Chapter Text
It was done. Voldemort was dead and Severus was free. He looked down at the hollowed husk of his former master and grinned. Severus turned his head towards the young man who was still kneeling beside him, a look of shock upon his face.
"That'll do, Potter. That'll do." Severus offered his hand.
Harry looked up at his former professor and nodded slowly before allowing himself to be helped up. A million questions ran through Harry's mind, it was easy for Severus to see that. He wondered which would Harry voice first.
Severus would never find out, however, as he noticed behind Harry people running towards them. He couldn't stay. There was still one more thing he had to do before the night was done, before he could let go of everything he had done in the war.
"Give my regards to the Order." He absently added, "And to Lupin," before Apparating away.
~*/*~
For Albus Dumbledore, it was tough being a portrait. Even worse was pretending to be a sleeping one. But he had to stick to the plan and only prayed that Severus would be successful. So when the wards around the headmaster's office buzzed and a loud noise was heard, he peaked. There stood a battle weary Severus Snape.
Knowing that the portkey in which Severus was clutching was to be used under a certain situation, Albus opened his eyes and sat up in his painted chair.
"My dear boy! If you've come then that means--!"
"Yes, yes. It's finished. It's over." Severus slowly approached the portrait, eyes diverted. The hazy cloud in his mind seemed to clear a bit after hearing the old man's voice. For a few moments, Severus felt like his old self.
"That's splendid! I knew everything would be as I expected."
Severus nodded slowly. "It seemed to turn out just as you planned." He slowly tilted his head to look at a now beaming Albus Dumbledore. A small part of him warmed at the sight, hoping he would finally hear what he's wanted to hear for decades. To make it all worth the sacrifice.
"I knew it was right to trust, to believe that such wizard could brave it all and win."
Severus inched closer, hiding his slight limp, and gazed at the portrait. There was a twitch of smile as he listened.
"Yes," Albus nodded to himself, "I am so proud of what Harry has done for us all."
Severus stumbled back. He felt the world slip away.
~*/*~
Severus apparated to a few blocks away from his house on Spinner's End. His hands were still shaking, he noticed. Then again, his whole body was still shaking from what had happened only minutes ago. He tried to clear his head, tried to remember exactly how he responded. But it was like the fog that had settled onto him after Voldemort's defeat had thickened.
He started towards his house hoping the night air would help clear that fog, but it didn't. All he could remember was disappointment and anger. He know he had done something regrettable but… Severus shook his head. It'll come to him tomorrow.
He approached his door, mind too wary to realize his wards were down until a shrill voice permeated his thoughts.
"BETRAYER!"
He looked at the sitting room, startled. "Narcissa?"
Suddenly all the color from his face disappeared as he saw not only Narcissa, but the rest of the remaining, surviving, Death Eaters congregating in his house. To his dismay, Longbottom hadn't finished off Bellatrix as she was being held up by her husband. He reached for his wand but a quiet Accio took it out of his grasp.
Severus had a crazy notion, not his first of late, to simply bolt out of there. He may have succeeded if he hadn't run into one of Greyback's flunkies. Thankfully Greyback himself was dead.
Caught in the burly werewolf's arms he was twisted around and forced to face what he knew would be the end of him.
"We were your friends, Severus. How could you do this to us? To me?!" Narcissa shrieked, "You killed my husband, you allowed my son to die, and you expect us to let you run off?"
Severus stared at her in surprise at the news of Draco's fate. He thought the boy was safe. Dumbledore's sacrifice was for naught, he thought miserably.
The prolonged silence from the man enraged Narcissa. She slapped him hard. "Don't you have anything to say for yourself?!"
"Crucio!"
Severus bit his tongue as the force of Bellatrix's curse coursed through his body. There was nothing he could say. It would all be lies, save for regrets in not being able to help the boy. Another curse hit him, not meant to physically hurt him, but, one meant to bring forward all his guilt and relive it. Once again one of his own inventions was used against him.
"You…do realize you'll all be Kissed for this." It was an idle threat, but Severus had to try before the curse's effects worsened.
"It won't matter Snivellus," Rodolphus sneered, "as long as you get you get what you deserved, you pathetic excuse for a wizard!"
Another Crucio from Bellatrix, and Severus' mind began to go foggy again as he tried to rebuild some of his mental defenses.
"My dear Severus," she began as she lifted his chin and stared coldly into his eyes, "may you suffer the damage you've inflicted on us all." She let go and strode past the former spy. "Do what you want with him."
He could hear Bellatrix and the other snigger. A hex hit him from the left and then another and another. He idly wondered if anyone would find his body in the end.