Dear Lily *COMPLETE*
folder
Harry Potter › Het - Male/Female › Snape/Hermione
Rating:
Adult +
Chapters:
24
Views:
8,860
Reviews:
71
Recommended:
1
Currently Reading:
0
Category:
Harry Potter › Het - Male/Female › Snape/Hermione
Rating:
Adult +
Chapters:
24
Views:
8,860
Reviews:
71
Recommended:
1
Currently Reading:
0
Disclaimer:
I do not own Harry Potter, nor any of the characters from the books or movies. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.
Dear Lily 19
cateye: I like the idea of Voldemort wearing pink... anyway, here is the next two chapters.
beeky63: Here it is. I am SOO sorry about all the food references; its just that I wanted to stick to the spirit of Harry Potter books, and they have a lot of food references... besides this is from a male perspective, and you know the way to a mans heart is through his stomach.
sheedy: Tee hee, thanks. I love writing A/Ns. Anyway here's the next two.
Dear Lily
My heart was beating furiously under my chest; I felt it pulsate in my throat and the anticipation made me feel ill. He kept his eyes on me; his wand dangling down his side pointing to the floor.
"Something’s not right," I heard Ronald mutter. "I don't like the glint in that gits eyes."
I looked at Ronald and as soon as my gaze left Draco's face I was knocked sideways by a very forceful sectumsempra. I rolled on my side and looked up at Draco's smug, impertinent smile. His eyes were glowing with triumph. I felt my arm; there was a gash there. He aimed his wand right at my heart.
"You think that I care about you Blood Traitor!" he snarled.
"Blood Traitor now is it?" I asked. "Tell me, Draco, whose blood am I betraying? My mother who was a muggle lover, or my father who was a muggle?"
"What?" he exploded. "But I thought -"
"Isn't it amazing Malfoy, that I a half-blood and proud of it was actually head of Slytherin, the house that should exemplify purity!"
"You’re lying!" he exclaimed. "My father trusted you; I trusted you and now you tell me that - that - you're as filthy as Potty?"
I looked back up into his eyes.
"Filthy, greasy, dirty, cheating, despicable, and Snivellus!" I said. "I've been called them and so much more in my time, don't think your insults have any effect on me now, as I love!"
"So, up there on the Astronomy Tower when you killed Dumbledore you - you - didn't mean it?"
"Oh you thought that I actually hated Dumbledore did you boy? You thought that I despised him as much as you? You and your father are very easily led! I told you and your father EXACTLY what you wanted to hear, what you needed to hear. It's the game I've been playing now since before you were born and guess what? I enjoyed the game, I enjoyed leading you and your parents up the garden path! I am a Slytherin after all!"
"All this time you actually were a spy for the Order?" Malfoy asked. Everyone was listening; I was still on the ground, Malfoy's wand still pointing at my heart.
"Yes!" I said proudly.
I felt all the Death Eaters that were there crowding round me. All of their faces painted with expressions of malignant hatred and revenge for the one that had betrayed them.
"Go on, Draco!" Bellatrix hissed. "Do it! Kill the half-blood fool!"
"Yes, Draco, kill the slimeball!"
Draco looked at me again; he had tears streaming down his face.
"I looked up to you! I respected you, you were what I wanted to be!"
"And you can if you come over to the Order," I said. "You can if you help me up and shake hands with Harry, he's forgiven me for crimes for which I cannot forgive myself for, he'll forgive you to if you let him."
Draco looked again from me to Harry; I managed to look at Harry. His green eyes were misting over, he looked at me and his expression was pale but he didn't want to step in he knew that if he did I would get hurt so he kept his cool, but I could see him gripping his wand tightly. His jaw set in grim determination.
"I don't want Potty's forgiveness!" he sneered. "And I don't need a half-blood of any sort!"
He placed the tip of his wand at my heart but it was soon knocked out of his hand and everyone looked to see who did it, it was Ronald.
"I believe our duel is six years overdue!" he snarled.
I got up but I was trapped in the circle of menacing Death Eaters. About four or five wands were pointed at me. The big blonde Death Eater held onto one of my arms and Bellatrix held with an even fiercer grip my other arm. Fenrir stood over my back his wand at the nape of my neck.
"She's mine!" he growled in my ear. "If you ever go near her I will bite you, and it will be last thing you will ever feel."
"You don't love her!"
"No, Snivellus, I adore her! I have tasted her flesh, she’s delicious, I have suckled her breasts, I have been inside her depths, I have tasted her sweet sex, I have marked her, and mated with her, in short Snivellus, I have made her mine."
I saw Ronald step up to Malfoy, Malfoy had picked up his wand. Greybacks boasting was second to the scene before my eyes.
"Do you have a second Weaslebee?"
"Don't need one do you?"
"Of course not ginger!"
They didn't even bow.
Ronald was just about to aim his wand at Malfoy and do a spell but Malfoy hit Ronald first!
