Dumbledore asked all Hogwarts’ staff to come to his office for a meeting. He informed them about Draco’s condition and talked about the potion Snape and Tori had been working on. Those who hadn’t been aware of the nature of this potion were highly surprised and McGonagall looked as happy as possible, under the circumstances.

The course of action for next Saturday was the topic of discussion.

Early morning, someone had to take the potion to Voldemort at the Malfoy Mansion. Preferable, this person was to witness with his or her own eyes that Voldemort actually drank the potion. Then this person should return to Hogwarts so Harry can alert the other Aurors to begin their attack on the Mansion. By then, the Death Eaters would all be present for the initiation and this would be their only chance to wipe them out completely.

A lot could go wrong, everyone agreed on that, but there were no other options. In the meantime, the teachers would make sure that none of the students left Hogwarts, certainly not on Saturday. Dumbledore would announce that all students should remain in their common rooms that day. Hopefully all those precautions would prove to be unnecessary, but it was better to be safe than sorry.

Late into the afternoon life at Hogwarts began to go back to normal. Snape had gone back to check on Draco and returned to Dumbledore’s office, saying that he didn’t seem to be in any pain anymore and was in a deep sleep. Only Tori, Snape and Dumbledore remained in the office. They had to determine who would take the potion to Voldemort.

“Naturally it will be me.” Snape concluded. “I know where he keeps his potion and if I use the invisibility cloak, no one will see me.”

Tori did not agree and fear for his safety could be heard in her voice when she pleaded: “You can’t go! Voldemort will surely sense you presence and if he or one of the Death Eaters finds you, they’ll kill you for sure!”

“They won’t find me and if they kill me after I’ve switched the potions, the mission will be successful.” On hearing these last words, Tori opened her mouth to let out a cry but her emotions prevented her from saying anything and only a rasping sound came out.

“Severus, I can see Tori’s point. You cannot be sure that you won’t be discovered before you have the opportunity to switch the potions and if Voldemort sees you there, he will most likely be suspicious about your reasons for being there and will probably not drink his potion.”

“Then what do you suggest?”

Dumbledore started “Well, I could…” but was interrupted by Tori.

“Let ME go. I can use the cloak too and if Severus tells me where the potion is stored, I can switch them and hide to see if he drinks it.”

The look of terror on Snape’s face was only a faint reflection of the paralyzing agony sliding through his body like a snake wrapping itself around his heart in a suffocating grip. “No!!!!” He screamed. “I will not allow you to do this.”

Dumbledore didn’t seem to notice the underlying emotions both volunteers were experiencing and stayed calm.

“Severus, I think Tori might have a chance. She has as much of a chance as you do to remain undetected but in case of discovery, Voldemort will not see her as a threat and will not kill her immediately. And since he does not know her, he will not know what she is doing there. Statistically, her mission is more likely to succeed than yours.”

“This is not a good plan. It has too many flaws in it. How can we be sure the potions are switched? After my last encounter with Voldemort in the Mansion, he made it impossible to apparate there, so there are no means of escape in case of detection.”

“Yes, there will be a fair amount of risk involved, but we’ve always known that and I’m sure Tori is well aware of it. Don’t underestimate the Gryffindor courage, Severus!” Dumbledore gave a faint smile. “However, we can send back-up if she’s not back before the ceremony begins.”

“By then it can be too late!” Snape felt Dumbledore had cornered him and was desperately trying to find more arguments to support his point of view. He would do anything to prevent Tori from going to that place.

“I’m prepared to take the risk.” Tori’s calm determination took Snape’s breath away. He looked at her in despair, his eyes begging her to reconsider.

“If you’re so keen on sacrificing a life, then I suggest you take mine. I’m familiar with Voldemort’s cruel games and I can withstand him long enough to accomplish the task.”

“No Severus, because of your dark mark, you are linked to Voldemort and I’m sure he’ll sense your presence before you can do anything. He hates you so much; he will not torture you but kill you instantly. Then where would we be? Besides, I don’t think Voldemort would want to miss the opportunity to show off in front of an adversary he considers no threat. My guess is, and I’m sure that since you know Voldemort, you will agree, he will force Tori to witness the initiation before he tries to hurt her. If it were to come to that, we WILL send a rescue team.”

Snape knew Dumbledore was right. He sighed deeply, knowing he couldn’t win from both Dumbledore and Tori.

Snape and Dumbledore went to Hagrid’s house once more to check how Draco was doing. At first Tori would go with them so she could join Snape in the dungeon afterwards, but when she saw Remus and Sirius by the lake, she decided to go and talk to them instead.

“Tori, how nice it is of you to drop by and see us! I hope you’ll still want to speak to us after you receive your Order of Merlin.” Sirius gave her a big smile.

“Oh, I don’t think…” Tori blushed.

“Don’t be so modest my dear, you and Severus have truly proved to be the perfect combination.” Did she imagine things or did Remus just wink at her? Apparently Sirius hadn’t noticed anything, although he turned to Remus saying: “Didn’t you have some marking to do?”

Remus sighed and walked to the castle, leaving Sirius alone with Tori. She suddenly felt a little awkward and tried to not show her uneasiness.

“Tell me, do the events planned for Saturday mean that our date is off?” Sirius asked.

“Umm…about that. Remus and I were thinking of waiting until Harry can join us. He’ll have a lot of work to do if our mission succeeds on Saturday. I suspect it won’t be until Christmas that I’ll get the chance to see Hogsmeade again.”

“Harry, Harry, who needs Harry! Girl, these young boys are no good for a woman of your brilliance. Boys are a fair bit behind in their development compared to girls, you know. Don’t you ever long for the companionship of a mature man, who can guide you through life and show you things you’ve never even dared dreaming about?” He tried to move his arms around her, slowly closing the space between them. Tori pulled back a little.

“Sirius, please don’t say those things!” her voice broke when she tried to squirm from his grip.

“Sweet Tori, all work and no play, you must allow yourself to relax sometime.” Laughing, like he was dealing with a disobedient child, he grabbed her tightly around her waist.

“No Sirius, I…” She began to panic.

“Black! Has your animagus drool blocked your ears or are you simply too full of yourself to hear the lady say that she isn’t interested?” Snape’s trademark sarcasm had never been so welcome to her.

For a moment it looked like both wizards would tear each other to pieces, but Tori prevented this by pushing Snape towards the castle, talking rapidly: “Oh, look at the time, we should be stirring the potion right now!” Snape gave Sirius another menacing look, but let himself be dragged away by her without protest.

When they entered the dungeon, they found themselves alone for the first time since Shannon interrupted their moment of passion. Seeing the scrolls of parchment and quills on the floor gave them an instant reminder of what had happened earlier that day.

Tori began picking up the mess they had made when Snape stopped her.

“Tori, we need to talk.” He sounded a bit insecure.

She kept collecting the scrolls and murmured: “Right, so you can tell me again that it didn’t mean anything at all and it was all a mistake. Yeah, right!”

