking a bath, but after he heard that Dumbledore was going to help him he felt conflicted. He was so overcome with what had happened during the examination that he forgot momentarily the state he was in. After Pomfrey said Dumbledore will help him, he felt stupid, bringing up taking a bath without thinking about the implications. Of course, he needed help. Now by talking without thinking he had to go through the humiliation of Dumbledore helping him take a bath.

He might have willingly given the headmaster his guardianship and he was grateful for what he had done during the examination, but this ...this was something else. It needed a certain level of trust in the headmaster, which Severus didn't feel. This was something that Severus was not prepared to do. Everything was going too fast for him to really digest. In the last few days, sometimes he felt like he was watching the events from an outsider's view. One moment he was there, feeling completely logical considering options, analyzing situations, and making decisions. It was like it was not something that would affect him. Then the moment would pass and he felt hypersensitive to reality and the hell that was his life. It was like a bucket of cold water over his head. During the examination his feeling were distant. He felt them, but they were dulled. It was like he only truly realized what has transpired after the examination was over.

And now this new intimacy with which Dumbledore behaved around him….it overwhelmed him. It was hard enough for Severus to accept to be completely dependent on someone. But for that person to be Dumbledore, the man who didn't care about his life the past five years and the man who now acted like Severus was one of his favorite Gryffindors', it was even harder for Severus to digest or to accept. And everything was going too fast for him to comprehend the depth of events. He was not ready for this. So, he opened his mouth to tell the matron that he had changed his mind that he didn't want a bath, because he couldn't go through with it. But he couldn't. He couldn't bring himself to actually deny wanting a bath. He certainly didn't want to go though with taking a bath with Dumbledore 'helping him', but he couldn't forget the look the ministry employee has given him either. He felt like dirt was crawling under his skin like a worm. A hand on his shoulder startled him and made the hand leave, but it was enough to bring him out of his conflicted thoughts. Apparently, he had been thinking for some time, because when he looked around he found the stretcher by his bed and it looked as if everything was ready to move him. He then noticed that Dumbledore was talking and focused on the words coming out of the headmaster's mouth.

"….for moving, since it is the lunch time and almost everyone is in Great Hall."

When he noticed they were waiting for a response from him, he nodded once. After moving him to the stretcher with a Mobilicorpus, they started moving through the empty corridors of the castle towards the headmaster's office. Severus didn't notice his environment as he was too occupied dreading what was coming. He only came back to reality when he was moved from the stretcher to a bed.

Pomfrey left after reminding Dumbledore about important things he needs to consider and giving some healing potion which should be added to the bath water. Dumbledore left him alone for a minute to prepare the bath. Too soon – in Severus' opinion – the moment arrived for the bath. After taking off his pajamas, Dumbledore moved him using the stretcher and levitated him into the bathtub. The water was warm and relaxing. The potions in the water soothed his aching body, but Severus could not relax completely. It was good to feel clean after a few months of living at Spinner's End. Yet Severus couldn't enjoy it as the feeling of humiliation overpowered it. To give the headmaster credit, he was very professional about the whole affair, but by that time Severus was falling apart at the seams. He knew the last thing he needed right now was to humiliate himself further by breaking down in front of Dumbledore. So instead of relaxing, Severus put all his energy to keep himself together for the duration of his bath.

After the bath, Dumbledore dried him with towels – Madam Pomfrey's orders were to not use magic on him if it could be done without it. He redressed Severus in the pajamas and put him in bed. After covering him with a blanket, Dumbledore stood there for a moment unsure of what to say or do. He then patted Severus on his shoulder gently and left with a, "Sleep well."

The door was almost closed behind him when Severus couldn't stop the first sob from making its way out. He immediately held his breath to see whether Dumbledore had heard him or not, but when the old man didn't come back, Severus presumed he had not heard – 'or he didn't care' said a voice in his head. Only then Severus stopped suppressing his emotions and sobs started to wrack his body. Tears flowed from his eyes down the side of his face and into his hair. He wasn't even strong enough to brush them away. It made him cry even harder. For life after his return was supposed to be easier not harder. His dignity was the last thing he had left and after the events of last term even that hadn't remained unscathed. So Severus cried and cried; for things he had lost, for things that he didn't have in the first place, and for the future which would be very bleak if the past few days were any indication.

