Whatever It Takes by SanctuaryAngel

Crafty Potter. He should have been a Slytherin.

Severus watched as Harry Potter exited his room, leaving him uttering a frustrated growl once he was alone once more. The boy was annoyingly persistent, he'd give him that.

He glanced over at the empty vials of the antidote by his bedside and observed the remaining ones with deep thought. Perhaps he even surprised himself, that he was so willing to consume the other two this time, without further protests. As if he weren't thinking straight, and for once, not at the expense of a pleading Potter.

A pleading Potter.

Desperation? Desperate over the life of a miserable man, who Harry had actually convinced himself that he was worth saving? He – Severus Tobias Snape. Why was he determined to consider that Severus' life was anything worth saving? He couldn't quite grasp that concept. What was it that the boy was expecting? He was so used to being his silent guardian – his protector – that he didn't know how to be anything more. His work as a spy and a teacher was his life, and without it, he was nothing. Just a mere shadow.

But Albus the old fool was right – Harry was far more engaging than Severus had convinced himself otherwise. He was so blinded by seeing the boy as his eleven-year-old self, that it was hard to grapple with the idea that he was far more mature than he originally presumed. Harry Potter was no longer the little boy curiously seeking the Philosopher's Stone, but now the teenage Chosen One, leading a rebellion, who destroyed the Horcrux's with extremely limited knowledge and defeated the darkest wizard of all time, while sacrificing himself to do so. The boy most definitely exceeded his expectations, even despite Severus' attempts to constantly undermine his ability out of habit and bitterness.

Now, Severus struggled to admit to himself that Harry Potter wasn't so terrible. Never in his wildest dreams did he ever envision spending any sliver of time with the Gryffindor. He allowed himself in his company so much more in the last three weeks, than he ever dared to in the seven years he had known him. Well, it was impossible for him to do so, previously. It was so easy to repel the boy during school, enough so that Harry made every effort to avoid him. It was easy to single the boy out and enforce his authority within his class. It was far too easy to force the boy to hate him.

But now – Harry admits that he no longer hates him. Severus was unsure of how to feel about that. He was afraid he was growing soft, that maybe too much time with the boy, had caused him to perceive him differently. Harry was the first person to admit such a thing, and the feeling that Severus was no longer hated…made him feel vastly overwhelmed with emotions he never thought he was capable of displaying. He spent his entire life being hated and misunderstood, that the idea of anyone – Potter, of all people – could even consider forgiveness, of all things.

To him.

He didn't deserve the boy's forgiveness. Or his kindness. Or his empathy. Not even Albus could express those virtues to him when he needed them the most. But Potter…

He had been wrestling with his dormant emotions for so long, that he had immense difficulties coming to terms with what they were. For so long, he prevented himself from feeling anything that would be perceived as a weakness. He suppressed certain emotions for so long, that he forgot he still possessed them. Severus didn't consider it before, but he did care. He cared about the boy's wellbeing. He cared enough to teach him. He cared enough to take the antidote, because deep down within his dark core, he didn't want to let him down now. This was his chance to make peace with his past, and this was his only opportunity to save what was left of his damaged soul.

He had a reason to live now. He was too terrified to admit that maybe, Potter was his second chance after all. Maybe he was too afraid to be alone. Or die alone. Perhaps retaliating against his old master wasn't the only noble thing he could do. Saving Potter – Harry – For Lily, was the other. But not just for her this time. Saving Harry, would ultimately, would save him too.

Severus just needed to learn to trust him.

The following morning was a quiet affair within Grimmauld Place and its occupants, and for the most part, Severus relished in the stillness that befell them all. Whilst Mr. Weasley was playing wizards chess with Potter in the living room, Miss Weasley and Granger were making use of their time at the Hogwarts library. Severus had spent most of that morning and afternoon tinkering away in the very minimal make-shift potions laboratory in the basement, trying to replenish an array of potions in case of an emergency. He was quite frustrated for the most part because their supplies were painfully dwindling, and Severus could only go so far as to procure the ingredients himself. Despite that worry, he was thankful to have a room by himself that didn't involve any Gryffindor – or Ravenclaw – to intrude on his privacy.

