Stay With Me (sequel to Forever Yours)

11. Diversion

Lucy dodged another spell from Spike's wand at lightning speed.  It helped that she could allow some of them to go straight through her.  She was beginning to appreciate her strange power more and more.  

"This is pointless!" Spike exclaimed. 

"You're never going to make it out of here," Lucy told him.  "I don't even know how you got away from that shack in the woods but I won't let you get away a second time."

He laughed.  "And you think you're going to stop me, do you?"

They circled around each other for a few seconds.

"Yes," Lucy said through gritted teeth.  "You won't get away this time.  You and your sister both deserve to rot for what you did to me!"

"Too bad we won't."

Suddenly a loud bang echoed through the castle.  She heard it as if it happened right in front of her.  A choir of screams followed and she heard the sound of feet stomping up the Dungeons steps.

"That's my cue!" Spike exclaimed.  He ran off toward the entrance door.

"Your cue?"

He stopped and smiled, facing her to sneer.  "This was never about you, sweetheart!"

Lucy flung a few spells at him, but she stopped when she realized the noise she heard came from students.  They were running past her in a hurry.  She stopped one of them in the hall.

"What happened?" she demanded.

"Neville's potion blew up," the young man said breathlessly.  His accent was Irish.  "Professor Snape was standing too close and Harry.  They were blown backwards."

Lucy's eyes bulged.  "Go get Dumbledore and tell him we need him in the Dungeons."

The young boy nodded.  Lucy waited until the coast was clear and then she headed down the stairs in a hurry.  She met Hermione and Neville halfway down.  They nearly ran right into each other.

"Hurry, Ms. Dawson!" Hermione screeched.  "Professor Snape was hurt!"

Her heart caught in her throat.  "Neville, you go on back to your common room.   Hermione, come with me."

Hermione nodded and took Lucy's hand.  Together they barreled back down the steps and ran into the classroom.  Ron was standing up, looking down on the scene, and Harry was there by Severus's side.  Lucy gasped when she saw him, her eyes immediately trained on the smeared blood just above his head.  Harry crawled out of the way as Lucy fell to her knees beside of him.  She examined Severus carefully, starting with his head.  That was what was closest to the blood.  Sure enough, her hand found it: a wound, and it was bleeding heavily.  She laid his head gently down on her lap.

"He has a pulse," Harry told her.  "I checked."

Tears clouded her eyes.  "Thank you, Harry.  That was very brave of you.  And smart.  Thanks for staying here with him and not running off like the others."

"I had to protect him.  Just like he's protecting me."

Lucy frowned.  "You know?"

Harry's expression was guilty.  "Ron and I overheard the two of you talking last year.  I know he's protecting me.  I just don't know why."

She smiled at him.  "Because you're special, Harry."  

Lucy looked down at Severus.  A teardrop fell from her eyes onto his face.  She wiped it away.  She tried to wake him up numerous times, but nothing seemed to work.  She held him there in her arms for what seemed like hours before Dumbledore burst through the door, along with Minerva McGonagall.