Outside of Severus' door, Dumbledore stood not knowing what to do. He wanted to comfort Severus as he could see how upset he was. However, as in the Hospital Wing, he didn't know what to say or what to do. Especially now. He knew that he was part of the reason Severus was crying right now. It was true that in the end Severus gave him his guardianship, but Severus' condition for doing so showed his opinion of Dumbledore clearly. Also, the fact that Severus waited until he left the room before starting to cry, showed how Severus didn't want him there. The boy was very private and Dumbledore knew that he was the worst person that could go in and try to comfort him. So with a sigh, he went back to his office and sat down behind his desk. He tried to convince himself that he did the right thing; that his action was logical; that Severus didn't want him to be there. However, he could not help feeling uneasy about leaving Severus like that.

A knock at the door to his office, distracted him from thoughts of Severus. After permission, Minerva entered the office.

"Poppy told me about what happened and I came to see how Severus was doing. Is he awake?"

The uneasy feeling returned and Dumbledore tried to smother it pretending everything was normal.

"I gave him a bath and then I left him to rest."

Minerva nodded and wanted to ask more, but she paused when she noticed the tightness around Albus' mouth. If it was anyone else, they wouldn't have noticed such a small change in Albus' expression, but after working with him for so long, as his deputy, she did notice. Albus was someone who didn't usually show his emotions, so Minerva had learned to rely on noticing small signs in his facial expression or body language in hopes of getting an idea what was going on in his head. It was why the tightness around mouth made her pause. It was obvious that something was not right, but she won't get anything out of Albus if his answer just now was any indication.

So instead she moved toward the doorway connecting his office to his quarters and said, "I'm going to check on him then."

"Don't," Albus said.

Minerva raised an eyebrow at him in answer and when Albus didn't elaborate she asked, "Why?"

Albus looked uneasy for a moment before he said, "Because he is crying."

"Then why are you not in there comforting him?" Minerva demanded.

"Because he doesn't want me there." Minerva raised both eyebrows in answer which made Albus sigh.

"Minerva, he wouldn't even look at me all the while we were in the Hospital Wing waiting for Poppy to come back and also while I was giving him a bath. He waited before I was out of his room before he started to cry. Not that I blame him. I do not think he will come to trust me anytime soon. We need to give him time. Also, he is a very private boy and you know how boys are. They don't want to seem weak and I don't want to embarrass him by going there when he doesn't want me to see him crying."

"Albus, he is a boy who was abused his whole life! He lost his mother and only friend both recently. He is a boy who hasn't had time to grieve, considering he was being tortured by his father. A boy whose privacy was invaded today by a lecherous man. A boy who had to give his guardianship to a man he doesn't trust. The same man who previously showed him he doesn't care. The same man who he now he depends on for every basic need. It is natural that he is upset. It is normal that he doesn't want you there. But this trust issue is something you need to take care of now or there never will be a time when he trusts you."

"I know Minerva, but –"

Minerva cut him off. "No, buts! Albus Percival Wolfric Brian Dumbledore, go in there and do something right now!"

It was rare that Minerva called him by his full name so he knew that she was serious. That combined with the uneasy feeling in his stomach made him to get up and go into Severus' room without protest or delay.

He knocked gently, but when he got no answer, he opened door quietly and peeked inside. Severus was still crying, although instead of sobbing loudly now, he was crying quietly. Dumbledore stood there for few moments contemplating how to approach the upset teenager. Unbidden, a memory rose in his mind of a time long forgotten. It was a memory of his mother comforting Aberforth. It was sometime before– Dumbledore quickly stopped that line of thinking and instead focused on his memory of his mother. Instantly the feeling of jealousy filled his mind. It was in his teenage years that he came to realize he and Aberforth were too different. They saw things differently. He always thought he was in the right and Aberforth was in the wrong. He thought about the times in the future when Aberforth came to understand how wrong he was. However, even at that time he couldn't help but being jealous of his brother. Of the deep bond that Aberforth shared with their mother, their father ...and with Ariana; especially with Ariana. He was jealous that how close they were and how she looked at him with admiration. Albus would have done anything to make her look at him like that even changing the world. And after her accident he was ready to do that. Only years later he came to understand his own folly. An understanding which came at a heavy cost.