The afternoon eventually turned to night, and he allowed the other occupants to share dinner among themselves without his presence. Severus usually felt uncomfortable dining with them, which resulted in requesting Kreacher to send up a meal to his room. It took him this long to finally succumb to the idea of hiding out at Grimmauld, of all places. It was going to take even longer for him to feel comfortable with the idea of dining with them during mealtimes. He was far from eager. Eventually, the students went back to their original tasks in order to kill time.

Feeling more than capable on his feet now, he wandered swiftly upstairs to the kitchen to find Neville Longbottom nursing a large mug of what Severus detected as tea while sifting through an obnoxiously large magical tome. Beside the boy, was a small stack of books, and from what he could observe by the cover, they were a mixture of healing texts and herbology. He was far too engrossed in the book in front of him, to notice the Potions Master enter the room.

Severus eyed the boy curiously, as he poured himself a mug of tea, and snatched a mildly warm blueberry muffin from the center of the table, sitting down opposite the boy, several seats down away from the boy's direct view. Finally allowing himself a clearer view of the distracted Gryffindor, Severus noticed a scar on the side of Neville's face as a result of an altercation he heard of between him and Alecto Carrow several months ago. Severus kept his expression blank, but deep down, he felt a pang of guilt that physical harm had come to him.

"Light reading, Longbottom?" Severus' snarky baritone voice caused Neville to jump in his seat and almost spill his tea, much to his anticipated amusement. He watched as Neville hastily shifted his mug away to prevent any further accidents, as he looked nervously up at the man.

"Oh…err, yeah…Just a little…Sir, " Neville shrugged, feeling slightly sheepish. The sudden company of the Potions Master was enough to startle him.

Masking his satisfied grin behind his mug of tea, he took a sip and placed it down in front of him. "Barely three weeks out of school, and you pick up a textbook? Admittedly, even I couldn't foresee that from you."

Neville gave a light laugh, "Well, I want to stay productive. It helps keep my mind off things."

"A wise decision," Severus nudged his head towards the book, "What are you reading?"

"Oh, I'm just reading up on the Wiggentree, " Neville shrugged, "Just trying to learn what I can with Herbology. It's not like I learned much else this year, besides trying to defend the school from the Carrows. This is a nice change."

Severus furrowed his brow, "Noble efforts, Longbottom. Noble, yet incredibly foolish."

"We did what we had to, sir. If we knew you were on our side, we could have done things a little differently. But I don't regret what we did," Neville was confident in his response, and Severus really did silently commend him for that, "Though, sorry for trying to steal the sword."

"Again, a very foolish idea. It would have been too great of a risk to lose that sword and jeopardize my mission, " Severus drew in a breath, "Regrettably, I had to play my part enough to be convincing. To both the DA and the Carrows. I cou – "

Quickly, Neville interjected the Professor, "– I know. Your hands were tied. I understand now. But what's done is done. We can't change that."

Severus lifted his head, curious of how Neville Longbottom suddenly grew into his own. Surely, he wasn't the same timid, bumbling idiot he taught in first year? The same boy who stupidly bought his toad to Potions class in his third year. The same boy who melted his own cauldron multiple times. The same boy who had his boggart turn into him during Remus' absurd Defence class, which Severus was begrudgingly well aware of. The same boy who left his Gryffindor common room passwords lying around amidst the infiltration of Black. The same boy who couldn't brew a simple Potion by himself, without disastrous effects.

Instead, he never imagined him to take a stand, lead a rebellious group within Death Eater's hold, and was willing to endure torture to save other students. Surely, that could not have been the same boy?