Snape placed his hand on her shoulder and turned her around. There were tears in her eyes but she managed to push them back, readying herself to face another rejection from him.

“No, Tori, not quite.” She looked up at him, with hope in her eyes. “After what happened, I can no longer pretend it didn’t mean anything.” He signed deeply. “But I still believe it was a mistake and I intend to fight this attraction with all my might.”

Tori felt like she just scored a little victory, at least he was willing to face it! But she didn’t have him where she wanted him yet. “Why do you keep calling it a mistake?”

“For several reasons, first of all because I am not the right partner for you, ask anyone, they’ll agree.” He tried to joke about it, but she felt his pain when he put himself down like that.

“I’m not asking for everyone’s consent. The only opinion that counts is mine, and I think I’ve made that quite clear to you.” She was amazed at how they were able to analyze their situation so rationally and relaxed.

“It’s not just that. You see, when I saved Harry from Voldemort, my life came to an end. Maybe not technically, but that’s only a formality. Someday, some Death Eater will find me regardless of Dumbledore’s protection, but I can live with that. However, if word would spread that I had developed a special interest in a certain young witch, you can be sure that they would harm you just to get to me. That I cannot and will not live with.” While talking to her, he had taken her hands in his and looked into her eyes. “Please Tori, you cannot ask me to begin a relationship with you. By doing so I would sign your death sentence. We HAVE to try and keep our emotions under control.”

His emotional plea moved her deeply. She was at a loss for words for a moment (which didn’t happen often), understanding now why he had tried to push her away. However, this didn’t mean that she had to accept it.

“What if we defeat Voldemort on Saturday?”

“I so hope we will win. And I would love to think it will change everything, but even if Voldemort is dead, I will never be reassured. There always might be a Death Eater that manages to save himself. The risk…”

“Severus, now you are exaggerating. I appreciate your concern for my well-being, but please don’t look for excuses to get out of a commitment. If you don’t want that kind of relationship, I will not push you.” She meant every word and tried very hard not to become angry with him.

“It’s not the commitment that I fear; I don’t want to trap you. It would be better for you to find someone else.”

“We’re moving around in circles here, I thought we agreed that you would let ME be the judge of that.” He could be so irritating at times!

“You don’t understand…there are certain things I just cannot give you…”

“Name one, and don’t say ‘romance’ because I don’t give a damn about Valentines or flowers or all that other mushy stuff.”

“Children,” he whispered, “I cannot give you children.”

“Why?” She was a bit reluctant to ask such a personal question, but since he had brought it up and considering the extremely intimate activities they had engaged in early that day, she asked it anyway.

His gaze strayed to one corner of the lab as if he found it difficult to share these memories.

“The Cruciatus curse can have some nasty side-effects. Voldemort made a habit of pointing his wand to my lower body, where it hurts more, and apparently it caused permanent damage.”

“Are you sure?” This was so awful; Tori didn’t know what else to say.

He nodded. “Pretty sure. Poppy ran some tests; all of them gave the same end results. I don’t mind it all that much, really. I’m not exactly fond of children; however, I guess it’s different when they’re your own.”

“I don’t mind either.” Tori had never been so sure about anything in her life, but he shook his head.

“Now you say that, but you’re still so very young. It would be cruel to deny you the blessings of motherhood.”

“I’m not so sure it’s a ‘blessing’ like you say. Besides, if I ever would want to become a mother, there’s always adoption.”

“I’d feel better if you thought this through. I wouldn’t want you to stay with me out of pity.”

Tori laughed. “Trust me, I would never do that, I’m a Gryffindor, not a Hufflepuff, remember?”

This made him smile, but he ended the discussion by saying: “Then we agree to let things rest for a while.” There was nothing Tori could say to him to change his mind.

The days leading up to Tori’s mission were filled with potion-stirring, meetings with the Ministry, strategy-talks with Alastor Moody and worrying about Draco. He did not recover from his deep sleep. Not that he was in any pain, but nothing could wake him up and that wasn’t good news either. Everyone hoped that his condition would improve as a result of Voldemort’s downfall. Snape was constantly by his side, leaving teaching up to Tori. She was grateful for the distraction. Anything that stopped her from thinking about Saturday would do. She didn’t sleep very well and often went to visit Draco at night, enjoying Snape’s silent presence. Did he ever sleep? They hadn’t talked about their feelings for each other anymore, but they would have dinner together in his room that Friday.

Tori didn’t dress up for the occasion. She didn’t even pay attention to what she was eating. It seemed like time slipped through her fingers and it would be Saturday all too soon. It was no use denying the fact that she was extremely nervous, and Snape noticed.

“Tori, it’s not too late to let me go to the Mansion instead.”

“No. I said that I would do it, and I will. That doesn’t mean that I’ll enjoy it though.” She gave him a faint smile.

When it was time for her to return to her room, he pulled her into his arms, kissing her tenderly. He held her like he’d never let her go, burying his face in her hair. His voice broke and he trembled when he spoke: “Come back Tori, please come back. Do you hear me? Don’t you dare let them hurt you!”

She desperately tried to keep it together, knowing that if she let herself go, she would be up all night crying, instead of getting her much needed rest for what lay ahead of her.

Slowly she freed herself from his embrace. She’d never seen him look so lost and all she wanted to do now was comfort him. Before she would let her emotions get in the way of common sense, she turned around, took the potion and invisibility cloak, looked at him one more time and ran up to her room, not once looking back.

Tori tossed and turned, and curled up under the blankets, but couldn’t calm herself down. She should have asked for a sleeping potion! Severus Snape, when she thought about him, she realized that she might never see him again. By this time tomorrow she could be dead…

In a flash, she was out of bed. If she were to die tomorrow, why on earth was she spending her last night alone? She slipped into a robe, opened her door and rushed down to the dungeon.

She could see a light shining under his door. He was still up, probably couldn’t sleep either. She didn’t bother to knock and surprised him while he was undressing.

He had heard a faint noise outside the door, but his brain didn’t seem to register it. He stood next to his bed, removing his last piece of clothing. He jumped up when Tori entered.

“I couldn’t stay away.” Was all she said to him.

He started to say something in protest but then she dropped her robe. She was not wearing anything underneath and the sight of her nude body made him forget his protests. She thought he was looking at her as if he planned to remember her forever. They didn’t speak. Words were unnecessary and would only be inadequate to express the intensity of their feelings.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

She was the first to move and tried to wriggle out of his embrace. He pushed himself up on one side using his elbow, caressed her hair and asked: “Did I hurt you?” She blushed, looked away and mumbled: “It was more than worth it.” He grinned on hearing her honest answer. He followed her into his bathroom and they showered together, turning a daily routine into an erotic exploration.

When they returned to the bedroom, Tori was not ready to go to sleep. At the end of the night Severus pulled her tightly to him, tangling their arms and legs together and they both fell asleep instantly, extremely exhausted.