'It is not the time for past regrets.' He thought to himself. To stop that line of thinking he first cleared his mind and then he brought the memory to the front of his mind. This time he was ready and quenched the feeling of jealousy immediately and instead focused on his mother's approach and behavior with the eyes of an outsider. He then recalled several similar experience and analyzed them. Coming up with a plan he slowly made his way toward Severus' bed.

It was clear Severus was still caught up in his mind for he didn't react in any way to Dumbledore's approach. Dumbledore sat on the bed, leaning back against the headboard. Severus did notice the sinking of the bed for his breath hitched and his eyes jumped to Dumbledore. His eyes widened and then he held his breath as if waiting for something.

Dumbeldore bent sideway and gently gathered Severus in his arms – ignoring the flinch – and positioned him in his lap in a way that Severus' head was on his left shoulder. Severus held his neck stiffly. The rest of his body was almost limp. When Dumbledore didn't get any further reaction from Severus, he slowly hugged the teenager with one hand moving in comforting circles on his back and his other hand caressing his hair. "It is OK to be weak sometimes and to need help especially for you who were strong for too long."

There was a moment of silence before a sob escaped Severus' mouth and he started crying anew. The sound was muffled as Severus was crying into Dumbledore's robe. It was like Dumbledore's words had broken a dam somewhere inside of Severus for he was sobbing even harder than before. The sobs were so strong that they shook his body. While trying to comfort Severus, Dumbledore felt one of Severus' hands gripping the front of his robe. Thinking that crying for too long was not good for Severus, Dumbledore doubled his efforts to calm the injured boy. He started murmuring to Severus that everything was going to be fine repeatedly.

He saw a movement from corner of his eye and turned his head to the door . He found Minerva standing in the doorway with a satisfied gleam in her eyes. He nodded at her in acknowledgment. She nodded back and turned to leave, closing the door behind her.

~~oOo~~

Severus didn't know how much time passed since Dumbledore gave him a bath and left him on his bed. He just cried and cried. He couldn't stop it. It was like all events in his life has accumulated to this point and now Severus couldn't stop until he was releasing every suppressed emotions in regard to those events. He was so deep in his feeling of misery that he didn't notice he wasn't alone until he felt the corner of the bed sink. He turned his head and saw with his blurry eyes that it was Dumbledore of all people. His eyes widened and he held his breath, knowing for sure that Dumbledore was going to comment about how pathetic he was. Imagine his shock when the next action of the headmaster was to pick him up gently from the bed and hold him to his chest. He stiffened at the touch – well, only his neck – and his breath hitched.

It was a strange feeling. Part of him was analyzing the headmaster's motive for such an action, while another part of him was enjoying the hug. Severus mostly hated physical touch. It was because the only reason people usually wanted to touch him was to hurt him. The only people he trusted to touch him were his mother who he knew loved him unreservedly and Lily, who other than taking his hands when they were kids, rarely touched him. He didn't trust Dumbledore and had it been a year ago he would have been protesting to be let go. But it was not a year ago. Now, after spending three months with his father without any human contact now he craved it. He knew it was pathetic and that this was going to hurt him in the end, but he couldn't stop wanting it especially after he felt how gently Dumbledore had picked him up and held him close. So despite his better judgment, Severus tried his best to cry quietly and to stay still because he didn't want it to end. It was more than a year since anyone had held him like that. The last time it was his mother, but now she was dead. It felt good to be held, but somewhere in his heart Severus came to the conclusion that it was a dream. It must be. Most probably he had cried himself to sleep for there was no other explanation for Dumbledore's behavior. Dumbledor wouldn't ever touch a greasy Slytherin. No one ever had except his mother.

Dumbledore changed his position and now his face was buried in Dumbeldore's shoulder and the headmaster was caressing his back and his hair. It felt nice. His mother had always held him the same way with his head on her shoulder. When he thought nothing could surprise him more he heard the words that the headmaster was saying. His mother had once said something similar to him that he was strong, but besides her no one ever believed him to be strong. So when he heard the words from Dumbledore's lips it was like a dam broke inside of him and all the hurt poured out of him. He couldn't hold it back anymore. So he cried and cried. Somewhere in his mind he registered the fact that he had gripped the front of Dumbledore's robe like a child would. If it was any other time, he would have been horrified to know that he had done that and was crying like the weakling his father always called him. But at that moment he didn't care so he let go of all control and just cried.