Regardless, Severus was pleased that perhaps, education wasn't lost on him after all. But there were many things that even he couldn't teach him.

Severus stared at the boy, still perplexed by his sudden transformation. With careful consideration, and for once in his life, cut the boy some slack, "Your leadership is…admirable. "

A smile tweaked on the corners of the boy's face, "Thanks, sir. That means a lot coming from you."

"Regardless, never stop learning, " With a curt nod, Severus withdrew his wand, and with a small flick, the magical tome Neville was reading, immediately slid all the way across the table away from his reach. Neville recoiled back not expecting it and frowned at the man. Satisfied by the response, Severus raised his eyebrow almost mockingly, "Now tell me, Longbottom - What is the etymology of the Wiggentree?"

Neville hesitated for a moment, as Severus noticed slight panic on his face. But he quickly composed himself and clicked his fingers several times in a bid to jog his memory, "Err, the Wiggentree is a magical rowan tree, which derives from the folk name of 'wicken tree'."

"Primary use?"

"Protection against dark creatures and is used as ingredients in potions, " Neville barely came up for breath, as he fired off an answer.

"What creatures usually guard it?"

"Bowtruckles, sir."

"What potion is it best known for, and what elements are used as ingredients?"

"Err…The bark and twigs are used in the Wiggenward – "

"- Wiggen-weld."

"Yeah, Wiggenweld potion, " Neville winced at his small blunder, "That's the one. A healing potion, an antidote to Sleeping Draught, and Draught of Living Death. So…did I pass?"

Keeping his usual passive expression, Severus raised his eyebrow ever so subtly, "Acceptable."

Neville sat up straight in his chair, clearly quite pleased with himself.

"Don't be too pleased with yourself, Longbottom. I'll quiz you on something else tomorrow, " Severus responded, a little too smugly as he watched the color drain from Longbottom's face, but just as he opened his mouth to speak again, a wisp of white light materialised beside him, taking the form of a housecat Severus immediately recognised as Minerva's Patronus.

The cat danced around the table, until it sat down directly in front of Severus, boring its ethereal misty white eyes at his black ones as it conveyed her message with her voice, "Severus. A word if you please. Shrieking Shack would be ideal." Once the Patronus' message was delivered, it disappeared like smoke into nothingness.

"Don't worry, I'll keep an eye on things here," Neville offered.

Nodding once at Longbottom, Severus slowly pushed himself up from the table, despite the mild throbbing pain in his neck, he made his way to exit the room. Bounding out of Grimmauld Place, he Disapparated beyond the wards, directly into the Shrieking Shack where Minerva was waiting patiently for him.

"…Minerva", Severus bowed his head, respectively.

"Apologies for pulling you away at this hour, Severus, " Minerva sat down against the armrest of the old couch and clasped her hands over her lap neatly.

"No matter. Everything alright?"

Minerva nodded, "Oh, yes. Don't be alarmed. In all honesty, I was hoping for any updates you may have since I saw you yesterday."

Severus gently shook his head, "Nothing new to report. I've heard no further updates as of yet."

"…How's Mr. Potter handling things?"

Pausing upon mention of the boy's name, Severus clasped his hands in front of him, slightly fidgeting with the edge of his sleeve, "…Managing."

Minerva's face fell once she was able to read the man's face. Years of comradery with him was enough to indicate that his voice wavered with concern, "Oh, Severus. I could tell when I saw him yesterday, he looked…" She shook her head sadly, "Anything you'd like me to do for you?"

"Nothing at all. Potter and I have been…Speaking."

"…Oh?"

Severus' eyes shifted focus, "…On civil terms."

Minerva gave an exasperated sigh, "Well, I'm relieved to hear it. I don't want to see you both arguing again. Merlin forbid, you've known the boy for years."

"It's a work in progress. If I'm to be housebound in the same location as Potter, then it is necessary for one's sanity."

Minerva smirked, "I'm sure it's more than necessary. You treat the boy like a menace. He's come a long way; I hope you know."

