╔═══════════════╗
╚═══════════════╝
MEANWHILE HERMIONE AND ron had successfully destroyed the hufflepuff cup after ron had somehow entered the chamber of secrets with his off-brand parseltongue, draco searched around hogwarts, looking for the little girl.
he had heard lily's amplified voice, but by the time that draco had reached the dining hall area, she had stopped hissing, or rather talking.
though lily, who was still with neville, had traveled quite a distance from snape's classroom.
"EXPECTO PATRONUM!!", lily shouted, successfully warding off the dementor that had floated its way towards the pair.
neville stared in utter shock as the little eight year-old had conjured up a patronus, a skill that had taken him and a few others months to do, with years of experience.
lily smiled as she watched her fawn chase away the dementor, quite proud of herself, since she could only make it happen less than half of the times of when she practiced.
"let's go shall we?", lily asked, making neville snap out of his trance.
"y-yes—"
"HELP!!", a female voice shouted, making the two look towards it.
lavender brown was trying her best to fend off the werewolf, ferir greyback, but was clearly struggling.
"lily, go find harry and them. I'm going to help her", neville said.
"a-are you sure—"
"yes! now go! and stay safe", neville warned.
"okay...if you say so...you stay safe too!!", lily yelled back as she started skipping down the stairs, trying her best to find the trio.
while searching around the school, she had saw her favorite pair of twins, who had just successfully fought off a death eater.
"FREDDIE! GEORGIE!!!", lily yelled, running over to the ginger twins that had bent down and opened their arms to welcome back the girl.
"I MISSED YOU GUYS SO MUCH!!", lily smiled, hastily planting kisses on both twins' cheeks.
"woah woah! slow down there pipsqueak", fred laughed.
"we missed you too", george smiled, giving lily a kiss on her forehead.
"georgie...what..what happened to your ear??", lily worried, gently touching the bandage of where his left ear should've been.
"don't worry about it. just an accident", george smiled.
lily pouted as she wrapped her arms around george's neck, giving him a tight hug. oh how she wished that she could stay with the twins, but now was not the time.
"I hate to be the third-wheel, but george and I have to go. we'll see you later though. stay safe princess", fred said as he kissed the top of lily's forehead as george placed the girl down.
"okay!! stay safe! I'll see you guys later!", lily smiled, waving as she ran off.
midway through the dark halls, she had bumped into draco, who was with blaise, crabbe, and goyle.
"lily! LILY!!", draco shouted, which made the girl freeze in her steps.
though it was murky and pitch black, lily could see the concern and worry that shone on draco's pale face.
"d-dray..."
"lily!! oh my merlin, you're okay! you're okay!! I truly thought that weaselbee would've actually hurt you", draco worried as he immediately picked lily up, hugging her tightly.
lily gave draco a hug back as she nuzzled her face into his neck, something draco had dearly missed.
"I'm sorry dray, I didn't mean to make you worry", lily mumbled.
"it's alright. you're safe now. let's bring you back to the dark lor—"
"NO! I-I-I mean...draco...I still need to go somewhere", lily interrupted.
"you need to go somewhere? where could you possibly go? don't be silly lily, there's a war happening right now and you'll be safest with mother and father", draco said as he started walking, with goyle, blaise, and crabbe following behind.
"no! seriously draco. I need...I need to find harry", lily said, making the boy stop in his tracks.
"potter? you want to find potter at a time like this?! lily! for merlin's sake, do you know how dangerous he is?! the dark lord practically started this war because of him!"
"but so is father! he's dangerous and he scares you too!! I know it", lily said, looking deep into draco's steel grey eyes that had softened a bit.
"I'm sorry draco. I really need to find him. please...please just let me go find him", lily whispered, pleading as if her life depended on it.
draco hesitated. he deeply breathed in as he furrowed his brows.
"must you leave me?", he weakly muttered out, nearly surprising the three that was watching the entire scene unfold.
"I'm sorry dray. I really am. but I promise I'll be back before you know", lily whispered back.
draco sighed as he gently placed a kiss on the girl's forehead before letting her down.
"stay safe draco! you too, crabbe, goyle, and blaise!"
draco then watched little lily disappear into the dark abyss, as he hastily walked away, wearing his usual neutral facial expression.
//❁//
hermione and ron stood by the sideline, watching as harry helped snape sit up.
"GIVE ME A FLASK! A TUBE! ANYTHING!", harry commanded, making hermione quickly take out a small container.
harry hastily collected the single tear that snape had shed, as he heavily breathed.
though voldemort did not have nagini by his side, he had conjured up another snake with the elder wand and commanded it to attack the man.
snape knew he couldn't fight back, especially against voldemort himself. he knew his time had come, as it was time for harry to learn the last piece of information, crucial to voldemort's downfall.
"take it...to the pensieve...", snape instructed.
the man then felt many more tears drowning his face as he realized, realized that he was going to die without seeing his adopted daughter one last time.
"harry...please...", snape sobbed out.
"take good care...of her...", snape uttered out. he felt his heart break once again, as he knew what was to come.
"I will. I will", harry promised, feeling himself get quite emotional even though snape and him have hated each other the moment harry had stepped into the great halls.
"and..and tell her...tell her..."
snape swallowed as he felt himself slowly lose grasp from his consciousness.
"tell her I love her", snape said with his last breath.
hermione covered her mouth as she had to stop herself from sobbing. ron hugged the girl as harry deeply breathed in.
he tightly gripped onto the tiny container as he closed snape's eyes.
"you have my word professor".
╔═══════════════╗
╚═══════════════╝