Tori slowly opened her eyes and stretched out her arms and legs, drinking in the warmth of the memory of last night. Never had she imagined it could be like that! Her limbs felt a little stiff and still quite languid; she didn’t want to get up just yet. Then she remembered what day today was. Her eyes scanned the room, but no one else was there. She seemed to be alone. Quickly she jumped out of bed and ran into the bathroom. Severus would have probably gone to the kitchens in search for some early breakfast. She put on her robe and went to her own room where she would find more of her clothes and could pick up the potion and the invisibility cloak.

When she entered her room, the first thing she noticed was the absence of both the potion and the cloak. She found a letter pinned to her pillow. Her hands trembled when she reached for it, afraid to see with her eyes what her heart already knew. Her heart was pounding and she nervously fumbled with the paper before she was able to open it. Her worst fears were confirmed, and her world came tumbling down when she read his words.

Dearest Tori,

I couldn’t let you do it. Please forgive me if I make it sound like I don’t have faith in your abilities. You would have succeeded, I’m sure of it. However, this shouldn’t have to be your battle and you should not put yourself in danger over a conflict that began long before you were born. I believe you have a lot to offer to the wizarding world and will make a brilliant scientist. But most of all, you are deeply loved by your friends, family and colleagues and would be greatly missed if something went wrong. I am counting on them to support you in dealing with all this and to encourage you to fulfill your destiny as one of the greatest minds in the wizarding world.

I love you,

Severus

She sank onto her bed, tears running down her cheeks. She could see last night’s events in a whole new perspective now. Just when had he decided to go in her place? Had he had any intention at all to let her go? He must have counted on her to oversleep after their night together. Could she reverse the events by using the time-turner? A glance at her watch told her that it was past nine ‘o clock, so he would have been gone for a few hours. There was nothing she could do about it, for she didn’t know when he had left. Slowly reality began to sink in and her sobs became louder and louder until she was near hysteria. She clenched the letter in her hand and paced her room. There had to be something she could do. She couldn’t let him die like that! Without any further thought, she fled her room and ran to Dumbledore’s office. She stormed in, still crying, not noticing Harry and Lupin’s presence, her attention focused on the Headmaster. When she had come bursting in, the three of them looked surprised in seeing her there. For all they knew, she was at Malfoy Manor. With her throat sore from crying, her words came out sounding a bit hoarse and because she was talking too fast in an attempt to let everything out at once, it took them a while to understand what she was saying.

“He’s…he’s gone! To Malfoy’s…didn’t want me to go. We’ve got to stop him, they’ll kill him!”

She kept repeating, “They’ll kill him!” Dumbledore embraced her, trying to calm her down, but the tears kept running and her sobs prevented her from answering any questions that they might have. They were anxious to know for how long he had been gone and if he had taken the cloak. They had figured out who ‘he’ was. At last, Dumbledore focused on soothing her and decided she could answer their questions later on. When she let him read the letter she calmed down a bit, but when she saw the compassionate look he gave her, she went hysterical once more. She cried out “And I haven’t even told him I love him yet,” before she collapsed in Dumbledore’s arms.

They laid her down on Dumbledore’s sofa. Fawkes immediately flew up and landed on the arm of it, his wings waving fresh air towards her. Harry looked puzzled. He had figured out that Severus had taken the potion to Voldemort, but he had been astonished to see how this news affected Tori. He had no idea she felt this close to the Potions Master. Dumbledore and Lupin didn’t look all too surprised about this, so he felt that he had missed something.

“Would anyone like to give me an explanation…” he began.

Lupin hesitated for a moment, but eventually decided to tell him what he knew. “Well, I’ve known for some time that Severus was developing some feelings for Tori. It wasn’t until recently that I’ve discovered these feelings were mutual. I guess they haven’t been speaking about it openly to each other. Knowing Severus…” but Dumbledore interrupted him.

“Tori has spent the night with Severus.” Seeing their stunned faces, he suppressed a little chuckle before he continued. “I thought it was their way of saying goodbye before she left for Malfoy Manor, but clearly I have underestimated my Potions Master.”

“You mean he has given her a sleeping potion?” Harry was still in shock.

“Ahem, no, I don’t think he did that.” Seeing Dumbledore’s uneasiness, Harry and Lupin got the message and both flushed. Now Dumbledore could no longer withhold a chuckle. He turned serious again when he looked at Tori.

“Poor thing, she probably thinks he’s giving his life for her,” he paused taking a deep sigh, “and most likely she’s right.”

“What can we do?” Harry had recovered enough to be practical.

“Not much for now. We have to give him time to switch the potions and witness Voldemort drink the new one. There’s no way that we can tell he has succeeded. However, if he has not returned before nightfall, we have to assume something went wrong. It’s roughly the same plan we had for Tori, with the added risk of Severus’ dark mark giving his presence away.”

“And what do we do then? If we were to go over there to rescue him, we would not be sure what we were facing. I don’t think Alastor is prepared to sacrifice his Aurors to save one wizard.” Harry seemed troubled by this. “But we cannot leave him there on his own. Tori would be devastated if anything happened to him”

“So what do you suggest Harry?” Lupin thought he already knew what was going on inside the young man’s mind. He would do anything to help his best friend.

“Well, I guess a small team can go first to assess the situation and try to get him out of there, volunteers of course.”

“And you being one of them, I assume?”

Harry looked up at Dumbledore. “Severus Snape has saved my life on numerous occasions, one time being particularly hazardous. I would be unworthy of being a Gryffindor if I were to forsake him now.”

Dumbledore nodded. “Then so it will be. We will wait for news and if he doesn’t show up by nightfall, you have my permission to take a small team to the Manor and look for him. When you are sure about the strength of Voldemort’s powers you can return to collect the other Aurors.”

“I want to go too!” Tori had woken up during their conversation. Her eyes begged Harry to include her in his rescue mission.

“Oh Tori, we’re not even sure yet we will have to do this. For all we know, he might be back very soon.”

“Harry, don’t tell me you expect me to believe that! I might be a little upset about this, but I can assure you there’s nothing wrong with my mind. I can be very useful when you go.”

“All right, consider yourself a member of the team.” He sighed, knowing Snape would not be happy if he knew she would be coming to the Manor after all the trouble he had gone to in preventing her from going. Well, if they did go there, Harry would be more than grateful if Snape was even remotely capable of scolding him for endangering Tori.

Dumbledore decided to move to the Great Hall. He asked all of Hogwarts staff to join them there. A few moments later Alastor Moody and Arthur Weasley arrived as well. They all knew what was going to happen today, but hadn’t expected a meeting this early in the morning. The worry on their faces showed that they all suspected that something had gone wrong. Dumbledore explained the situation, without mentioning the special bond between Severus and Tori. The majority of the people at the meeting were in favor of Harry’s plan, but there were some voices raised that didn’t want to interfere at all. Sirius Black explained his point of view.

“You see, he didn’t want anybody to be in danger in the first place. Why should we risk more lives? I suggest we sit and wait. If nothing happens and Voldemort carries on like old times, we know he failed and if suddenly the attacks were to diminish, then we can send the Aurors to invade the Manor.”