"Haven't we all?" Severus drew in a deep breath and took a seat on the couch. He was almost tempted to tell her about his injury, but he couldn't bring himself to do it. It took every ounce of strength to mask the throbbing pain within his wounds, but even still. He couldn't bear to tell her the truth. Not yet. That was another worry for another day.

Minerva's face crinkled in concern, "You've dealt with a lot, Severus. I can't imagine how you must be coping with everything."

Severus frowned at the woman, "There is…a measure of relief not to have to report to the Dark Lord anymore. "

"Then why are you still insistent on addressing him that way? It's Vol-"

"- NO, Minerva. It's so easy for everyone else to say his name, but when you've had to report directly to his face for years…" Severus closed his eyes briefly, wishing that he didn't have to deal with such a thing that others may perceive as meaningless. To him, it was so ingrained into his being, that he felt like he'd be punished again for not addressing him by his own title. Still, he refused to be that careless. He still hadn't fully convinced himself that his old master was truly gone.

"That part of your life is over now. Surely there are other worries worth investing your energy in."

Severus opened his eyes, to glance at Minerva's comforting ones, as he nodded, "Of course."

"I think it's rather admirable that you are still persistent on protecting Potter. I was adamant that you were keen to flee…after everything."

"The danger is still very real. I will protect the boy for as long as I am able. Besides, I am not such a coward," Severus averted his gaze away, knowing that he struck a chord with the woman.

Minerva's face fell, knowing full well it was she who ushered such words to the man before her, "No, you most certainly are not. Please don't take this the wrong way, Severus, but he is lucky to have you."

Severus frowned at the woman, "I am only protecting him. Nothing more."

"If you insist, " The elderly witch tilted her head at Severus, "Albus keeps asking about you."

"His requests of me now are useless."

"You'll have to face him at some point, you know."

Severus scoffed, "I most certainly will not. I'm no longer obliged to attend to such a task."

She threw her hands up, "Good heavens, your stubbornness is enough to land you in Gryffindor."

Severus looked offended by that comment, "I highly beg to differ."

"Just try and make the effort, if you please? " Suddenly startled, she stood up from her perch, with her line of sight passing just over his left shoulder, "Oh -"

Closely following her distracted gaze, Severus stood up and turned on his heel to find the corporeal form of a feline Patronus phasing through the wall of the Shrieking Shack, and materialising before them. They both watched as the ghost-like creature bounded through the air, and settled between them, but it faced Minerva as it moved to relay a message. It was a Lynx, cast by Minister Shacklebolt.

"Minerva - There has been an attack. Dark Mark spotted at Godrics Hollow. Several casualties thus far. Reinforcements required immediately." And with that disheartening message, the Patronus vanished.

Stunned by the message, Minerva turned to Severus, eyes wide with concern, "Go back to Grimmauld Place immediately. Stay with Mr. Potter! I'll round up Arthur, Filius, and -"

"- Minerva – "

"- Don't argue with me, Severus! Now. GO!"

Clenching his jaw, he turned on his heel and Disapparated away, reappearing back at the park across from Grimmauld Place. Barely waiting for his smoky form to completely solidify, he darted swiftly across the street and burst through the front doors, ignoring the angry protests from Mrs. Black's portrait.

Severus made a beeline to the kitchen but found it empty, all except for the stack of Herbology textbooks Longbottom had been sifting through earlier. The previously occupied chair was found toppled to the floor. Slow panic was arising within Severus' chest, as he began to race up the old staircase to the first floor, ignoring the persistent throbbing of the wound on his neck, as he entered the sitting room.

"POTTER!" The room was empty. The half-played chess set was lying on the small table between the single sofas in the corner of the room, unoccupied by either Potter or Weasley. Severus withdrew his wand, as a breath caught in his throat. Abandoning that room, he raced back out and began the ascent of the stairs to the upper floors. He hastily checked each room as he passed, but there was no sign of Potter and his cohorts anywhere.