~~oOo~~

Dumbledore continued to comfort his charge as he cried. It was about ten minutes later that Dumbledore felt Severus' sniffing stop as he fell into an exhausted sleep. When he was sure Severus was sleep, Dumbeldore tried to move the teen, only to feel the grip on his robe tightening slightly. A low grunt accompanied it, clearly showing the teenager's discontent at being moved. 'It is like his unconscious mind is seeking what he wanted, but was deprived of; a caring father figure,' Dumbledore thought with a small smile. He was sure if Severus were awake he would have been mortified about his behavior in his sleep. But he wasn't and he would never know if Dumbledore had anything to say about it. Not wanting to risk waking Severus, Dumbledore moved so he could sit more comfortably on the bed. He was sure that when Severus' sleep deepened his hand would become slack enough for Dumbledore to remove his robe from Severus' hand. So he decided to wait longer before trying to move Severus. He picked up the blanket on the bed and covered both of them with it. After all there was no need to feel uncomfortable while waiting.

~~oOo~~

The first thing Severus noticed upon waking up, was how warm and comfortable he was. The second thing he noticed was that his pillow was moving slowly and there was sound of strong beating close to his ear. His eyes opened and he came face to face with a yellow fabric with twinkling stars. 'My pillow looks exactly like Dumbeldore's robe,' Severus thought with amusement. Then everything clicked. IT WAS DUMBLEDORE'S ROBE! And with Dumbledore in it! It took one moment for Severus to remember everything, but when he did, he regretted remembering it. He then became aware that his hand was still gripping Dumbeldore's robe and he wanted to oblivitate himself immediately. No, he wanted to hide in a cave and never come back. No, he wanted to use a time turner, go back in time, and Avada Kedavra himself before he made such a fool out of himself. What would Dumbledore think of him now? Severus quickly let go of the robe and looked up to gauge the headmaster's reaction to this humiliating and childish behavior only to find the wizard sleep. His head was back against the headboard and his mouth was open.

He opened his mouth, thinking to wake the elder wizard then closed it again. He was not ready to face being scolded for his behavior. Also, though it was humiliating, this was one of the best rests he'd ever had because it was not induced by a potion and there was no nightmare. Severus contemplated what he should do before coming to the conclusion that there was no need to hurry facing the consequence of his actions. With a sigh he laid his head on Dumbledore's shoulder and went back to sleep.

~~oOo~~

The next time it was Dumbledore who woke up. He didn't intend to fall sleep, but the last two days, he didn't have time to catch enough sleep. His back and neck ached as his position was not suitable for sleeping especially for someone of his age. It was only times like this that he felt his real age. He looked down and saw his charge was still in deep sleep. The upside of it was that sometime while sleeping Severus had let go of his robe. Dumbledore slowly and gently moved the teenager so he was lying in bed and then he got up from bed. After covering Severus with blankets he went to bathroom to wash the sleep from his face.

After washing up, he cast a tempus and noticed it was 4:15pm. Apparently, they had slept for at least 3 hours straight. The next thing he noticed was that they both missed lunch. He didn't have any problem with missing a meal. After all, it was not the first time nor it would be the last time he missed a meal, but he knew that Severus could ill-afford to miss one, considering his condition. Not to mention that Poppy and Minerva will have his head if they were to hear about it. He immediately called a house elf and ordered some soup and a cup of water for Severus and a sandwich and some pumpkin juice for himself then he went to Severus' room to wake him up. By the time he had woken Severus up the elf had returned with their food.

When Severus woke up, he had a shamed and resigned look which confused Dumbledore. On a normal day, Dumbledore had problems understanding Severus. Now everything was even harder to figure out what was on the teenager's mind. He decided to buy himself some time in order to think about the reason behind how Severus was acting and how he should react. So he went back to bathroom and few minutes later returned with a damp towel which he used to clean Severus' face gently, washing any traces of tears and sleep from his face. In the end he decided to ignore the look completely and proceeded to help Severus eat. After a few spoonfuls, Severus declared that he was full and couldn't eat anymore. It was at that moment that Poppy knocked on the door to Severus' room and then entered.

