It's a long one but it's the final chapter in this story. Thanks to everyone who's read & enjoyed it & especially to those who left a review... good or bad your opinions are always valued. Thanks again to all readers & I hope to be back with something new soon.

Chapter 18

The Final Road

"You're telling me that the Minister for Magic himself was under the Imperius curse?"

Kingsley was exasperated. The night had been a long one with eight ministers having to be taken back to the Ministry to have the curse lifted.

"How is it that I did not realise this?"

"It is not your fault Kingsley," Dumbledore said. "I believe this would have been a recent thing given that just yesterday I told Cornelius about the planned raids. If he had been under the curse then we would not have been able to accomplish all that we have tonight."

"Hmm," Kingsley grumbled. "It will take a while for all these Ministry members to be fully debriefed, so it will be a long night I'm afraid."

The fireplace behind them flared up and a cloaked woman jumped out. She rushed over to Dumbledore.

"Ah, Serena, what is the tale at the Lestrange house?"

"Sir," she puffed. "Snape sent me. All at the Lestrange house have been contained except…"

"Except?"

"You-Know-Who and Bellatrix Lestrange escaped."

Dumbledore lowered his eyes to the floor and nodded slowly.

"How will we find him now?" Kingsley asked, his booming voice echoing around the hall.

"Where is Severus now?" Dumbledore asked. "And everyone else."

"They're still at the house Sir."

"Then I suggest I get there too."

"At least I managed the job I was given," Sirius spat, glaring at Severus angrily. "My group raided all known Death Eater haunts and not a single one of them got away."

"Well," said Arthur Weasley. "Azkaban is a crowded place tonight!"

The large wooden entrance doors pushed open and Dumbledore stepped in, followed by the young witch.

"Thank you for sending for me Severus. It is quite unfortunate that Voldemort and Bellatrix got away though."

He scanned the group, happy to see that everyone seemed relatively unharmed.

"Where is Lily?" he asked.

"She has gone back to Hogwarts," Severus told him. "To take care of the snake."

"Ah yes." Dumbledore nodded knowingly.

"So what about Voldemort?" Sirius asked. "We've got no idea where he could have gone."

"And if we don't get after him quick," Remus added," We'll be sitting ducks; just waiting for him to try and regain control of the Ministry."

Dumbledore shook his head.

"I don't think so. Besides, the Ministry is still crawling with Aurors."

"It is possible that we could never find him," Severus grumbled. "Not if he has run away to hide in a hole somewhere."

"There is another possibility," said Dumbledore. "It is likely that Voldemort is extraordinarily angry given the events of tonight and Voldemort full of rage could do something very predictable, like seek revenge."

"On who?" several asked together.

"Who would Voldemort likely blame for this attack on him?" Dumbledore asked.

"You!" Minerva McGonagall exclaimed. "Of course! We know how much he hates you already but now with this..."

"Do you think he will go to Hogwarts?" Arthur asked.

Dumbledore raised his eyebrows.

"But if he's gone there then the children are in danger!" Minerva cried.

"Besides the usual defences," Dumbledore began, "I have left Hagrid to guard the school."

"How long could he hold up against a rage-filled Voldemort?" asked Sirius.

"And the insane Bellatrix Lestrange?" Minerva added.

Severus took hold of Dumbledore's arm and pulled him in close, concern etching his face.

"Lily has gone to Hogwarts!"

"Well then," Dumbledore said. "We have no time to waste."

Hagrid cursed loudly as he trudged across the Hogwarts grounds.

"Rubbish is what it is," he grumbled, holding his lantern out in front of him. "They all get ta go off fightin' Death Eaters an' I'm stuck babysittin'!"

As Hagrid got closer to the Entrance Gates he heard a loud crack on the other side.

"Oi!" he called out. "Who's out there?"

He stomped close to the gates to try and make out a form in the darkness on the other side.

"Hagrid, it's me, Lily!"

He quickly removed the gates magical defences and pulled them open.

"What's goin' on wit ter raids?" Hagrid asked. "I din' know what ter think, stuck 'ere all alone."