Tori cried out: “Oh Sirius, how can you think like that?! Have you no honor? Naturally, if we wait a few days we can be sure about Voldemort’s condition and we have a bigger chance to get through this without casualties. However, I think that if we are willing to sacrifice the life of one for the benefit of many, we are lowering ourselves to his level. I for one am not willing to do so. I still consider myself to be a true Gryffindor!!!!!!” Her emotional words echoed in the Great Hall, leaving everyone staring in front of them. Harry was the first to raise his head. He looked at both Alastor Moody and Arthur Weasley for their approval. They nodded.

“We will do so as planned.” Alastor said. “We have done enough waiting in this battle.” Tori gave him a grateful look.

All they had to do now was prepare for tonight’s events. A few of the teachers went to check on the students to see if they were staying in their common rooms as told. Halfway through the afternoon, Ron and Bill Weasley arrived. They had come to take part in the large Auror/Ministry attack later that night, but upon hearing about the crisis, decided to join Harry’s team. Tori felt that she should include Ron on the situation between her and Snape, but hesitated to do so, knowing a severe shock was in store for him later on when he would find out about Shannon and Draco.

Tori, Ron and Harry were sitting together at their former Gryffindor table and Tori was just about to inform them on the Shannon/Draco issue, when suddenly Harry grabbed his forehead, his face twisted in pain. He fell on the floor, his body making epileptic convulsions. All they could do was wait until his seizure stopped. When he calmed down, everyone was standing around him. His scar was still swollen when he opened his eyes. He didn’t look at Tori when he told them what he had experienced.

“I saw Voldemort outside the Malfoy’s Manor. Severus was there. He has been discovered. Voldemort was torturing him severely. Cruciatus, many times, then it all went black.” Harry took a deep breath. At the end he had felt Snape’s pain. It had been so intense he had been knocked out. He could only hope Snape had done the same.

There was panic in the Great Hall. McGonagall spread her eyes, her hand covering her open mouth in disbelief. Hagrid was stomping his feet and slammed his fist on the table. The other teachers were talking in confusion. Lupin had moved closer to Tori and laid a hand on her shoulder. Tori herself tried to stay calm; at least he had been alive! Dumbledore shouted “QUIET!!” They all looked at him.

“We know now that Severus has been detected. However, does this mean he has failed to switch the potions? That we do not know, but we have to move fast. He will not be able to endure the Cruciatus Curse for much longer. Harry?” Dumbledore inquired.

“We go now.” Was the only thing Harry said.

“No, you cannot!” Sirius cried out. “You don’t know what you’re up against, for Merlin’s sake Harry!”

A mental clash was going on between godfather and godson when they locked eyes. Both felt strongly about their point of view and Sirius’ fear for Harry’s well-being reflected on his face. Finally Sirius looked down, admitting his defeat. “If you’re so keen on getting yourself killed,” he mumbled.

“No, I will go!” A clear voice rang through the Great Hall. Everyone turned towards the entrance where they saw Shannon and Draco.

“Draco!” Tori’s face lit. “You’re back?!” Then she turned to Dumbledore. “Headmaster, you know what this means, don’t you?”

“Hold on Tori, this can mean a lot of things. Maybe they stopped trying.” Seeing the disappointed look on her face he continued: “It’s also possible Severus has been able to replace the potion and Voldemort drank the weakening potion, but there’s no way we can be sure” and then to Draco: “Draco, when you get to the Manor they will think their spell worked. They don’t know how it affected you at Hogwarts. For all they know, you just had a slight headache.” Draco nodded; he understood what Dumbledore was getting at.

“Wait a minute! Are you going to let Draco go by himself?” Shannon sounded alarmed. Harry and Ron raised their eyebrows, but Sirius was quick to respond. He had been thinking the same, but not for the same reasons as Shannon. “Yes Albus, this kid is a Slytherin. What makes you think he won’t run back to daddy?” Before Dumbledore could defend his newest ally, Harry has answered his godfather.

“Sirius, really, I never thought you’d be so prejudiced. First Severus and now Draco. I, for one, am prepared to believe in him.” Seeing the slightly surprised, but grateful look on Draco’s face he continued. “But I do think two people will have more chance. Therefore I suggest Draco takes me to Voldemort as his prisoner. This will also explain why he has been hiding at Hogwarts for so long, waiting for the right opportunity to catch me. Draco can move around freely at the Manor and I can keep Voldemort busy while Draco looks for Severus.”

Dumbledore smiled at both Harry and Draco.

“Let’s do so for now.”

Snape woke up early; his arm wrapped around Tori’s sleeping body. Slowly he removed himself from her embrace, stood up next to the bed and looked down upon her. His emotions overtook him at the sight of the long strawberry brown hair slightly covering her delicate face. Seeing her feminine curves still made his blood rush and he closed his eyes, thinking about last night. He had never felt this way about anyone in his entire life. The need to protect her and shield her from all harm was overwhelming. Gently he bent over her, his lips brushing lightly against hers. He turned around and went into his bathroom. While dressing, he stared into the mirror and mumbled: “Well, Severus Snape, I guess this is it. Always knew you’d end up dead before your time, so don’t start whining now and get on with it.” He took a deep breath, knowing what he had to do.

Quietly he left the dungeon and headed for Tori’s room. It was still dark outside and no one was up at this hour so he didn’t need to hurry. When he got there, he put on the invisibility cloak and took the potion. He was about to leave when he decided he couldn’t leave her like that. She was entitled to an explanation and he felt the need to express his feelings for her. She would hate him for going to the Manor behind her back, but the chances were high that he would never see her again, so it wouldn’t do him any harm to tell her that he loved her. He wasn’t foolish enough to believe that Tori loved him back. Surely she had some feelings for him, but he discarded them as mere teenage lust. She would soon enough find another love-interest. He winced, thinking about Tori together with another man. He pinned the letter to her pillow and left.

It was starting to get light when he reached Hogsmeade, where he disapparated to the forest directly outside Malfoy Manor.

When he approached the house, it looked deserted. He knew this was far from true. Its inhabitants would all be fast asleep, tired from their nightly escapades. He managed to enter the house through an open window. *They must consider themselves untouchable to leave this house unprotected against intruders.* He thought. He didn’t know how many people would be inside, but counted on Voldemort, Pettigrew and Malfoy senior himself. By tonight there would be a considerably larger number of adversaries. It was vital that Voldemort drank the weakening potion before the others arrived.

Proceeding inaudibly, he had reached Voldemort’s quarters. He entered the private lab and spotted the supplies of strengthening potion. It was easy to replace it with his own vial. The potions looked identical and he had charmed them to taste the same. He threw the strengthening potion into the fireplace. A loud hissing emerged, but nothing else happened. Now he needed to destroy the formula. He scanned the bookshelves to find the book containing the recipe but he didn’t see any book he didn’t already know almost by memory. He sighed, Voldemort probably kept the recipe close at hand.