One look at what was happening and she was angry. She marched to the bed and said angrily, "Albus, I told you it was important that Severus have his meals on time. What were you doing that was more important than that?"

With a chagrined guilty smile Dumbledore said. "We were both sleeping." At the raised eyebrow of the matron he shrugged and said, "I was more tired than I thought."

Severus was confused at how the adults were behaving. Yes, it was closer to dinner than lunch, but it was not like it was Severus' first time to not have a meal on time. There was no reason for Madam Pomfrey to be so angry, but what confused Severus the most was how Dumbledore was behaving. Severus put their interaction into a corner of his mind to think about later. In any case he was glad that the headmaster didn't elaborate on how they came to be sleeping.

Pomfrey sighed and said, "Just don't let it happen again. It is important that his body get used to regular meals at the right time. It helps with his internal clock and his healing."

Dumbledore nodded and asked. "Is it time for his potions?"

Pomfrey nodded and said. "Yes, and if his body is up to it, I want to give him the Skele-Gro." She set down the tray full of potions on the nightstand. She cast several diagnosis charm on Severus. The result was apparently satisfactory since, with a nod of approval, she uncorked the potions one after another. and she and Dumbledore helped Severus to drink them. Severus was glad that he didn't need help with swallowing any more.

Before giving him the Skele-Gro, Pomfrey explained to him that he shouldn't move while the potion was working so he'd better make himself comfortable and relax his muscles. Not that Severus had any difficulty as he could hardly move and his muscles were too weak for him to keep them tense for more than two seconds.

~~oOo~~

A week has gone since Lily saw Severus in Hospital Wing and had that talk with the headmaster. She suppressed the urge to visit him, telling herself that it won't help with her uncertainties. If anything it made her feel even more guilty. What kind of best friends was she that she didn't know what her friend was going through. She didn't visit Severus because she was afraid it would weaken her resolve to get more information from Severus. She didn't visit, but it didn't mean she could stop herself from thinking about him. A few of the professors had already noticed and talked to her about her not paying attention in their classes. They told her that the doors were always open should she want to talk. It didn't make her feel any better. If anything it made her feel worse because it suddenly occurred to her to wonder if they would have issued the same invitation had it been Severus in her place? Would they even noticed if Severus was upset? Did any one of them ever care what happened to Severus? She was sure that if it had been her missing classes the professors would have definitely asked after her. If it was her it wouldn't have taken a month for someone to notice that she hadn't come back to school.

She had convinced herself not to visit by using the same reasoning, but she couldn't wait anymore. She needed to know that Severus was alive at least and she needed to see it with her own eyes. She wanted to ask Madam Pomfrey about how he was doing. She promised herself that after Charms class, which was her last class for the day, she would go to the Hospital Wing. This knowledge made her even more distracted to the point that Flitwick had called her attention to lecture a few times and when it was time for them to perform the charm she barely managed to get it right by the end of class.

Professor Filtwick asked her to stay back and gave her a lecture on how he expected better from his star pupil and what with NEWTS next year she needed to put all of her focus on studying. After a half-hearted promise to work harder, Lily made her way to hospital wing. Once reaching there, she went to Severus' bed only to find the bed empty. Actually all of the beds were empty. Her eyes widened. She quickly made her way to the bed that she knew was Severus'. The bed was empty, everything was clean and orderly like all the other beds in the ward. It was like Severus had never occupied this bed. A lump formed in her throat. The bed was empty! The only explanation was that Severus was dead. 'But wouldn't someone had told you if that was the case?' a voice asked inside of her mind. 'No, why would they? After all, didn't you practically tell the headmaster that you didn't care whether he is alive or dead?'

She made her way toward the matron's office to ask about Severus only to find her office empty. Her heart sank. At the thought of Severus' death sank into her mind, tears gathered in her eyes. Memory after memory of Severus filled her mind and she felt a burning in her heart because of the the last words she'd said to him and for not making up before it was too late. She couldn't look at the empty beds in the hospital anymore so she ran away from it all.

