Chapter 13

After killing Albus Dumbledore on the tower, Snape moved as if in some strange nightmare and the only thought on his mind was to get as far away from the castle as possible. As he made his way quickly down the steps of the tower he could hear someone pursuing him. He pushed Draco in front of him and they walked at a fast clip through the corridors. His fellow Death Eaters began to fight back against the pursuit but Snape kept his sights on the exit. From the corner of his eye he saw Minerva exchanged hexes with Alecto.

The sight made him sink into an even deeper depression. What would Minerva think of him now? He couldn't explain, he had to let her believe that he was the murderer of her dearest friend.

He and Draco finally made it to the steps of the castle and they began to run towards the edge of Hogwart's grounds. He and Draco needed to Dissapparate and get word to the Dark Lord. Just then a hex flew over his head and he turned to identify his pursuer. Of course, it was none other than Harry Potter.

He told Draco to run on and he turned fully to face his constant nemesis. Harry tried over and over again to hurl the Crucio curse at Snape but he deflected them over and over again. Harry shouted at him to fight back. Snape knew all of Harry's weaknesses, he could have killed him there, or any time in the past if he was so inclined but Harry would never know and never understand that even though they both equally hated the sight and thought of each other, they were on the same team.

Snape called the other Death Eaters to get the hell out of there before the Ministry arrived and he was about to turn away from Harry when one of the Death Eaters put Harry in a painful curse. Snape instantly reversed the curse and disguised his actions by reminding his colleagues that Harry belonged to the Dark Lord and him alone.

The other Death Eaters moved on and Harry and Snape had the stage alone. Harry's hatred was palpable and he tried to hurl his newly discovered Sectumsempra curse but again Snape easily deflected it. He no longer felt inclined to protect the whelp and he easily disarmed him and hexed him across the ground. He then strode over to where Harry lay and screamed at him "How dare you use my own spells against me Potter. It was I who invented them – I, the Half-Blood Prince"

Harry dove for his wand and Snape hexed him again. "Kill me then you coward" Harry yelled back

Snape recalled the times in his life when he was called a coward. The fearsome foursome at school who mocked him with that word and even Minerva accused him of being a coward during a fight. It was the one word that sent him over the edge. He sent a strong spell at Harry to knock him around and shut him up. Then he ran quickly off the grounds and apparated.

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As the final Death Eaters fled the castle Minerva took charge and sent every teacher or student that was involved in the melee to the infirmary whether they were injured or not. She needed everyone in one room to find out what happened, who was injured, and what else needed to be done in case the Death Eaters returned.

As she moved from person to person she started to hear the same names popping up in rumors, Dumbledore and Snape. The first person said there was a duel, the next that Dumbledore was dead, the third that Snape killed Dumbledore, the fourth that they were both dead. Her heart almost stopped on the spot.

As she spoke to more and more people her heart started to actually hurt as the pain in her chest, along with the scrapes and bruises from the fight, were making it hard for her to stand. No, it couldn't be true! Severus Snape could not have killed Albus Dumbledore!

She pulled herself together by convincing herself they were just rumors until she saw Dumbledore's body. Hagrid was beside himself in grief and practically smothered her when he grabbed her into a hug. She was shocked beyond belief. All she could get out of Hagrid was the Harry was with Dumbledore when it happened and then he started mumbling something about Professor Snape.

She needed to get to the infirmary, check on the others, and finally get to the bottom of what happened. She allowed herself no time to grieve for Albus, and she needed to grieve, but the thought of Severus' involvement left her with a mission.

All eyes were on her when she entered the infirmary and she made her way directly to Harry. "What happened? According to Hagrid you were with Professor Dumbledore when he – when it happened. He says Professor Snape was involved in some-"

"Snape killed Dumbledore" said Harry.

Minerva felt faint and was on the verge of passing out when Madam Pomfrey came to a rescue with a well-timed spell to procure a chair as she lost her balanced and slumped down.

"Snape" she muttered softly.

In her head she ran through every conversation they had ever had in the last year. He always was straight with her, he said there were things he couldn't tell her, things that would hurt her. Was he planning on this from the beginning? Was he truly on Voldemort's side and his mission was the kill Albus Dumbledore when the time was right? But surely he could have killed him much sooner? So many questions were flooding her brain and she felt the stares of everyone around her waiting for her to process the information and tell them all how to move forward. She managed to string some of her thoughts into words to let the others know that she believed them but she needed time to process. "We all wondered…but he trusted…always…Snape…I can't believe it…"

Tonks and Lupin then took over the conversation from there discussing the finer points of her former lover's betrayal. She grabbed her stomach and gentle caressed her unborn child as tears welled in her eyes. They were tears for Albus, tears for Severus, tears for Hogwarts, and tears for her baby.

They all then took turns placing blame on themselves and dissecting the minutia of the evening. How Draco was involved, how the Death Eaters came in via the vanishing cabinet, how Snape became a turncoat as soon as the Death Eaters were inside, and finally how he killed Dumbledore in front of Harry.

When Arthur and Molly arrived the conversation moved to Bill's wounds as he had been bitten by Fenir but then of course Dumbledore's death and Snape's betrayal had to be repeated over and over again. Eventually Minerva found her inner strength and realized that she was now Head Mistress of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry and her personal feelings had to be put aside. She had a school to run and a child inside her that she had to find a way to keep hidden from its traitorous father.

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Dumbledore's funeral was a sad but beautiful affair. Minerva grieved along with the rest of Hogwarts. For one day she was able to not think about Severus Snape or his child inside her and instead, she focused on the amazing man who lived and amazing life. She was going to miss Albus very much.

As the crowd dispersed she was about to follow Harry who had started to walk towards the lake but then she noticed Rufus Scrimegeor on his heels. Couldn't the Minster leave the poor boy alone. She wondering if she should now take Albus's place as Potter's Hogwarts guardian? A protector behind the walls? But she realized with great clarity that the Hogwarts she had come to love would no longer exist. If by some miracle the school opened for the following year would she be headmistress? Would she still even be employed by Hogwarts? Did she want to be? She had a child to think about now. Then her thoughts immediately landed on Serious again. She had been caught in this loop for days now. He was an invasive thought that she couldn't get past.