He searched the scrolls on the table and discovered something interesting: the wax Draco-doll, wrapped in a piece of parchment. He unwrapped it and read the spell. It was the human accio-spell like Tori thought. It also said the spell had to be recast every time the wizard that had originally cast the spell directed his power elsewhere. He took a mental note to keep this in mind and restored the package in its original form. The next room he entered was Voldemort’s office. He sat himself down at the desk and browsed the papers. None of them contained the recipe. Time was passing fast and he desperately searched through the office. Then he saw a little wooden box with a snake-shaped handle. He opened it and found the recipe. He burned it and replaced it with the recipe for a harmless sleeping potion.

All he needed to do now was find a hiding place to spy on Voldemort. Where better than in the lab, where he could see with his own eyes when Voldemort would take the potion. He left the office and went back to the lab where he hid in the corner behind the door, reassured that his cloak would shield him from their eyes if someone were to enter.

It took a while before life came back to the house. The waiting was nerve-racking and Snape focused his thoughts on Tori while he tried to stay calm. Finally he heard Lucius Malfoy talking to Voldemort. They were preparing for tonight’s ceremony and entered the lab.

“I still cannot believe that Draco hasn’t returned yet.”

“Your son is at Hogwarts, I told you. That is why the spell has failed so far.”

“But I don’t understand why he would want to go there. He loathes Dumbledore!”

“You tell me why he is there, he is YOUR son.” Voldemort’s cold voice made Malfoy shiver; it didn’t look good for Draco.

“Are you going to stop the spell?”

“No. The moment he leaves Hogwarts grounds he will be transported here. We must keep trying until the ceremony starts. Then I will consider him lost.” Malfoy swallowed, knowing what that meant. He went on his knees and groveled.

“Please Master; I’m sure Draco is not at Hogwarts by means of his own free will. Let me go to…”

“NO!” Voldemort raised his voice only slightly, but the terror on Malfoy’s face showed he knew he shouldn’t push the subject any further for fear of what might be done to him in return.

“As I said, we will wait. Now, when are the others to arrive?”

“They will be here before sundown, Master. The novices have to be prepared before we can begin the initiation.”

“Fine, now, leave me alone, I have work to do.”

Lucius Malfoy left the lab and Snape stared at Voldemort. This was the moment of truth. If Voldemort would be able to sense him, he would be doing so any moment now. Then he realized something. If Voldemort were to discover him in the lab, all of his efforts would be ruined. Dumbledore had been right. Voldemort would never drink his potion after seeing him here. The door to the lab was still open and Snape slowly slid towards it. Then he froze. Voldemort had turned around and stared right at him. For a moment, it seemed like they locked eyes and Snape was unable to move. Then he realized that Voldemort couldn’t see him and wasn’t even looking at him. Pettigrew had come in and stood right behind Snape. He moved aside and slipped behind him, leaving the lab undetected.

He decided to hide outside the house in the garden, where the initiation ritual would take place. If anyone were to find him there, they would assume he was here to stop the ceremony. It was quite cold outside and he looked for the position of the sun to determine the time. He concluded that it was halfway through the afternoon. Soon the Death Eaters would be arriving. He saw Voldemort coming out into the garden, inspecting the ritual grounds. Then it hit him. He had to make Voldemort drink the potion by forcing him to use his power. If Voldemort were weakened enough, he would surely need another sip of his potion. Snape thought of the human-accio spell. It required a lot of energy. He had to provoke a situation that would lead to a renewal of the spell. He needed Voldemort to use his magic. It seemed rather radical, but he saw no other way.

Snape deliberately stepped on a twig. The cracking sound it made caused Voldemort to turn around, facing him. He approached the hiding place and saw the broken twig. Snape held his breath, knowing that he was about to be discovered. Voldemort reached out and pulled the invisibility cloak from him. Snape did not have to fake his fear when he saw Voldemort’s rage on finding him there. He stretched his back and looked straight into the eyes of death. Voldemort had raised his wand.

“Expelliarmus” he said softly, and Snape’s wand flew into his free hand. “Well, well, well, what do we have here? Really Severus, I haven’t given you nearly enough credit thinking you wouldn’t have the guts to show your face here again. But then, you weren’t planning on being seen, am I right?” he laughed irritatingly. “Now, what am I going to do with you?” He started pacing around Snape, talking slowly, torturing him by delaying his execution. “Tell me, dear Severus, what were you doing here? You don’t honestly think that you can stop my little ceremony all by yourself, do you? Snape looked at him without blinking. Voldemort mocked him: “My, my, I believe you DID come here to stop me. Oh Severus, such arrogance does not suit you. I liked it better when you were your former humble self. But I will do you a favor, for old time’s sake.” He smiled widely and Snape couldn’t stop himself from shivering when he continued. “I will let you witness the rise of the next generation of Death Eaters…if you recover.” And then he laughed out loud, aiming his wand at his former follower, screaming: “CRUCIO!!”

The pain hit Snape like a bold of lightning. After the first few hits, he was able to control the pain by focusing his mind on something else: the soothing hazel eyes of his beloved. Voldemort continued the torture; tormenting him by firing the curse with increasing intensity until the pain over took his entire being. In a flash he saw Harry Potter at Hogwarts lying on the floor with Tori bent over him. Tori…and then it all went black.

Voldemort kicked his unconscious victim in the ribs. Lucius Malfoy, who had come out while Voldemort was having his fun with Snape, did the same. “You see Lucius, in the end they always get what they deserve.” He cried out in ecstasy, his bloodthirsty being completely satisfied for now. Malfoy slowly removed himself from the scene, shivering at the thought of what his son would have to endure if he didn’t show up soon. He himself would probably have to suffer as well. “Damn it Draco, where the hell are you!” he muttered.

When the adrenaline rush settled down, Voldemort found himself drained by the energy it had cost him to punish Snape. He had put up quite a fight, but then again, he always knew Snape was good for a little show. Hopefully he would regain consciousness for the ceremony. It would be the last thing this despicable traitor would see! He went to his lab, knowing he needed to restore the human-accio spell, although deep down, he had already given up on the young Malfoy. However, there was no need to alarm Malfoy senior before tonight’s ceremony was over. He picked up the doll and read the spell, having a hard time concentrating. No, first he needed his potion. He took it from the shelf and took a sip. Thinking about the amount of energy he wasted on Snape, he decided he needed an extra dosage and took another one. He felt his stomach twitch a little, but blamed it on the overdose. When he got back outside, he smiled, seeing the results of his most loyal subject’s preparations. There was a circle of stones laid out in the garden. In the center of the circle stood an altar of obsidian where he would burn the dark mark into the left arm of the novices. A large chair decorated with snake-shaped ornaments stood right behind the altar. Voldemort went to sit in his chair, looked sideways to Snape’s motionless body and smiled, awaiting the arrival of his Death Eaters.

Dumbledore signaled Harry, he wanted to talk to him. “Now, be careful Harry. Voldemort will assume you don’t have your wand and will maybe try an Avada Kedavra on you, though, I don’t think he’ll be that transparent. Just remember, your only purpose is to keep him busy. Give Draco some time to find Severus. Hopefully Severus will be able to tell us whether Voldemort has taken the potion.”