Lily didn't notice the students that hurriedly got out of her way or the professors that looked alarmed at her tearful face. She just ran. Her feet took her to the ground beside the lake where, tired of running, she fell to the ground and cried her heart out. She cried for a boy with over-sized clothes, she cried for their friendship which had turned to dust, and she cried for lost opportunities. She cried until she had no more tears to shed. Only then she noticed that the sky was darkening. She picked up her bag and made her way to the Gryffindor Tower. Inside the common room she ignored the inquiries of her house mates who were alarmed at her tear-stained face and red puffy eyes and went up the stairs to the dormitory, not noticing the hazel eyes that followed her all the way up the stairs. Inside her room she ignored her friends, climbed into her bed, and shut the curtains. Soon she fell into an exhausted sleep and her last thought before sleep claimed her was that Severus was dead.

~~oOo~~

After casting some spells Madam Pomfrey declared all his bones were healed completely and removed the casts from his arms and legs. The process of healing bones was not fun. After taking the potion, Severus soon came to the understanding why Pomfrey told him repeatedly that he should not move. The problem with Skele-Gro was that it cannot be taken with any pain reliever or sleeping drought. So, one of the potions the Pomfrey gave him was to remove any trace of both. Even though Severus was exhausted he could not sleep because he was in a lot of pain and then to top it all off the moment he managed to doze off he would have a nightmare and wake up again. After one such event Madam Pomfrey said that she was worried that Severus would thrash around in his sleep so she suggested casting a full body-bind spell on him. While that spell brought up too many bad memories and Severus was not happy about not being able to move, he didn't protest. The last thing he wanted was to end up with a limp or a useless hand so he laid there for over two hours in pain and unable to move.

After that unpleasant experience he ate some pumpkin soup for dinner. Afterwards Pomfrey and the headmaster helped him to take several potions, the last of which was dreamless sleep, and soon Severus fell sleep thus missing the adults' exit and their conversation about his condition.

~~oOo~~

He knew what he was doing wouldn't help. It wouldn't change anything as it hadn't all the previous times. However, he couldn't stay away. There was a feeling in his gut that told him he needed to go to hospital wing. So here he was, walking to hospital wing in the middle of night with the Marauders' Map in his hand and his invisibility cloak covering him, going to see Snape, his archenemy.

Reaching the entrance he looked at the map one last time to make sure no one was around then he slowly opened the door and crept in. He slowly closed the door before turning toward Snape's bed only to be confronted with an open curtain and empty bed. A chill went down his spine, but he told himself that he is not seeing correctly. The ward was dark and he only could rely on the light of moon coming from the windows to see. So he moved towards the bed and standing at the foot he couldn't deny any longer that the bed was empty. The only reason for it that he could think was that Snape was dead. For a moment he felt relief for if there was no Snape anymore then he didn't need to think about what he should do. His confusion and conflict would be solved. The moment passed and guilt crashed down on him. How could he feel relief about someone's death even if it was Snape's. 'It was why Lily's eyes were red. She had been crying for Snape because no matter how much she denied it, she still cared for him,' he thought.

He thought about all the pranks he had played on Snape because he simply existed and about the times when he cursed the boy's existence. 'Now that Severus Snape is dead you should feel happy, shouldn't you?' He silenced the treacherous voice. It wasn't something he wanted to think about, but his mind in its merciless assault brought up all the memories when he had picked on Snape for no special reason. The guilt was so strong that he felt he was getting crushed under it. He took two steps forward and sat down on the side of the bed. His mind full of thoughts about Snape and about himself.

A sound of a crash in the corridor outside of hospital brought him out of his thoughts. A look at the map showed it was Peeves, but it was no matter. He knew that even if anybody came into hospital they would not see him as he was still under his cloak. He knew he would never get caught as long as he made sure the cloak covered all of him. However, preferring not to test it; he checked the map again and making sure the coast was clear, he made his way back towards Gryffindor Tower.

Opening the dormitory door, he silently crept inside and closed the door behind him. He turned around and came face to face with the light of a Lumos Spell and his three friend standing there and staring at him.

TBC….

Let me know what you think!