As Lily stepped through the gates she drew his attention to Nagini on the ground behind her, still motionless.

"Whattya doin' wit that thing 'ere?"

"Can you please help me with it?" Lily asked.

Hagrid stepped out and picked up the limp snake, carrying it into the school grounds.

"Whattya wan' me ter do wit it?"

"Hagrid, I have to run inside and get something from Albus' office," Lily said. "Can you watch the snake while I'm gone. If she wakes up, clobber her."

Hagrid watched, frowning in confusion as Lily sprinted towards the castle. He let Nagini fall to the ground.

"Well, yer a beautiful creature now ain' ya?" he said admiringly. "I've never seen a serpent as big as yer neither."

Hagrid was suddenly startled by two more loud cracks from outside the gates. He wondered if it meant that Dumbledore had also returned to Hogwarts.

"Hello?" Hagrid called out.

Through the darkness he could make out two cloaked forms getting closer.

"Professor Dumbledore, is that you?"

Hagrid waited but again there was no response. A wave of sudden panic swept over him and Hagrid dived towards the gates that were still wide open from when Lily had entered. Hagrid had almost reached the iron gates when a blast of red light came hurtling through the darkness and hit Hagrid on the chest. He was thrown back across the lawn where he landed with a thud as Voldemort stepped through the gates, Bellatrix close behind him.

"Now that was easier than I had anticipated," Voldemort said grinning.

He moved to where Nagini lay coiled on the grass and tenderly stroked her head.

"What are we doing here Master?" Bellatrix asked as she looked around nervously. "You should be finding somewhere to hide."

Voldemort turned to her, his scarlet eyes burning into her soul.

"I am here to kill Dumbledore once and for all," he spat. "I have waited far too long now and it is almost too late. As far as I know Nagini is the last remaining of my precious trophies now."

Bellatrix stared at him, squinting.

"I don't understand."

"It does not matter. I will kill that old fool Dumbledore and after we will have a lot of work ahead of us. I will be relying on you a great deal Bella because no doubt the wretched Order of the Phoenix has decimated my legion of Death Eaters by now."

On the grass behind them Hagrid started to stir.

"I will take care of Dumbledore myself," Voldemort said. "You finish off this oaf."

Voldemort stooped to softly touch Nagini once more and this time the snake awoke, rearing up angrily until she realised it was her master before her. Voldemort stroked her once again then headed quickly towards the castle, Nagini following close behind.

Bellatrix scowled down at Hagrid as he tried to sit up.

"You're a persistent one," she giggled, taking aim.

Hagrid quickly spun around, kicking his feet out and knocking Bellatrix to the ground. She squealed as she fell, her wand flying out of her reach. With Bellatrix now on the ground, Hagrid leapt up, leaning over her with a thick knee planted firmly against her chest. Bellatrix screamed and flailed her arms and legs wildly.

"At's not a good idea," Hagrid said, smiling down at his captive. "If yer not careful yer gonna get flattened."

Lily left the staircase and sprinted across the Entrance Hall, Gryffindor's sword held carefully in both hands. She was halfway across the stone floor when the front doors burst open and Voldemort flew inside.

Startled, Lily dropped the sword; it clanged to the ground, a loud echo filling the room. Voldemort laughed, his eyes wild with hatred, Lily's wide with fear.

"It is obvious that you haven't learnt your lesson about what happens when you get in my way."

Voldemort flicked his hand and Lily was lifted into the air and tossed across the room. She hit the staircase halfway up and slid back down again, landing with a sickening crunch on the ground.

Lily lay motionless at the foot of the steps when Voldemort stepped over her, laughing cruelly as he headed up. As he passed her, Lily's eyes flickered open and she reached out to grab hold of Voldemort's cloak. When he felt the tug behind him, Voldemort stopped; he looked down at Lily, barely conscious, her face bruised and bloody.

"If I had more time this pathetic attempt would be amusing," Voldemort spat.

He stomped hard onto Lily's hand and when she let go, kicked her hard in the face.