"POTTER! Answer me!"

Dread rose up in the pit of his stomach when he realised that they must have stupidly run off to Godrics Hollow, however, he was unsure of how they were signaled in the first place. Kingsley would have avoided getting Potter involved, as he knew he was a target. So surely, the message would not have come from him. The only thing that came to mind, was another member of the DA rebellion group had beaten him to it. Perhaps one of them alerted the others? Too many questions ran through Severus' mind, but his first priority was to find Potter.

Finally reaching Potter's room, his suspicions had been confirmed. Neither of them was present when he discovered this room to also be vacant. Growling in frustration, Severus entered the room, and quickly scanned the contents he could see, until his eyes rested upon the Gryffindor's Invisibility Cloak. Leaving the premises onto public ground was an incredible risk to the elusive Potions Master unless he was absolutely careful. Surely Potter wouldn't mind if he borrowed it again for the time being. He couldn't risk getting caught.

Swapping his traveling cloak for the Invisibility Cloak, he burst out of Grimmauld Place with his wand clutched tightly in his hand, swinging the Cloak over himself, and Apparated away as soon as he was ready. Reappearing by the small pathway behind St. Jerome's Church within the village, he hunched down beside the building, scanning the area, and calculating his next move. Immediately, he could hear yelling and screams a few streets away.

Godrics Hollow. Being here was enough to make Severus utterly repulsed with himself. He had not been here in almost seventeen years since the very night the Dark Lord proceeded to eliminate the Potters. That fateful night, forever brought a chill to the man's heart whenever he was reminded of his actions. On that night, Severus' Dark Mark had faded, immediately indicating to him that something had happened. Upon word that his then-master had done the terrible deed, Severus had immediately fled to this very village and bared witness to the aftermath of the cottage in which the Potters were supposed to be protected. Hiding in the shadows once more, he had watched helplessly as Muggle and magical folk flocked to the scene and the destruction that befell them. Overhearing enough of the crowd, was enough to tell him that all was lost.

Lily. Gone...Dead. Because of him, and that fatal mistake…

NO! No…It was that pathetic, filthy excuse for a rat. Wormtail! HE betrayed them!

Severus' heart began to race against the turmoil of his mind. Being here sparked too much self-fuelled anger and regret. He directed his gaze upwards to find the familiar Dark Mark plastered across the clear, starry sky. The green glow of the Mark was enough to cast an eerie illumination of emerald light across the small village, which made Severus recoil in distaste. Instinctively, he reached for his left forearm, where his own Dark Mark was etched into his skin. Another painful reminder.

Tightening the hold of the Cloak around him, he pressed forward, being careful to take silent steps to mask his position. He had to avoid being caught by an Auror at all costs. That, or being ratted out by an Order member who was still very disapproving of his actions. Both of which were highly likely to occur at this point. His trust in anyone ran very thin, but his main priority was to keep Potter safe, and that's what he intended to do.

As he edged forward, the voices of those in battle grew louder. But upon his line of sight, he saw an unmoving form of someone hidden away beside a garden hedge on the pathway to the village center. Severus examined the area quickly, and once he deemed it safe enough, approached the victim cautiously with his wand at the ready. It appeared to be a deceased middle-aged man, sprawled onto the dirt, tangled up in a mess of navy and purple robes. Blood seeped through his robes and saturated the ground underneath him. His ivory-colored wand lay inches away from his hand, which was also covered in blood. He wasn't sure if it was an Auror or another magical bystander who tried to help, but the sight was still unnerving.

People thought that Severus Snape was a foul, sadistic creature, who took pleasure in seeing harm come to others. No. Not this. Even this was enough to make Severus feel repulsed.