Harry nodded. He hid his wand in his sleeve and went up to Malfoy. “Ready, Draco?” Draco looked very pale and his eyes searched for Shannon. When their eyes met, he calmed down. He was doing this for her. Harry witnessed it and went to Tori. “How long has this been going on? No, don’t tell me, I don’t even want to get into this. Honestly, nothing could ever surprise me after today!”

“Be careful Harry.” Tori spoke in a little voice.

“Don’t worry; I’ll bring him back to you. And then you can do with him whatever you like, as long as I don’t have to know about it!” he tried to make her laugh, desperately needing some distraction as well.

They all went to Hogsmeade together. Harry took Draco by the hand and disapparated with him.

Dumbledore went over to Tori, Ron, and Bill. “Bill, I would like to ask you to go to the Manor as well.” Following Bill’s nod he continued. “It is vital that Voldemort does not discover that he is powerless before our attack. Therefore I would like you to perform his magic for him.” Tori and Ron looked puzzled, but Bill seemed to know what Dumbledore was asking.

He explained it to them. “I can make myself invisible. Actually, I’m quite good at it, even Alastor cannot detect me.”

Tori’s mouth dropped. “That’s fantastic!”

Dumbledore hadn’t finished and looked at Tori and Ron. “I know the both of you are very worried about what’s going on at the Manor right now. If you want to, you can accompany Bill.” They both nodded eagerly. “Right, Tori, I assign you the task of taking care of Severus. I know Draco will look for him, but if he is unconscious, they won’t be able to apparate here, since Draco does not know how. You will have to do it. Ron, you will let us know when the Death Eaters arrive. When they do, you apparate back here and we will send Aurors. Any questions?” The three of them shook their head no. They all knew what to do and realized the importance of it. When they disapparated, Dumbledore closed his eyes and mumbled a prayer, he didn’t know to which higher power, but he hoped that at least one of them was listening!

Voldemort was sitting in his chair when Draco and Harry came out of the forest. He jumped up, his wand ready to strike. Lucius Malfoy came running outside the house upon seeing his son.

“Draco! Where on earth have you been?”

Draco swallowed, this was the moment he had feared the most, and it all depended now on whether he could fool them with his little act.

“You tell ME first how I got here! I was walking into Hogsmeade and the next thing I know, I’m standing in our forest.”

“We put a spell on you to bring you back here. Now, where did you say you were?”

“I was at Hogwarts, waiting for Potter to show himself.” He said in his usual arrogant manner, and then he turned to Voldemort and met his eyes. “I have brought you a present in honor of my initiation.” He had spoken calmly and Voldemort was so obsessed with Harry Potter that he didn’t question Draco’s sincerity, not even for a moment.

“Harry Potter. What a pleasant surprise.” The icy voice went straight to Harry’s stomach and he had to force himself not to twitch. Voldemort came closer and held his wand in front of him. “You will be my guest of honor tonight.” He laughed. “Together with your friend!” For a moment both Harry and Draco feared that Voldemort had seen through their act, before they realized that he meant Snape. “You see Draco; I have a present for you as well.” He pointed at the motionless figure on the ground, outside the stone circle. “I wanted him for myself, but since you have pleased me, I will give him to you. He will be your first killing as a Death Eater. What do you say about that?” Draco forced a joyous expression on his face.

“I would be delighted.” Voldemort went to sit down again. He kept looking at Harry, gesturing Draco to come and stand by his side. “Look Draco, now I will show you what the power of a Death Eater is like.” He raised his wand and aimed it at Harry. “CRUCIO!” he screamed.

At first, Harry was stunned by the absence of pain. Instantly realizing that Severus had been successful, he cringed and made a spectacle of himself trying to fake pain of the Cruciatus curse. He fell down on his knees. Seeing the satisfaction on Voldemort’s face gave him proof that his deception had succeeded. Suddenly he heard a familiar voice whispering from behind him.

“Harry, it’s Bill. Are you all right? Did the curse affect you?”

Harry didn’t dare turn around, and just hissed, “No, nothing, I’m ok.”

“Fine, I will pass the message on. Be prepared for the arrival of the Death Eaters. Only a few moments’ later reinforcements will be here. Run for Draco and apparate with him to Hogsmeade. Then get back here. Good luck.” Bill moved back into the trees, where Tori and Ron were hiding.

“What’s going on?” Ron asked.

“It worked. Harry didn’t feel a thing. Now, I’m going to stand behind Voldemort, just in case he wants to do a bit of magic. Tori, you can see where Severus is lying, yes? Well, when the Aurors get here, go to him and drag him into the forest to apparate.”

“Draco?” she asked.

“Harry will take care of him. Ron, when it looks like they’re all here, you return immediately to Hogsmeade, alright?”

“Of course.”

“Fine, well…see you all back at Hogwarts then!” and he left.

The waiting seemed to take ages, when in fact only half an hour had passed when the Death Eaters came out of the forest where they had apparated. Ron counted more than twenty and Tori spotted the former Slytherin-students. They were wearing a white robe and she noticed Lucius Malfoy giving one to Draco as well. The Death Eaters took their places in the circle, leaving no open spaces, while the novices stood in front of the altar. Voldemort levitated a book that was lying on the altar – in fact, Bill would be doing that – and started to recite some Latin text. Quickly, Ron disapparated and Tori moved a little closer to the edge of the forest, ready to run towards the man she loved.

When Ron arrived at Hogsmeade, he immediately yelled: “It worked, he has no power, and hundred’s of Death Eaters are there now!!!”

Dumbledore sighed in relief. “Alastor, Arthur, your people know what to do?”

“Yes. You can all go, NOW.” Alastor said to the Aurors standing behind him. He whispered something to Arthur Weasley and turned back to Dumbledore. “We will go as well. Maybe it’s best if you prepare to receive some casualties, just in case.” With that they disapparated to the Manor

Tori could see some shadows emerging from the forest. She assumed it was the Aurors and noticed Harry had seen them as well. He was fumbling with his sleeve to take out his wand when Tori saw an owl flying out of the forest, circling the altar. It was the sign to begin the attack. The Aurors had been surrounding the Death Eaters and were closing in on them. The Death Eaters looked at Voldemort in confusion. “Fools!” he screamed, “We have Potter and this will be the end of him!” He raised his wand, aimed it at Harry and called out: “AVADA KEDAVRA!” But nothing happened.

Harry could see the shock on Voldemort’s face when he froze in disbelief. His head turned towards Draco and he clawed his fingers around his nick, hissing: “You little backstabber, this is your doing.”

Lucius came between them. “No Master, Draco would never…” He managed to loosen Draco from Voldemort’s grip and looked at his son. “Draco, prove to me this instant you are still my loyal son.” Lucius grabbed Harry and held him in front of Draco. “Kill him.” He said.