"Ronald!" Arthur yelled. Remus and Mad Eye were restraining him. Ginny was holding tightly onto Harry's arm. I looked around for You-Know-Who but he seemed to have vanished. I wouldn't be at all surprised if he was still lurking about somewhere. I noticed Tonks was sneaking up to her aunt. She was going to start a little duel of her own. I saw Bellatrix's wand slipping slightly from her grip as she was becoming rapt with attention on her nephew’s skill.
Ronald was writhing in agony, the pain he was in made it clear exactly what spell Malfoy had used on his opponent. I accidentally knocked Bellatrix’s wand out of her lax hold and that was when Tonks struck her aunt. Bellatrix let go off my arm and turned to face her niece.
"Why you -!"
She ducked another of her niece’s spells; she made a grab for her wand as she dived under my arm. I stepped on her hands.
"Sometimes the muggle way can be just as fun!" I said in sheer delight at seeing Lestrange on the ground scrabbling for her wand. I stepped on big blonde, and he let go of my other arm and turned around and looked Fenrir in the face.
"Winner takes all!" I said.
"Suits me fine as I am the winner!"
"SNAPE!" Ronald yelled.
I swivelled around and ran to the boy. He gripped my hand so vehemently I had no feeling in it whatsoever.
"Promise me," he wheezed. "Promise me to love her enough for the both of us!"
"No, you're going to live," I murmured. "And when you do come through this it is you she will marry!"
"I won't, sir!" he said. "You will promise?"
He coughed and clutched at his stomach. Seeing that he was determined in his mind that he was going to die I nodded my head letting him think negative but for the first time I wanted to think positive, I wanted him to hurt Malfoy!
I let him up and he faced Malfoy, he was swaying. He looked at Malfoy straight in the eye and pointed his wand but Malfoy had struck again, a green light escaped his wand and Ronald flew back down on the ground. He was still, he was - dead!
"RONALD!" Arthur screamed! Tonks had stopped fighting her aunt and I looked around. All the Death Eaters smirked at us.
They then clutched at their arm, and heeded the call of Voldemort!
Arthur ran to his son and picked his cold body up in his arms and cried! Tears streaming down dripping onto the body. Ginny buried herself in Harry and sobbed, Harry just looked stunned. And startled. He looked at me and I turned my face away. Remus ran to Tonks who had tears in her eyes, even Remus was crying, in fact he was shedding more tears for Ronald than he did for Black! But then Ronald was just a child effectively; Ronald still had his whole life to live! Just like Cedric he was taken unfairly.
"Sorry to sound a little uncaring here but we do have to get out of here!" Mad Eye grunted.
"Yes!" I said monotously. "Yes, come on."
Harry walked up to Ronald.
"My brother!" He said patting his hair. "Just like in our first year you sacrificed yourself for the greater good! I just wished that you still had a chance to see that!"
Arthur picked up Ronald’s body and staggered under the weight, he apparated first, Harry took Ginny and then he went, Remus and Tonks left soon after and I went with Mad Eye seconds after that.
*****************************************************************
"It's all right Mum they'll be fine!" it was the voice of Charlie Weasley he had obviously come to join the fight. "Dad hasn't lost yet!"
"It's not your father I'm worried about, it’s Ginny!"
"Ginny's fine she's got attitude."
"Yes it's that, that has me worried!"
Arthur had laid Ronald down on the floor. Ginny and Harry stayed by his side, Harry holding onto his body and crying, it reminded me of when he wouldn't let Cedric go. Poor Harry, yet another death that was my fault! James Potter why did you have to save my life?
"Do you want me to tell her?" Remus asked his voice cracking with the emotion we all felt at that particular time.
"I couldn't," Arthur said. "But I have to. I am her husband after all I think she deserves to hear it from me! Besides Charlie’s in there. Um, Severus, can you come in as well?"
I was surprised he asked me to go in there and be his emotional support! My throat had a lump in it and I was trying to fight back the bitter tears that accumulated in there.
"Of course Arthur."
I walked in and saw Molly standing there hands on hips looking like she was about to breath fire, and Charlie was there, and he gave me a look that I was damn well used to by now from Gryffindors.
"Well what's the damage?" Molly asked. "Everyone in St Mungo's I expect!"
"No Molly," Arthur said in a sad voice. Molly caught the tone and then looked in Arthur's eyes.
"What's happened?"
I walked up to her and took her hands.
"I think you better sit down Molly, and I'll make you a cup of strong black tea, you'll need it!"
She sat down and I made the tea for all four of us in that room.
"Molly," Arthur said when she was sat down. She wrapped her hands around the tea; by now I could tell she gathered something extremely bad had happened. "Molly no one loves you more than I," Arthur began taking her hand. "When we married you told me you wanted a big family right?"
"Yes," she said.
"And that is what I gave you a large brood of children for you to watch over and love and protect. And I tried to help you in that task, but today Molly I failed. Today one of our brood is gone from us!"
She looked again into her husband’s eyes and saw that he had tears shining in them.