Abandoning the poor victim, he turned on his heel, and headed straight for the village center, keeping himself close to the old cobblestone fences as he went. Once he saw movement up ahead, he stopped in his tracks as two dueling figures came darting furiously into view. The unmistakable voice of Miss Granger was one of the two, which left the other either a Death Eater, rogue Snatcher, or simply a Dark Lord supporter. In retrospect, not all of the Dark Lord's followers were Death Eaters. Whoever he could round up, was sufficient enough. As long as no Dementors were present, this would be could easily be dealt with.

Severus watched Granger fall back behind a cobblestone fence, as the opposition advanced at her with explosive spells, whilst the Gryffindor tried to deflect them as best she could with an array of shield charms. Wasting no more time, the Potions Master bolted towards the pair and raised his wand, flicking it in a powerful downward motion, causing the ground under the Death Eater's feet to explode, hurling him backward onto his backside. The enemy scrambled to his feet, looking wildly around for his invisible attacker, as he made his move to retrieve his wand meters away. Without a click too late, Severus flourished his wand again, sending a jet of blue tendrils of magic to the man's chest, knocking him out instantly. Granger jumped back up onto her feet to the now-disarmed man and conjured up ropes to finally bind him.

Once she was done, she extended her wand out in front of her defensively, looking around for the person responsible.

"Calm yourself, Miss Granger, " Severus stood a short distance beside her, "Are you injured?"

Looking relieved at the familiar voice, Granger answered breathlessly, "Oh, good. I suspected it was you, but I wasn't sure…Yes, I am alright. "

"I presumed you were at Hogwarts? Where is Potter?"

The Gryffindor bit her lip, knowing full well they once again, defied orders, "Hannah Abbott's family lives here. She alerted Neville, he alerted us, and well…we ran to help. Once we Apparated here, it was complete chaos. Everyone sort of…dispersed. Harry ran off somewhere, and I was occupied with…this one. He was leading me away. I couldn't get back to them -"

Severus growled, "- Of course he did. That's what they do when they have intentions to kidnap. They lead you away, leaving you defenseless without an ally."

The color drained from Granger's face, soon realising her close call, "Oh."

"Re-join the others. I must proceed to the city center at once – " Without a further response, Severus ran off away from Granger, in his frantic bid to find Potter.

However, he didn't pursue further enough, when suddenly, one of the cottages beside him burst into flames, and several figures bolted out of the residence, frightened for their lives. One of them brandished a wand – a young woman – with two younger children at her side. Another man followed closely behind her but turned back to the house in a desperate bid to douse the flames with his own wand. With the attacker nowhere to be seen, Severus wasn't quick enough as he watched the house crumble like burning matchsticks, flames consuming the residence as quickly as it caught alight. The family was visibly unharmed, and that provided its own measure of relief for him. Ignoring the rising guilt of not staying, he pursued quickly onwards, trying desperately to ignore the wailing cries of the children behind him. The children and their parents were safe, and that's all that mattered.

As he reached a crossroads, he saw more familiar faces up ahead. A group duel – Three versus four others; The four were wearing Death Eater masks. The ones dueling them were fierce. Dean Thomas, Seamus Finnigan, and Hannah Abbott. One of the Death Eaters sent Thomas flying backward, only for a steady stream of flames - unmistakably exuding from Finnigan's wand – which hit the same Death Eater square in the chest. Severus waited as Mr. Thomas rolled into a sitting position, only to be nursing a fresh head injury as observed by droplets of blood cascading down his head. Once he took notice of their predicament, Severus headed towards them with his wand raised above his head.

'REDUCTO!' Casting non-verbally, he watched as his spell caught all four off-guard, however barely catching two of them, as they were whisked off their feet. Both Abbott and Finnigan looked around, confused, but once they realised they gained the upper hand due to their unknown ally, they continued to disarm their foes without further harm. Two of the four Death Eaters had since fled, and presumably, Apparated to safety. Severus couldn't afford to stick around, but he had hope that Abbott would attend to Thomas's injuries. From what he knew, both she and Longbottom had been volunteering at St. Mungos to aid the injured from the Battle of Hogwarts, so Severus was confident that would be able to handle it from there.