Draco raised his wand, looked into Harry’s eyes, nodded and yelled: “Expelliarmus!” aiming right at his father. Lucius yelped and his face twisted with rage. He reached out for Draco, but Harry had grabbed him and ran off with him towards the forest.

Voldemort ran after them, calling out to nobody in particular: “Stop them!! Kill them!!” but no one heard him, since the Aurors had begun their attack and all of the wizards there were engaged in duels.

Taking advantage of the confusion, Tori hurried towards Severus. She took the time to examine him briefly. Relieved that he was still breathing; she levitated him a few inches, saw the invisibility cloak lying underneath him and covered him with it. She was ready to transport him towards the forest when Voldemort blocked her way. Noticing Severus’ wand in his left hand, she needed to come up with a plan to fight him off and recover the wand. She couldn’t levitate Severus and fight Voldemort at the same time and he smiled viciously at her.

“No, no, no. I will not let you run off with my prize.” He clenched his fist, ready to slam her in the face, but she was one step ahead of him and kicked him in the groin with all of her might.

Not wasting any more time she took the wand from him and ran towards the forest. She turned around and looked at the Malfoy garden for the last time, before she apparated. She would never forget what was taking place right in front of her very own eyes. Inside the ceremonial circle, dozens of wizards were fighting for their lives. She saw Bill Weasley getting the upper hand and smiled. Apparently Harry had returned and was now heading for Voldemort, who still hadn’t recovered from her mean kick. Curious whether Harry would kill the person that had caused him so much grief, she watched their encounter. He raised his wand and seemed to hesitate for a moment, and then he aimed it straight at him. Tori could not hear what he was saying, but saw ropes emerging from the wand, wrapping around the powerless wizard. Relieved that Harry didn’t use an unforgivable curse, she turned her back on the battlefield, held onto Severus and disapparated to Hogsmeade.

Dumbledore was anxious to hear some news. Only Ron and Draco had returned from the scene and they had left before the actual attack and begun. Tori quickly filled him in on the latest developments and then escorted Severus back to Hogwarts where she took him immediately to the hospital wing. Poppy Pomfrey was already on full alert and welcomed her first patient. Some of the elder students were called to assist the nurse with other possible casualties. Tori took it upon herself to nurse Severus.

Later that night, it was finally over. Thanks to the element of surprise, most Aurors came through without any major injuries. Only Severus’s condition seemed serious. Poppy had scanned him and concluded that he had suffered some internal bleeding, together with some serious bruising. Only time would tell if he would fully recover and he was still in a great deal of pain. Above all that, the whole ordeal had weakened him severely. Tori tried to stay calm, believing in his recovery. She would do anything to get him back. Starting tomorrow, she was going to brew a potion that would relieve him from his remaining pain and get him back to full strength. Nothing she couldn’t handle!

Meanwhile, the students had been informed of the night’s events and were allowed to celebrate in their common rooms. The teachers, Alastor Moody, and the Weasleys – including Shannon, sat together in Dumbledore’s office. “Right, Arthur, can you give us an update?”

Arthur Weasley cleared his throat. “Voldemort and his Death Eaters, together with the novices have been captured and are now incarcerated. They can rot in Azkaban until their trial comes up. Then we decide what to do with them.”

They all looked at each other feeling a bit strange, finding it hard to believe that the years of terror had finally come to an end. It all seemed so unreal!

Then Harry and Draco came bursting in, Harry catching his breath before he stumbled:

“Malfoy…Lucius Malfoy…can’t find him…he got away!”

Everyone went silent and looked at Dumbledore. He stayed calm and asked Harry for more information. He told him that they had searched the Manor, but there was no sign of the fugitive. Draco had given them directions to the Malfoy’s summer residence where his mother was staying. They put her under surveillance, but Malfoy senior had not turned up. Dumbledore sighed.

“Well, there’s not much we can do, except to keep an eye out for him. He’ll turn up eventually. I will inform my fellow Headmasters and I suggest you do the same with the foreign Ministers, Arthur.” Arthur Weasley nodded and left immediately. Then Dumbledore continued: “Although this is an unwelcome setback, we must not let it stand in our way of celebrating our victory. This is truly a great day in history and I suggest we don’t let Lucius’ escape spoil it. Let the festivities begin!” With that said, house elves, serving champagne and the most delicious assortments of food invaded his office.

The celebrations continued the following day in the Great Hall, allowing the students to participate. As the news of Voldemort’s defeat spread, journalists came to Hogwarts to look for a first-hand report. Dumbledore briefly explained what had happened and asked to let everyone deal with last night’s events first, before giving any interviews. But because of how careful he wanted to handle all of this, he wasn’t able to prevent rumors from spreading and soon the reporters wanted to know everything about the role Severus Snape and Tori Bloom had played. They couldn’t resist this splendid opportunity to add a romantic touch to the already legendary battle. In an attempt to avoid this media-frenzy, Dumbledore decided to go on with things as if nothing happened, continuing the lessons on Monday as usual. The students were obviously disappointed, for they had hoped to go home to their parents to celebrate and get a week off. Dumbledore assured them that there would be enough time to celebrate during the Christmas-holidays. He pointed out to them that it wasn’t over yet. Not with one Death Eater still missing! This made them settle down a bit and the capture of Lucius Malfoy was the main topic of conversation from that point on. Bets were made on how long it would take to catch him and who would do it, Harry being the favorite person on everyone’s list.

Tori seemed to be completely unaware of all the commotion. She had participated in the celebrations the first night, but found that she couldn’t relax while Severus was in pain. Therefore, she confined herself to the dungeons where she indulged in studying large volumes of potion books. They had moved Snape to his own bedroom and Tori always left the communicating door open, so she could check on him regularly. Madam Pomfrey had given him a strong sedative and he looked totally wiped out, but sometimes he managed to move his head and then she heard him moan. It cut right through her heart.

It was close to midnight that Sunday when Draco Malfoy knocked on the door. Tori let him in, not really surprised to see him.

“Hi Draco.” She felt a little awkward, knowing that he had to raise his wand against his own father. “Um…how are you? You know, how are you coping?”

His eyes went cold when he looked at her. “I don’t care what happens to him. Professor Snape has always been more of a father to me than Lucius ever was.” Then he showed his concern. “How is he?” He whispered like a person does when visiting the terminally ill.

“You can go in and see him.” Tori said. “He hasn’t regained consciousness yet, but I’m working on that.” Draco hesitated on going into the room so Tori decided to go in with him. Together they sat by the bed looking at his motionless body with Crookshanks curled up at his feet. They sat in silence until Draco cleared his throat. Overwhelmed by emotion, he stood up and said: “If you need help; don’t hesitate to ask me. I can come and sit with him when you are needed elsewhere.” She nodded, happy to know she could rely on someone.

“I never thought I’d be glad to see you, Draco.” Tori chuckled, succeeding in making him smile for a little while.