"What do you mean? One has gone from us? One has gone to the Dark Side?"
"No dearest," Arthur said. "Merlin! I can't say it, Severus, can you say it?"
I took hold of Molly's other hand.
"Molly I tried to but I could not stop him. He wanted to do it, he wanted to - to die!"
"Who?" Charlie asked.
"Ronald is dead!" Arthur said quickly. He had to rush those horrible words out!
Molly broke down and wept. She sobbed and sobbed. Arthur sidled around the table and clutched her in his arms and she turned to him the way Ginny turned to Harry.
"NOOOOOOOOOOOO!" She screamed. "No not my baby! Not Ron please Arthur! Please Severus! Please not Ron! Not my darling little baby!"
She fought her way free from Arthur and tipped the table over and ran out of the door and saw her son on the floor. She hurried over to him and clutched her son to her bosom and sobbed over him. It was heartbreaking to watch, even Mrs Diggory didn't show this much passion, well perhaps she did but I didn't see it. This was the first time I saw a mother cry over her dead child. And it made me weep.
*****************************************************************
"Someone is going to have to tell Bill, Fleur, the Twins and Percy,” Remus said to me privately in the library. I was still shell shocked by the amount of grief I had for this boy.
"I will," I said. "I am used to telling harsh realities I will have to tell them."
"I'll send out my patronus and ask to meet at the Leaky Cauldron, we can't tell them here. It wouldn't seem right."
"Do you think they'll tell Hermione?" I asked.
"Of course they will and then congratulate her for choosing the right side!" Remus said sourly. He kicked an unoffending chair and it fell on the floor.
"It's all my fault!"
"Don't start that again last time you went on a mission of self pity we almost lost you Severus. Now I think we should try and get something to eat."
"I'm not hungry," I said.
"Oh no you're not we have to get food inside of us as soon as possible, we can't sit around moping, for one thing Ron would hate us to sit around and mope. For the most part he was a cheerful relaxed boy with a carefree attitude."
"I feel that I could never eat again!"
"You will have to Severus now up and at 'em that's what James used to say every morning at school it lead to the other three of us to throwing cushions at him."
"Life at school for you was fun wasn't it!" I remarked dryly.
"Hey, don't bring that up now, Severus."
"Why doesn't Malfoy see sense?" I asked. "Why didn't he take my hand? He's just a kid himself!"
"Yeah and probably feels one of the gang for it now."
"I didn't think he'd do it! I didn't think he could kill after his failure in killing Dumbledore."
"Dumbledore was a powerful wizard Severus and Ron was a Wizard who hadn't finished his education yet. There is a difference."
"You know what he said to me? What his last words to me were? His last words weren't for his father, mother, family or friends, they were for me! Do you know how bad that makes me feel? I took away Arthur’s privilege."
"What were they Severus?"
"Promise me to love her enough for the both of us!"
"And what did you say?"
"I said I promised but only because I didn't think he was literally going to die moments after, it all seems so strange now. For years I taunted those three kids. I even nicknamed them the dream team and now one's in the clutches of the Dark Side and not likely to escape any time soon and the other is dead and the other... Remus I'm afraid of what might happen to Harry, I am scared of what that scar might actually represent!"
"Surely you don't think that Harry himself is a Horcrux?" Remus asked shocked.
"No I don't think that but it's powerful dark magic all the same! You weren't there when he spoke Parseltongue for the first time. Their son to speakthat language. It was disturbing to say the least."
"Ream," Tonks said poking her head through the door. "Dinner is ready."
"Coming Dora," Remus said.
*****************************************************************
We ate dinner very unenthusiastically. Molly was coerced into eating but she was only nibbling on bits of lettuce and carrot. She was holding her hand to her mouth and rocking back and forth, I heard her murmuring faintly. Neville and Luna were sitting next to each other Luna was holding onto Ginny who was even worse than her mother and Harry was with Charlie. I noticed Luna was looking speculatively at Charlie.
"He was so brave," Harry said. "He just stood up and - and Charlie you should have seen him I never felt more proud of anyone than I did of him then!"
"Well if you’re sure," Charlie said.
He walked up to me and looked me up and down.
"Harry there say's I ought to give you a chance, that you, in front of You-Know-Who told exactly where purity of blood can go!"
"I thought you were talking about your brother," I said.
"We've done that Mr Snape," Charlie said.
"All right so what is it you are saying?”
"I'm saying that I will stay and fight mum and dad need me more than ever!"
"But those dragons?"
"Don't worry I have sent word to Hagrid that I need a standby and I couldn't have thought of anyone more capable than Hagrid to look after the dragons. He's got to stay in that area now anyway, apparently his half brother was getting homesick and he's getting married soon so he needs a job. Especially now that Hogwarts is closed."
"Good thinking," I said. "Listen Remus and I have decided to break the news to the rest of the family."