Leaving that group, he darted off in pursuit of the elusive Potter. The longer he was unable to detect his location, the more worried he became. He tried to convince himself that he was fine and holding his own. As he ran down street after street, it became more and more difficult to evade curious eyes and wary combatants, as he tried to remain undetected under the Cloak. The closer he edged to the village center, the more people he encountered. He did manage to spot Dolohov once again, but this time he was accompanied by one other, both who seemed to be dueling both Mr. Weasley and Longbottom. They were in an awkward location that Severus could not get to, but as he ducked behind a hedge, he watched as they fought.

Severus couldn't help but be pleased by the strength his students have now grown into. Although he fought side by side with Potter and his friends in the Forbidden Forest, the infiltration of Grimmauld Place, and his own residence, this was the first time he truly stopped to observe them. During his forced reign as Headmaster, he could not be directly involved, thus often leaving the Carrows to their own devices. But now, he could truly see those students fight with fierceness and confidence he was unable to bear witness to before.

And he couldn't help but feel immense pride.

Smirking underneath the Cloak, he waited behind the hedge and scanned the area before he proceeded. He had a closer view of the village center now, and his breath caught in his throat. From his skewed view, he could see approximately thirty allied combatants all dueling the opposition in slightly decreased numbers. He could see the bodies of some of the fallen victims scattered around, but he could not be certain if they were alive, nor even who they belonged to. Severus glanced to his right to see Filius against two others. Several meters behind them, was Lovegood dueling another, sporting a bloodstained jacket, who he could only hope didn't belong to her. In the far distance on the other side, he could see a few of the Aurors he recognised who was previously stationed at Hogwarts, whom he could only presume was re-directed at Godrics Hollow by Minerva.

But still, no sign of Potter.

As he watched Katie Bell and Lee Jordon attempt to pursue a single Death Eater to his left side, Severus thought he finally caught sight of the reflection of Potter's glasses.

But it was not until a single explosion blasted from one of the buildings to his far right, sending a shockwave through the village, knocking Severus completely off on his feet. He fell forward, missing a crumbled stone piece by mere inches from his skull, as he landed in a heap, tangled up in the Cloak. Amidst the ringing in his ear from the noise of the blast, he could hear distorted screams in the distance from those struggling to convey what they had just witnessed. Severus let out a small groan, as he was hit by a stabbing pain in his neck, feeling fresh blood slowly weeping through the bandage once again. Severus clutched the Cloak, as he slowly pushed himself up off the ground, wincing at the new pain in his left wrist. He must have landed on it when he was knocked off his feet. He looked around wildly at the ground around him, sighing in relief when he found his wand several paces away.

Feeling slightly dazed and confused, Severus steadied himself on his feet and finally looked around to get a good look at the fresh destruction around him. A building a street forward from Severus was up in flames leaving nothing in its wake. Thick black smoke billowed from what was left of its structure, but as he could see, several surrounding houses around it were hit collectively. Magical and Muggle houses were definitely in the line of fire, and his breath caught in his throat hoping above all else, that there were no fatalities.

POTTER! Where the bloody hell are you?!

The entire right side of the village center was covered in burning rubble, and the damage was far from easy repair. Edging forward slowly, he did his best to carefully tread through the rubble, looking around for any victims within his reach. Through the smoke, he can make out a few figures slowly collecting themselves up off the ground and looking around for their former allies. As Severus pressed forward, he saw a crumbled female form, her brunette hair cascading messily around her face. He walked closer, and as he could carefully see, despite the ash and dirt that skewed her face, he was able to identify her as Katie Bell. He raced to her side, and immediately checked for vital signs. With great relief, he discovered she was alive.

