It just...happened...

The crackling of bones turned Snape\'s stomach as he viewed his prior master writhing on the ground, struggling to get up, but finding it damn near impossible. Snape couldn\'t help but feel a sense of immense gratification at seeing his torturer have a taste of what had been his life. His hell.

\"I wouldn\'t move much if I were you.\" Snape said smirking triumphantly. Finally it was over. He wanted to see VOldemort squirm for just a bit longer bef-

\"You wouldn\'t do much if you were me you pathetic coward.\" Voldemort spat, his voice raspy but cutting and taking Snape by surprise. \"You\'ve always been a pathetic little worm, Severus Snape.\"

Snape felt himself growing uneasy as the man spoke, and he didn\'t know exactly why. Why did he even care what the man was saying?

\"You\'ve always been an ughookhook-nosed greasy git.\" Voldemort was saying, Snape\'s faltered smirk only giving him more of an edge, as he rose on his elbows looking to Severus with a newly made grimace of a smile. \"You think killing me is going to solve any of that? \"

\"Enough.\"

\"You\'re still going to be that ugly, greasy, pathetic loner whom no one could stand to sit next to.\"

\"No more.\"

\"You\'re still that sad little boy watching his Mummy and Daddy fighting...but what could they be fighting about Severus?\"

Snape was shaking now, out of fear or anger it was hard to tell. His face was paler than usual, watching Voldemort speaking in the empty room, his words filling it and suffocating Severus.

\"They couldn\'t have been fighting over you could they? They couldn\'t have been fighting over how stupid...or ugly you were...could they?\" more shuffling, \"They hated you Severus...you\'re own parents. They were ashamed of you.\"

\"No they weren\'t.\" there was a quiver in that deep timber of his and Voldemort unsucessfully tried to conceal a smirk on his thin lips. Snape wasn\'t moving much, more transfixed on that creature before him that spouted such...abominations.

\"Oh but they did Severus. When you were born the doctor took one look at you and grimaced. You\'re hideous...and cowardly. Look at you...three children here to do a job you should have done yourself.\"

Snape didn\'t move, his eyes locked on Voldemort\'s who was still speaking, his words doing more damage than a thousand Avra Kadavra\'s could. \"You want to know why I even let you become a DeathEater Severus?\"

He didn\'t wait for Snape to answer, not that he would have. \"I took pity on a pathetic loner of a boy like yourself...all those years of being that lonesome little misery, sulking away in the corner, dreaming of some career where you\'d get respect. And now look at you...a Professor at Hogwarts. I gave you everything and you threw it away.\"

Snape shook his head, \"Shut up.\" his wand shakily pointed to Voldemort who\'s smirk had gone into a full blown smile now. His shoulder\'s shaking with the pressure and his red eyes glowing hatefully. Every word he spoke was laced with venom and spit flew from his lips intermingled with blood. The worst was every word was like a dagger in Severus...because his words seemed to ring so true.

\"Why Severus? The truth hurts that much? Poor little Severus...the boy from a broken home, the boy who no one ever liked, the boy everyone laughed at as he was hung upside down with his greying underpants for all to see...the boy no one fell in love with, the boy no one could fall in love with except a pathetic mudblo-\"

\"SHUT UP!\" Snape bellowed, his wand waving about as the green light sparked at the end, \"You don\'t know anything, you don\'t kn-.\"

\"Oh enough Severus.\" Voldemort said, rolling his eyes shakily, \"You think I care about your worthless little threats? You know I speak the truth...I can see it in those hideous eyes of yours.\"

Snape was still shaking, \"No more.\"

\"But if you join me Severus,\" Voldemort was saying, inching closer to his fallen wand that was hidden in the shadows. \"I can give you power. True power. I can give you respect and honor.\" Snape seemed transfixed, looking at the aged man in rapt interest, Voldemort continued, \"I can give you . Re. Real love. I\'ll find you a mate, one worthy of you...\"

\"You co-\"

\"Oh...but I could.\"

Snape ed ted to weigh this, his dark eyes growing glassy. Voldemort siezed his chance rapidly, moving closer and closer to his fallen wand as Snape\'s was lowered inch by inch.

\"It can be better than before Severus...more power more respect...everything you\'ve wanted and more. Don\'t throw it away like before.\"

Snape didn\'t move at all, his wand finally lowered and he felt the tears threatening to fall now. All courage suddenly gone from him, images of yelling at him, pas fis fighting, schoolmates jeering...it all played in his head a thousand times over, haunting him as he stood there, eyes flickering and hands clenched. And then a truly horrible thought came to him: What if he\'s right?

Snape\'s dark eyes were done watering, a new wall built up around him as he viewed his master, fallen and in need of help. He had to turn then, turn away and not look to him....he was growing weak.