He sighed, “Well, I’m off to the Slytherin common room.” Seeing the surprise on her face he explained. “Since I didn’t graduate last year, I’m staying at Hogwarts to finish my education.” Tori was happy for him. Now he could be with Shannon and lead a normal life. Outside Hogwarts it would be very difficult for him to get by, given his family history and no doubt his father would be looking for him and it wouldn’t be a pleasant reunion!

When Draco had left, Tori had just started to read her book again, when Ron came in. He walked into the room, inspected it, looked through the open door and said:

“So it’s true.”

Tori immediately knew what he meant. She nodded. “I guess it is. If you’re referring to my feelings for Severus, that is.” She felt really uncomfortable seeing the devastated look on his face. Finally he sat down and held his head in his hands.

“Oh Tori, how could you? First Shannon and Malfoy, MALFOY for Merlin’s sake! And then all these rumors about Snape giving his life for you and you spending the night with him…I…I…honestly, I don’t think I can take it anymore.” He sighed deeply. Tori went over to him and laid her hand on his shoulder.

“I’m really sorry you had to find out all of this at the same time. Please try to understand. I cannot control these feelings. Believe me, it’s not the kind of relationship that I would have chosen for myself, but these things are never rational to begin with.”

“I know, but what is it with these Slytherin guys? Suddenly all Gryffindor girls fall for them and we Gryffindor boys are left out in the cold.”

Tori couldn’t help but laugh. “Oh Ron, it’s not that simple and trust me, you and Harry will find the girls of your dreams, don’t worry.”

“Yeah, Harry will. He’s the great hero, so everyone wants HIM. But where does that leave me?”

Tori sighed. So it was that old inferiority complex again. She thought that he would be over that by now.

“Ron, listen. Life isn’t about being a hero or being noticed. You’ve chosen a career at the Ministry, which means working behind the scenes, you knew that beforehand. Look at your mother and father. He wasn’t a big hero when she met him, right?” Ron slowly shook his head.

“You just don’t get it. You’re in your happy bubble right now and no one is allowed to feel depressed.” He wanted to continue his self-pity when she interrupted him furiously.

“Look Ron, just for once open your big self-centered eyes and see what’s going on around you!” She pointed at the bedroom. “Does that look to you like I’m in a ‘happy bubble’? P-lease! Wake up and realize that everyone has a hard time once in a while. The difference between you and me is that I deal with it and you whine about it.”

Ron stood up and walked to the door. “Well, if that’s how you feel about it. I guess…oh, I don’t know Tori. Just don’t get hurt, will you?” He looked at her once more and left.

Tori was relieved he was still speaking to her. With all things considered it had gone rather well. He needed sometime to let things sink in and then he would be the same old Ron again, her friend. She needed her friends! She reached for her book again when there was another knock on the door. Rolling her eyes, wondering if she would ever get any peace and quiet, she waved her wand to open the door. She instantly began to smile when she recognized Harry as her visitor.

“So, this is where you’re hiding, instead of joining our little celebration.” It looked like he himself had engaged in some serious partying.

“I wasn’t really feeling like it.” Tori said.

“I know. What a day, huh?!?”

“You can say that again. You just missed Ron.”

“Yeah, I saw him on my way down here. He’s really freaked out you know.”

“Tell me about it!” They both laughed.

Finally Harry continued. “Don’t worry, he’ll live. In fact, I was a little freaked out myself when I found out about you and Severus, not to mention Draco and Shannon.”

“Are you going to whine as well?” Harry raised his eyebrow and Tori told him about her conversation with Ron. Harry seemed amused.

“Oh, that’s our Ron! I’ll make sure he gets enough credit; he deserves it. Now, about you and Severus…”

“What about it?”

“How serious is this? You ready for the big commitment?”

Tori looked a little confused. “I don’t think it will come to that.”

“Huh? You’re talking about a man who was willing to die for you!”

“Right, but is he ready to live with me?” She had sounded so sad, Harry didn’t know what to say and let her continue. “I mean, it’s not like we’ve talked much about it. He wanted to give it some time and I guess he never really counted on surviving.”

“You honestly think he will not want a relationship with you?” Harry was totally astonished.

“Yes, remember, this is still Severus Snape we are talking about, Harry.”

“Hmmm…I see.” Then he laughed, leaving Tori puzzled. “Oh, in that case I’d really love to see his face when he gets to see the extra edition from today’s Daily Prophet.” He gave the paper to Tori and she blushed when she read the article on the first page. It read:

“FOR THE LOVE OF A WOMAN, an exclusive by PJ Blackink.”

“The epic battle at Malfoy Manor would not have been possible without some brilliant potion-brewing from Hogwarts Potions Master Severus Snape and his young assistant Tori Bloom, a close friend of the famous Harry Potter. Not only did they invent the potion that drained the power from He-who-will-now-be-known-as-Tom-Riddle. No, with her own life at risk, Miss Bloom was willing to infiltrate Malfoy Manor to take the potion to Riddle. It is here, dear readers, that our story takes a dramatic turn. Working so closely together must have lead to a more ‘intimate’ relationship between the two wizards. Severus Snape, known to be a former Death Eater, found himself overwhelmed by love for the fair Miss Bloom and could not let her put herself in danger. Knowing his former master would definitely kill him; he sacrificed himself to perform the task he would not allow his beloved to carry out. He is now fighting for his life in Hogwarts’ infirmary. May we hope their love will guide them through these difficult times! Severus Snape and Tori Bloom, we are indebted to you both for saving our world!”

Tori put her hand in front of her mouth. “Oh no.”

“I’m afraid it will only get worse. This is just the first day. They’ll want interviews from all of us. You know they’re going to ask you.”

“This is terrible. He’s going to fume when he wakes up and hears about this.”

“Oh yes.” Harry laughed anyway. “You’ll just have to get used to being the most famous couple in the wizarding world.” Seeing the horror on her face he took her hand and said: “Don’t worry about it too much. By the time he wakes up, it may all have blown over.” She desperately needed to believe that.

They sat together for a while, talking about what happened at the Manor.

“We’ve been able to reconstruct what went on before we got there.” Harry told her. “Severus replaced the potions, found Draco’s doll – which Albus will get rid of by the way – and then he must have gone to the office where he replaced the recipe.” He showed her the human-accio spell and suddenly Tori realized something. “I’ve wondered why we found him outside. Why Voldemort hadn’t discovered him inside the lab. I think…”

“You think that he must have read what was on the parchment? That he…”

“Let himself be discovered outside the house to divert attention from the potion.” Then they both said simultaneously:

“He did it on purpose!”

“Oh, dear.” Tori started to cry and Harry needed some time to let it sink in as well. Then he laughed.

“Just think about what the Daily Prophet would make of this!” and then they both laughed.

It was quite some time later when Harry was ready to go.

“Come, you’ve done enough for today, you need your rest if you’re going to teach Potions tomorrow.” He went for the door, holding out his hand, expecting her to follow.

“No. I’ll be staying here until he’s fully recovered, or…asks me to leave.”

Harry wished her goodnight and went to his guestroom, thinking that they might have won the war, but some battles still needed to be fought.