Her breathing appeared labored, and her left leg was twisted among the rubble, with a significant flesh wound. Using his wand, Severus carefully brushed her blood-soaked hair away from her face, to reveal a nasty gash from her ear to chin. Miss Bell started to stir and let out a pained groan as she began to awaken. Amongst the smoke of the ruins around him, he dropped down the Cloak over his head so that she could see his face. Despite her previous opinions of him, he had to let her know that he meant no harm.

Miss Bell finally opened her eyes, and let out a small gasp, before her face contorted in pain once again.

"Shhh, don't move," Severus lowered his voice to a calming whisper, and he placed a gentle hand on her shoulder, "Be still. You have sustained a serious leg injury. It appears to be broken."

"…What happened?" The young woman looked frightened.

"I'm afraid I do not know, Miss Bell, " Severus moved his wand over the gash on her face, ushering a healing spell as he did so, as the wound began to mend itself. He started to remove pieces of rubble around Katie's leg to reveal the full severity of her injury, causing Severus to furrow his brow in concern. Hovering his wand, a small jet of blue light that illuminated her leg, began to reveal the damaged skeletal structure. It was a clean break sustained to her femur.

Severus looked to the woman, "I cannot move you until I mend the bone. This will -"

"- Just, get it over with – " Katie grimaced, as she braced herself, "Please."

He raised his wand, and flourished it over her leg, "Femora Emendo." With a sickening crunch and a small yelp from the woman, her fractured bones melted back together. As he sealed the wounds as best he could, he conjured up bandages and allowed them to wrap around securely over her leg, to support it following the mend. He turned to her, "Can you attempt to stand?"

Katie Bell scowled, "I'll try. Years of being pummelled in Quidditch gives one a high tolerance."

Gently pulling her back onto her feet, he watched as she limped on her still-injured leg, and guided her towards a safer area, and away from the rubble.

"Thank you…sir, " The young woman winced as she sat down, but gratefully looked up at the Professor, "I'll be fine here." She then shook her head sadly, "I'm so sorry. About the other day at the meeting…I was just shocked. I shouldn't have -"

"- No matter, Miss Bell, " Clutching his sprained wrist, Severus frowned, "I must go tend to the wounded," Turning on his heel, he sprinted off, quickly throwing the Cloak back over his head as he left.

Severus did his best to navigate through some of the rubble undetected, but there was so much more activity now that some of the smoke had started to settle. He watched as Aurors attended to their injured comrades, and some of the magical residents comforted some of their own in their shock. There were many wounded. Severus turned his attention to the village center, and he noticed some of the wounded gathering there for safety. He scanned their faces, but still no sign of Harry Potter. He stopped, and turned around, scanning the area for any sign of him, but with no success.

As he walked closer to the village center, something else caught his attention. There was a large square-shaped garden marking the center of Godrics Hollow, with pathways, stone benches, and flowerbeds blooming with the seasonal flora. Pink carnations, orchids, and gardenias to name a few. But that was not what averted Severus' gaze. In the very center, was a large stone monument – a statue. He had heard stories but could never bring himself to see them. The statue itself was of three figures. The Potter family; a testament and memorial for the night that family was torn apart that fateful Halloween night. The statue displayed James and Lily, with a baby Harry sitting on his mother's lap.

It was said to have a Muggle-repelling charm imbued upon it, giving it an illusion of a war-memorial obelisk to non-magical eyes. Only witches and wizards were able to see it.

He glanced at the James likeness of the statue and twisted his face in pure disgust. To Severus, no act of nobility from his past tormentor could erase the pain he created in his life. Hogwarts was supposed to be a place Severus could feel at home in. Instead, his tormentor made it a personal hell.

There was a reason Severus never wanted to return here.

The moment he looked upon the immortalised face of the Lily-likeness, he fell to his knees. Anguished and pained, he lowered his head, as he tightened his grip on the Invisibility Cloak completely masking the broken man underneath.

He truly deserved to be punished for what he did.