"It's best that people outside the family say it I suppose. It'll kill mum to have to say it and Ginny looks a right wreck and as for dad well I've never seen him so depressed before. I suppose if I were there I'd be just the same. Listen Snape make sure you break it gently. My future sister-in-law is part veela."
"I will; don't worry," I said.
His gaze was on the little group huddled in the corner, he walked over to them and said something to Luna. I saw the girl blush.
*********************************************************************
The next morning after a very sleepless night Remus and I had a light breakfast as grief still made us too ill to eat we set off for the Leaky Cauldron. We walked in and people stared at us. I suppose they knew what Lupin was and practically half the world knew who I was by now!
We walked up to the bar.
"Bit early aint it boys!" Tom the barman said.
"We're not here for a cosy pint and a good time chat Tom," Remus said. "We're here to talk to some people."
"Group of red heads. One pretty cool one with an earring and an extraordinarily pretty girlfriend."
"I've seen prettier," I replied.
"That's them," Remus said elbowing me in the ribs.
"Room 6," Tom said. "They ordered a private room for intimate chats. That were the exact words of the one who struts around like a constipated peacock!"
I had to hold in a snigger. This was going to be bad enough without me making jokes about the remaining brood.
Remus and I walked up to Room 6. It should have been Room 101 for the way I was feeling. We walked in.
"What ees thees about?" Miss De Le Couer said. "Bill and I were -"
"It's all right, Fleur," Bill said. "I want Snape to explain what right he has to be here in the first place."
"I'm here as a full member of the Order of the Phoenix therefore, Mr Weasley, we are on the same side!"
"He is even going to work for us," Percy said. "He's going to be an Auror."
Bill scoffed.
"It's true Bill," the twins said. "He came to us because he got Hermione into trouble and he regretted it and he wanted to get her out of it. He's actually been sort of all right - so far…" praise indeed.
Bill sat down and Fleur squirmed in his arms, these two made me want to vomit! All though he was a victim of Fenrir now.
"By the way Bill do you actually…?"
"What turn into a Werewolf? No, I don't, thank goodness."
"'E 'as 'orrible cravings now zough!"
I looked from one face to another.
"Listen," one of the twins said looking at his watch. "We have to get going and open our shop now so please can we just -!"
"It's about your youngest brother!" Remus exclaimed.
"Oh dear what has Ronniekins gone and done now?" the other said smiling.
"Ronald," I snapped trying to get some respect into these two.
"Whose brother is he?" Bill asked.
Remus and I looked at each other. I flicked my wand and five mugs of strong black tea appeared in front of them.
We then sat down ourselves. Percy looked particularly bored. I thought then that the wrong brother had been taken.
"Look yesterday we went on a parley mission with Harry. He wanted to tell Lord Voldemort exactly where he stood and what he was up against, unfortunately it turned ugly." Remus said. He turned to me.
"I was trying to get the Malfoy brat to join us saying that he would be welcomed in, but he put me on the floor with a spell I was unprepared for, and then he and I started revealing things, I told him exactly what I thought about him and his dear daddy and then well your youngest brother stepped in, he went to duel with Malfoy and Malfoy hit him with a cruciatus!"
The company gasped even Percy looked less bored now. He didn't exactly pale at the thought like the others did though. Fred and George looked particularly upset.
"What 'appened after zat?" Fleur asked. The Unforgivables were universal.
"Well, he called me over and told me to love Hermione enough for the both of them and he got up swaying about to hit one back at Malfoy until - until! Remus you tell them I can't!"
Remus turned towards the children and he looked on the floor. He then looked up.
"Ron is - is dead!"
They looked shocked, stunned and all manner of things in-between, even Percy who was sat by the fire got up and paced around the room. He then looked at me and I looked at him.
"Well," he said. "I, for one, am not at all surprised that he was the first of us to go, traipsing around the school the way he did getting into trouble all the time! That Potter encouraged him no doubt!"
I hastily got up and slammed this one against the wall.
"How dare you! Do you even think yourself lucky you pitiful, crawling insect? I would have given anything to have a brother half as brave as he was in his last moments, I'd have given anything to have had a brother full stop and you have four of them!"
Remus prised me away from him. Fred and George turned to him with absolute disdain and Bill and Fleur made their hatred of him complete.
"How has mum and dad taken it?" the twins asked.
"Your father actually watched it happen as did your sister Ginny," I said.
"Ginny?" the twins chorused. "Fred you close the shop for the day and then come to HQ. Our family needs us more than we need the customers!"
"All right George."
"Fleur and I have something that is absolute. We'll come tomorrow."
Percy looked at his brothers and then at me.
"I feel no obligation whatsoever; I will of course send condolences to mother and father but I have pressing matters of state to attend to."
"We don't want you there anyway," the twins said bluntly.
We got up. I looked at the twins and at the beautiful couple and tried to smile at them nicely. They didn't look at me but it made me feel better doing it.
Remus and I walked out of the Leaky Cauldron.
"Listen Remus," I said.
"What is it?"
"I need to hear something good are you and Tonks actually married?"
