Stay With Me (sequel to Forever Yours)

20. Forever

Faye stared at him expectantly.  She was almost hungry with anticipation, wondering whose name was going to come out of his mouth.  Would it be Lucy, whom she really wanted to kill, or would he sacrifice The Boy Who Lived?  She thought she already knew the answer, but she was wrong.

"Kill me," Severus said.

She stared at him blankly.  She hadn't expected that.  A corner of her mouth lifted.  She was simply delighted by the prospect.  "Kill you?  I would love to.  I don't understand.  Why sacrifice yourself?  Why not just choose one of them?"

Harry stared up at him expectantly.  He had been floored by his professor's answer and he wanted to know why he hadn't chose him.  Then he remembered.  He cared about him too.  He just hid it from Harry...and the world.

Severus shrugged.  "I love them.  I would rather you take my life than one of theirs."

She shook her head and looked at Brandon.  She aimed her wand and stunned him.  He was hurtled back a few feet and he crumpled onto the floor beside of Lucy.  Faye returned her attention to Severus.  She let go of Harry long enough to reposition herself.  Now her arm was around his neck.

"Very well," Faye told him.  "If that's your final answer."

"It is," Severus confirmed.  "Just do it."

She smiled.  "My pleasure."  She raised her wand and aimed it.

Harry very carefully reached into his robes.  By moving, Faye had done something she shouldn't have.  She freed his arms.  His wand had been beside him when he woke up.  She hadn't even realized that he'd grabbed it.  He grabbed his wand and easily pulled it out.  His little bit of movement caught Severus's eye, but he kept his eyes straight forward.  He didn't want to give him away.  It might get him killed and he couldn't have that.  He realized that after all the effort he had put into hating him, somewhere deep down he had loved Harry all along.  Not because of who he was, but because of who he had belonged to.  Whatever Harry was doing could easily get him killed anyway, but he admired the boy's bravery.

"Goodbye, Severus.  I can't wait to tell Voldemort what you have done."  Faye's lips spread into a smirk.  "Avada-"

Harry let his wand drop down directly over Faye's foot.  "Incendio," he whispered.

Suddenly a burst of fire came from the wand's tip and landed on Faye's shoe and spread quickly to the hem of her robes.  Harry grinned.  He was so glad Hermione had taught him that spell last year.  Faye jumped back, and when she did, Harry broke free.  Severus bent down and held his arms open and Harry ran right into them.  It was strange at first, to be hugging Snape, but as soon as he closed his arms around him, Harry felt safe and it didn't matter anymore.  

Severus quickly let go of him and moved Harry protectively behind him.  Faye was trying her best to put out the fire.  It was his turn to smirk.  "I can't wait to tell him how you were defeated by the same little boy he was."  He raised his wand and sent her flying backwards.  The power behind the spell was the maximum.  He ran forward and told Harry to stay.  He knelled down to make sure she was knocked out.  "Good," he commented.

He got up and rushed over to Lucy.  He looked back and motioned for Harry to come and join him.  Harry ran over and hit his knees beside of her as well.

Severus immediately checked for a pulse and was relieved when she was breathing just fine.

"Is she okay?" Harry asked softly.

Severus looked up at him.  "She will be.  She's just knocked out for now."

"Good."

He frowned.  "Harry, that is a very brave thing you did.  You saved me.  You saved all of us."