He didn\'t see Voldermort\'s hand that snaked around in the dark and clutched a wand, and in turn he didn\'t see the green flash of light that shot at him when he directed it at him and uttered \"Despariosa!\".

\"WATCH OUT!\" came a voice from behind him Harry pushed Snape forcefully out of the way, having come in moments prior. Snape in a state of shock fell to the ground, cursing and trying to see through his blanket of dark hair.

He felt as he hit the cold floor harshly, the pain biting into him as he tumbled and heard the body of Harry land not to far away. He heard the faint sounds of a familiar voice shouting out the final death spell.

\"ALASAMINA!\"

This was all in a whir as he heard Voldemort\'s final squeal of pain, he heard Hermione calling out to Snape and Ron calling to Harry. While Snape gave a small mutter of an answer Harry did not. Snape\'s heart completely dropped much to his surprise.

Harry may have been a child of James, but he was also a boy who had just risked his own life to save Snape\'s. Severus crawled over to him quickly, turning him over and seeing to his own surprise that the boy was breathing.

\"Harry.\" he said, the name foreign coming from him, he shook the boy roughly, \"Are you alright? Wake up up you stupid boy...wake up.\" he slapped him lightly about the cheeks as Harry\'s eyes fluttered open slowly, brilliant emeralds staring back up at him.

\"Well...\" Harry started, sitting up and looking to Snape confused, \"I-\" his eyes rolled into the back of his head and before he could fully faint Dumbledore was there, catching his head in his hands.

\"Albus...\" Snape uttered, seeing the man for the first time, \"When did, how-\"

Dumbledore\'s eyes twinkled, \"It matters not how I got here Severus. All that matters is I did...and in the nick of time if you ask me.\"

He motioned to the rather blackened Voldermort...he looked burned alive. Snape winced, remembering the revulsion he had felt moments before as Voldemort informed him of the power he could give him. He had wanted it.

Hermione was slowly walking over to the group, her hair in a bushy tangle and dirt smudges all over she and Ron\'s faces. Harry was a pulpy mass, blood and bruises all tangling together.

Ron was now stumbling over to Dumbledore, his trademark smile back on his freckled face as he did so, \"That was bloody brilliant!\" he said, shaking his hand emphatically and looking to Harry worriedly in Dumbledore\'s arms. \"Is Harry going to be alright?\"

\"Perfectly.\" Albus said with certainty, giving Ron a reassuring look. Ron nodded, pale and a bit shaky then, the impact settling into his mind.

\"What about the DeathEaters?\"

\"The spell\'s has been broken.\" Dumbledore said patting his shoulder, \"They are no longer bound to this...cult.\"

Silence settled around and Snape looked to Hermione surrepticiously, her face blank and pale. He felt a familiar tug at his heart then, pushing it off as too much excitment. Hermione didn\'t look to him he noted, and he felt himself grimace.

\"But...\" Ron continued, much to everyone\'s exasperation, \"They\'ve free wills sir. What if they start this sort of thing up again?\"

Dumbledore sighed, \"That\'s why people like Harry are born, Mister Weasely.\"

\"Bu-\"

\"Enough Mister Weasly.\" Snape said, standing and brushing himself off. He imagined he looked quite a state himself, Hermione was suddenly at his side, about to brush a strand of hair from his face. He looked to her levely, moving her hand from his face and moving away rather embarassed under the certain scrutiny of Albus.

\"Now if you\'ve no more questions,\" Dumbledore said, smirking a bit at Ron and frowning at Severus, \"We can be off.\"

\"What abo-\" Ron said, motioning to Hermione and Snape, Dumbledore frowned a bit, holding H qui quite uncomfortably in his arms.

\"Now, Mister Weasely.\"

Looking to Snape a moment longer than usual with an obvious displeased look, with a short snap he, Ron and Harry were gone in a twinkling flash.

Hermione and Snape stood in the horrible cold room, their breathing the only thing sounding around them.

\"Thank you.\"

Hermione looked to Snape gently, seeing his wary look shot in her direction. Here it was...all over and they were like two first years with a crush. Standing a few feet away and sneaking glances.

Her heart yearned for him...it was true...like all those stupid stories she had read. Her heart overflowed with thanks for him, thanks for finding him in this confusing world.

And suddenly Hermione dashed to him, wrapped her arms around him and began crying softly overcome with emotion. He knew he shouldn\'t push her away but it seemed an instant reaction. But her tight grip and warm tears became too much for him.

In obligation he too brought her closer to him, arms around her as she wept into his hair and he felt her hot breath on his neck as her sobs racked her body and he felt every one of them under his own grip. His eyes flew closed as he clung to her small, warm frame clng tng to him in turn for dear life. They stayed like this quite a long time, standing in a grip of comforting salvation untily she did speak eventually... as she always did, but now with more certainy, more strength and conviction.

\"It\'s finally over.\"