Remus smiled at me and kept silent.
Severus
A/N - *SNIFF* I have read over and edited this scene so many times but it still brings a lump to my throat and makes me cry. Poor ickle Ronniekins. I might hate Ron, but oddly enough I don't want him to die, just don't want him to end up with Hermione, in fact am I the only one that thinks that he'd be better off with Luna?
beeky63: Here it is. I am SOO sorry about all the food references; its just that I wanted to stick to the spirit of Harry Potter books, and they have a lot of food references... besides this is from a male perspective, and you know the way to a mans heart is through his stomach.
sheedy: Tee hee, thanks. I love writing A/Ns. Anyway here's the next two.
Dear Lily
My heart was beating furiously under my chest; I felt it pulsate in my throat and the anticipation made me feel ill. He kept his eyes on me; his wand dangling down his side pointing to the floor.
"Something’s not right," I heard Ronald mutter. "I don't like the glint in that gits eyes."
I looked at Ronald and as soon as my gaze left Draco's face I was knocked sideways by a very forceful sectumsempra. I rolled on my side and looked up at Draco's smug, impertinent smile. His eyes were glowing with triumph. I felt my arm; there was a gash there. He aimed his wand right at my heart.
"You think that I care about you Blood Traitor!" he snarled.
"Blood Traitor now is it?" I asked. "Tell me, Draco, whose blood am I betraying? My mother who was a muggle lover, or my father who was a muggle?"
"What?" he exploded. "But I thought -"
"Isn't it amazing Malfoy, that I a half-blood and proud of it was actually head of Slytherin, the house that should exemplify purity!"
"You’re lying!" he exclaimed. "My father trusted you; I trusted you and now you tell me that - that - you're as filthy as Potty?"
I looked back up into his eyes.
"Filthy, greasy, dirty, cheating, despicable, and Snivellus!" I said. "I've been called them and so much more in my time, don't think your insults have any effect on me now, as I love!"
"So, up there on the Astronomy Tower when you killed Dumbledore you - you - didn't mean it?"
"Oh you thought that I actually hated Dumbledore did you boy? You thought that I despised him as much as you? You and your father are very easily led! I told you and your father EXACTLY what you wanted to hear, what you needed to hear. It's the game I've been playing now since before you were born and guess what? I enjoyed the game, I enjoyed leading you and your parents up the garden path! I am a Slytherin after all!"
"All this time you actually were a spy for the Order?" Malfoy asked. Everyone was listening; I was still on the ground, Malfoy's wand still pointing at my heart.
"Yes!" I said proudly.
I felt all the Death Eaters that were there crowding round me. All of their faces painted with expressions of malignant hatred and revenge for the one that had betrayed them.
"Go on, Draco!" Bellatrix hissed. "Do it! Kill the half-blood fool!"
"Yes, Draco, kill the slimeball!"
Draco looked at me again; he had tears streaming down his face.
"I looked up to you! I respected you, you were what I wanted to be!"
"And you can if you come over to the Order," I said. "You can if you help me up and shake hands with Harry, he's forgiven me for crimes for which I cannot forgive myself for, he'll forgive you to if you let him."
Draco looked again from me to Harry; I managed to look at Harry. His green eyes were misting over, he looked at me and his expression was pale but he didn't want to step in he knew that if he did I would get hurt so he kept his cool, but I could see him gripping his wand tightly. His jaw set in grim determination.
"I don't want Potty's forgiveness!" he sneered. "And I don't need a half-blood of any sort!"
He placed the tip of his wand at my heart but it was soon knocked out of his hand and everyone looked to see who did it, it was Ronald.
"I believe our duel is six years overdue!" he snarled.
I got up but I was trapped in the circle of menacing Death Eaters. About four or five wands were pointed at me. The big blonde Death Eater held onto one of my arms and Bellatrix held with an even fiercer grip my other arm. Fenrir stood over my back his wand at the nape of my neck.
"She's mine!" he growled in my ear. "If you ever go near her I will bite you, and it will be last thing you will ever feel."
"You don't love her!"
"No, Snivellus, I adore her! I have tasted her flesh, she’s delicious, I have suckled her breasts, I have been inside her depths, I have tasted her sweet sex, I have marked her, and mated with her, in short Snivellus, I have made her mine."
I saw Ronald step up to Malfoy, Malfoy had picked up his wand. Greybacks boasting was second to the scene before my eyes.
"Do you have a second Weaslebee?"
"Don't need one do you?"
"Of course not ginger!"
They didn't even bow.
Ronald was just about to aim his wand at Malfoy and do a spell but Malfoy hit Ronald first!
"Ronald!" Arthur yelled. Remus and Mad Eye were restraining him. Ginny was holding tightly onto Harry's arm. I looked around for You-Know-Who but he seemed to have vanished. I wouldn't be at all surprised if he was still lurking about somewhere. I noticed Tonks was sneaking up to her aunt. She was going to start a little duel of her own. I saw Bellatrix's wand slipping slightly from her grip as she was becoming rapt with attention on her nephew’s skill.
Ronald was writhing in agony, the pain he was in made it clear exactly what spell Malfoy had used on his opponent. I accidentally knocked Bellatrix’s wand out of her lax hold and that was when Tonks struck her aunt. Bellatrix let go off my arm and turned to face her niece.
"Why you -!"
She ducked another of her niece’s spells; she made a grab for her wand as she dived under my arm. I stepped on her hands.
"Sometimes the muggle way can be just as fun!" I said in sheer delight at seeing Lestrange on the ground scrabbling for her wand. I stepped on big blonde, and he let go of my other arm and turned around and looked Fenrir in the face.
"Winner takes all!" I said.
"Suits me fine as I am the winner!"
"SNAPE!" Ronald yelled.
I swivelled around and ran to the boy. He gripped my hand so vehemently I had no feeling in it whatsoever.
"Promise me," he wheezed. "Promise me to love her enough for the both of us!"
"No, you're going to live," I murmured. "And when you do come through this it is you she will marry!"
"I won't, sir!" he said. "You will promise?"
He coughed and clutched at his stomach. Seeing that he was determined in his mind that he was going to die I nodded my head letting him think negative but for the first time I wanted to think positive, I wanted him to hurt Malfoy!
I let him up and he faced Malfoy, he was swaying. He looked at Malfoy straight in the eye and pointed his wand but Malfoy had struck again, a green light escaped his wand and Ronald flew back down on the ground. He was still, he was - dead!
"RONALD!" Arthur screamed! Tonks had stopped fighting her aunt and I looked around. All the Death Eaters smirked at us.
They then clutched at their arm, and heeded the call of Voldemort!
Arthur ran to his son and picked his cold body up in his arms and cried! Tears streaming down dripping onto the body. Ginny buried herself in Harry and sobbed, Harry just looked stunned. And startled. He looked at me and I turned my face away. Remus ran to Tonks who had tears in her eyes, even Remus was crying, in fact he was shedding more tears for Ronald than he did for Black! But then Ronald was just a child effectively; Ronald still had his whole life to live! Just like Cedric he was taken unfairly.
"Sorry to sound a little uncaring here but we do have to get out of here!" Mad Eye grunted.
"Yes!" I said monotously. "Yes, come on."
Harry walked up to Ronald.
"My brother!" He said patting his hair. "Just like in our first year you sacrificed yourself for the greater good! I just wished that you still had a chance to see that!"
Arthur picked up Ronald’s body and staggered under the weight, he apparated first, Harry took Ginny and then he went, Remus and Tonks left soon after and I went with Mad Eye seconds after that.
*****************************************************************
"It's all right Mum they'll be fine!" it was the voice of Charlie Weasley he had obviously come to join the fight. "Dad hasn't lost yet!"
"It's not your father I'm worried about, it’s Ginny!"
"Ginny's fine she's got attitude."
"Yes it's that, that has me worried!"
Arthur had laid Ronald down on the floor. Ginny and Harry stayed by his side, Harry holding onto his body and crying, it reminded me of when he wouldn't let Cedric go. Poor Harry, yet another death that was my fault! James Potter why did you have to save my life?
"Do you want me to tell her?" Remus asked his voice cracking with the emotion we all felt at that particular time.
"I couldn't," Arthur said. "But I have to. I am her husband after all I think she deserves to hear it from me! Besides Charlie’s in there. Um, Severus, can you come in as well?"
I was surprised he asked me to go in there and be his emotional support! My throat had a lump in it and I was trying to fight back the bitter tears that accumulated in there.
"Of course Arthur."
I walked in and saw Molly standing there hands on hips looking like she was about to breath fire, and Charlie was there, and he gave me a look that I was damn well used to by now from Gryffindors.
"Well what's the damage?" Molly asked. "Everyone in St Mungo's I expect!"
"No Molly," Arthur said in a sad voice. Molly caught the tone and then looked in Arthur's eyes.
"What's happened?"
I walked up to her and took her hands.
"I think you better sit down Molly, and I'll make you a cup of strong black tea, you'll need it!"
She sat down and I made the tea for all four of us in that room.
"Molly," Arthur said when she was sat down. She wrapped her hands around the tea; by now I could tell she gathered something extremely bad had happened. "Molly no one loves you more than I," Arthur began taking her hand. "When we married you told me you wanted a big family right?"
"Yes," she said.
"And that is what I gave you a large brood of children for you to watch over and love and protect. And I tried to help you in that task, but today Molly I failed. Today one of our brood is gone from us!"
She looked again into her husband’s eyes and saw that he had tears shining in them.
"What do you mean? One has gone from us? One has gone to the Dark Side?"
"No dearest," Arthur said. "Merlin! I can't say it, Severus, can you say it?"
I took hold of Molly's other hand.
"Molly I tried to but I could not stop him. He wanted to do it, he wanted to - to die!"
"Who?" Charlie asked.
"Ronald is dead!" Arthur said quickly. He had to rush those horrible words out!
Molly broke down and wept. She sobbed and sobbed. Arthur sidled around the table and clutched her in his arms and she turned to him the way Ginny turned to Harry.
"NOOOOOOOOOOOO!" She screamed. "No not my baby! Not Ron please Arthur! Please Severus! Please not Ron! Not my darling little baby!"
She fought her way free from Arthur and tipped the table over and ran out of the door and saw her son on the floor. She hurried over to him and clutched her son to her bosom and sobbed over him. It was heartbreaking to watch, even Mrs Diggory didn't show this much passion, well perhaps she did but I didn't see it. This was the first time I saw a mother cry over her dead child. And it made me weep.
*****************************************************************
"Someone is going to have to tell Bill, Fleur, the Twins and Percy,” Remus said to me privately in the library. I was still shell shocked by the amount of grief I had for this boy.
"I will," I said. "I am used to telling harsh realities I will have to tell them."
"I'll send out my patronus and ask to meet at the Leaky Cauldron, we can't tell them here. It wouldn't seem right."
"Do you think they'll tell Hermione?" I asked.
"Of course they will and then congratulate her for choosing the right side!" Remus said sourly. He kicked an unoffending chair and it fell on the floor.
"It's all my fault!"
"Don't start that again last time you went on a mission of self pity we almost lost you Severus. Now I think we should try and get something to eat."
"I'm not hungry," I said.
"Oh no you're not we have to get food inside of us as soon as possible, we can't sit around moping, for one thing Ron would hate us to sit around and mope. For the most part he was a cheerful relaxed boy with a carefree attitude."
"I feel that I could never eat again!"
"You will have to Severus now up and at 'em that's what James used to say every morning at school it lead to the other three of us to throwing cushions at him."
"Life at school for you was fun wasn't it!" I remarked dryly.
"Hey, don't bring that up now, Severus."
"Why doesn't Malfoy see sense?" I asked. "Why didn't he take my hand? He's just a kid himself!"
"Yeah and probably feels one of the gang for it now."
"I didn't think he'd do it! I didn't think he could kill after his failure in killing Dumbledore."
"Dumbledore was a powerful wizard Severus and Ron was a Wizard who hadn't finished his education yet. There is a difference."
"You know what he said to me? What his last words to me were? His last words weren't for his father, mother, family or friends, they were for me! Do you know how bad that makes me feel? I took away Arthur’s privilege."
"What were they Severus?"
"Promise me to love her enough for the both of us!"
"And what did you say?"
"I said I promised but only because I didn't think he was literally going to die moments after, it all seems so strange now. For years I taunted those three kids. I even nicknamed them the dream team and now one's in the clutches of the Dark Side and not likely to escape any time soon and the other is dead and the other... Remus I'm afraid of what might happen to Harry, I am scared of what that scar might actually represent!"
"Surely you don't think that Harry himself is a Horcrux?" Remus asked shocked.
"No I don't think that but it's powerful dark magic all the same! You weren't there when he spoke Parseltongue for the first time. Their son to speakthat language. It was disturbing to say the least."
"Ream," Tonks said poking her head through the door. "Dinner is ready."
"Coming Dora," Remus said.
*****************************************************************
We ate dinner very unenthusiastically. Molly was coerced into eating but she was only nibbling on bits of lettuce and carrot. She was holding her hand to her mouth and rocking back and forth, I heard her murmuring faintly. Neville and Luna were sitting next to each other Luna was holding onto Ginny who was even worse than her mother and Harry was with Charlie. I noticed Luna was looking speculatively at Charlie.
"He was so brave," Harry said. "He just stood up and - and Charlie you should have seen him I never felt more proud of anyone than I did of him then!"
"Well if you’re sure," Charlie said.
He walked up to me and looked me up and down.
"Harry there say's I ought to give you a chance, that you, in front of You-Know-Who told exactly where purity of blood can go!"
"I thought you were talking about your brother," I said.
"We've done that Mr Snape," Charlie said.
"All right so what is it you are saying?”
"I'm saying that I will stay and fight mum and dad need me more than ever!"
"But those dragons?"
"Don't worry I have sent word to Hagrid that I need a standby and I couldn't have thought of anyone more capable than Hagrid to look after the dragons. He's got to stay in that area now anyway, apparently his half brother was getting homesick and he's getting married soon so he needs a job. Especially now that Hogwarts is closed."
"Good thinking," I said. "Listen Remus and I have decided to break the news to the rest of the family."
"It's best that people outside the family say it I suppose. It'll kill mum to have to say it and Ginny looks a right wreck and as for dad well I've never seen him so depressed before. I suppose if I were there I'd be just the same. Listen Snape make sure you break it gently. My future sister-in-law is part veela."
"I will; don't worry," I said.
His gaze was on the little group huddled in the corner, he walked over to them and said something to Luna. I saw the girl blush.
*********************************************************************
The next morning after a very sleepless night Remus and I had a light breakfast as grief still made us too ill to eat we set off for the Leaky Cauldron. We walked in and people stared at us. I suppose they knew what Lupin was and practically half the world knew who I was by now!
We walked up to the bar.
"Bit early aint it boys!" Tom the barman said.
"We're not here for a cosy pint and a good time chat Tom," Remus said. "We're here to talk to some people."
"Group of red heads. One pretty cool one with an earring and an extraordinarily pretty girlfriend."
"I've seen prettier," I replied.
"That's them," Remus said elbowing me in the ribs.
"Room 6," Tom said. "They ordered a private room for intimate chats. That were the exact words of the one who struts around like a constipated peacock!"
I had to hold in a snigger. This was going to be bad enough without me making jokes about the remaining brood.
Remus and I walked up to Room 6. It should have been Room 101 for the way I was feeling. We walked in.
"What ees thees about?" Miss De Le Couer said. "Bill and I were -"
"It's all right, Fleur," Bill said. "I want Snape to explain what right he has to be here in the first place."
"I'm here as a full member of the Order of the Phoenix therefore, Mr Weasley, we are on the same side!"
"He is even going to work for us," Percy said. "He's going to be an Auror."
Bill scoffed.
"It's true Bill," the twins said. "He came to us because he got Hermione into trouble and he regretted it and he wanted to get her out of it. He's actually been sort of all right - so far…" praise indeed.
Bill sat down and Fleur squirmed in his arms, these two made me want to vomit! All though he was a victim of Fenrir now.
"By the way Bill do you actually…?"
"What turn into a Werewolf? No, I don't, thank goodness."
"'E 'as 'orrible cravings now zough!"
I looked from one face to another.
"Listen," one of the twins said looking at his watch. "We have to get going and open our shop now so please can we just -!"
"It's about your youngest brother!" Remus exclaimed.
"Oh dear what has Ronniekins gone and done now?" the other said smiling.
"Ronald," I snapped trying to get some respect into these two.
"Whose brother is he?" Bill asked.
Remus and I looked at each other. I flicked my wand and five mugs of strong black tea appeared in front of them.
We then sat down ourselves. Percy looked particularly bored. I thought then that the wrong brother had been taken.
"Look yesterday we went on a parley mission with Harry. He wanted to tell Lord Voldemort exactly where he stood and what he was up against, unfortunately it turned ugly." Remus said. He turned to me.
"I was trying to get the Malfoy brat to join us saying that he would be welcomed in, but he put me on the floor with a spell I was unprepared for, and then he and I started revealing things, I told him exactly what I thought about him and his dear daddy and then well your youngest brother stepped in, he went to duel with Malfoy and Malfoy hit him with a cruciatus!"
The company gasped even Percy looked less bored now. He didn't exactly pale at the thought like the others did though. Fred and George looked particularly upset.
"What 'appened after zat?" Fleur asked. The Unforgivables were universal.
"Well, he called me over and told me to love Hermione enough for the both of them and he got up swaying about to hit one back at Malfoy until - until! Remus you tell them I can't!"
Remus turned towards the children and he looked on the floor. He then looked up.
"Ron is - is dead!"
They looked shocked, stunned and all manner of things in-between, even Percy who was sat by the fire got up and paced around the room. He then looked at me and I looked at him.
"Well," he said. "I, for one, am not at all surprised that he was the first of us to go, traipsing around the school the way he did getting into trouble all the time! That Potter encouraged him no doubt!"
I hastily got up and slammed this one against the wall.
"How dare you! Do you even think yourself lucky you pitiful, crawling insect? I would have given anything to have a brother half as brave as he was in his last moments, I'd have given anything to have had a brother full stop and you have four of them!"
Remus prised me away from him. Fred and George turned to him with absolute disdain and Bill and Fleur made their hatred of him complete.
"How has mum and dad taken it?" the twins asked.
"Your father actually watched it happen as did your sister Ginny," I said.
"Ginny?" the twins chorused. "Fred you close the shop for the day and then come to HQ. Our family needs us more than we need the customers!"
"All right George."
"Fleur and I have something that is absolute. We'll come tomorrow."
Percy looked at his brothers and then at me.
"I feel no obligation whatsoever; I will of course send condolences to mother and father but I have pressing matters of state to attend to."
"We don't want you there anyway," the twins said bluntly.
We got up. I looked at the twins and at the beautiful couple and tried to smile at them nicely. They didn't look at me but it made me feel better doing it.
Remus and I walked out of the Leaky Cauldron.
"Listen Remus," I said.
"What is it?"
"I need to hear something good are you and Tonks actually married?"
Remus smiled at me and kept silent.
Severus
A/N - *SNIFF* I have read over and edited this scene so many times but it still brings a lump to my throat and makes me cry. Poor ickle Ronniekins. I might hate Ron, but oddly enough I don't want him to die, just don't want him to end up with Hermione, in fact am I the only one that thinks that he'd be better off with Luna?