Hagrid used his knee to put as much pressure onto Bellatrix's chest as he dared; the furious witch still flailing about wildly.

"Get off me!" she screamed. "Get off you great stupid oaf!"

Bellatrix sat up as best she could and rammed her fingernails deep into the bare skin of Hagrid's forearms. He recoiled instinctively as the blood oozed and Bellatrix took her chance to wriggle free. As she slid out from under Hagrid, she reached out for her wand. Hagrid watched helplessly as Bellatrix jumped to her feet and pointed her wand at him.

Suddenly a blue flame erupted from somewhere in the darkness beyond the Entrance Gates. The sound of the blast forced Bellatrix to spin around, turning just in time for the curse to strike her in the chest.

"Who's there?" Hagrid called as Bellatrix dropped to the ground.

Through the darkness a form came forward, his face lit in the glow of a wand.

"Dumbledore!" Hagrid rushed to the Headmaster, relief flooding his face. "I 'ain't half 'appy ter see you!"

Behind Dumbledore Severus, Sirius, Arthur Weasley, Minerva and a limping Moody also came into view.

"You lot sure 'ave the best timin'!" Hagrid sighed.

"Is Voldemort here as well?" Dumbledore asked gesturing to the unconscious Bellatrix.

Hagrid nodded.

"Yer, but they 'aint bin 'ere long though."

"What about Lily?" Severus asked anxiously.

"She got 'ere not long before You-Know-Who and this one showed up. Funny thing, she 'ad a giant snake with her."

Severus took off at a sprint towards the castle.

"Severus, wait!" Dumbledore called behind him. "Voldemort is still in there, we need to go in together."

Severus ran on, disappearing through the heavy entrance doors.

"Come on," Dumbledore ordered.

The group chased Severus into the castle while a bemused Hagrid turned his attention to Bellatrix.

"That's okay, you lot go on without me," he called aloud. "I'll take care of 'er for yer."

Voldemort was in the centre of Dumbledore's office, spinning around wildly as he let out a primeval scream. He had come back to Hogwarts for one reason only – to finally rid himself of the meddlesome Dumbledore, and now it seemed the old man had robbed him of the opportunity. As Voldemort yelled again, even the portraits on the walls looked frightened. One, a painting of an old grey-haired wizard, vanished from his frame.

Voldemort picked up a stone statue from a table and threw it across the office, then brushed the contents of Dumbledore's desk to the floor. On his way from the office, the infuriated Voldemort tipped over chairs and a glass cabinet of Dumbledore's precious ornaments.

Severus burst through the front doors and slid across the Entrance Hall. Across the room he saw Lily sprawled on the bottom of the stairs and ran to her. He lifted Lily's head onto his lap and felt frantically for a pulse, sighing with relief when he felt a faint one.

Dumbledore and the others rushed inside, stopping short when they saw Lily cradled in Severus' arms. From the balcony above them a loud, sinister laugh penetrated the air. They looked up to where Voldemort stood, his crimson eyes bulging maniacally as he continued laughing.

"You may as well surrender quietly Riddle," Dumbledore said. "Your Death Eaters have all been apprehended; you stand alone."

"You are misguided if you think I need them," Voldemort said in a voice that sent shivers along the spines of everyone in the hall. "I rely on myself alone."

"And what about your horcruxes Tom? How much did you rely on them?"

Hatred burned a fire in Voldemort's eyes.

"You are a loathsome meddler Dumbledore," he spat. "And you have gotten in my way for the last time. Because of your foolishness old man, the deaths of your friends here will be on your hands."

"Your numbers are a little off Tom. As you can see, you appear to be outnumbered."

Lily, wrapped tightly in Severus' arms, began to stir. She raised a hand and tentatively touched her pounding head.

Voldemort launched himself over the balustrade and flew down to where the others stood startled. He landed softly in the centre of the Entrance Hall and was quickly surrounded by a circle of the Order members, all with their wands drawn. With a gesture from Dumbledore, they all began firing curses at Voldemort, who casually brushed them aside, laughing as he did.

Further up the stairs Severus could hear the sounds of dozens of shuffling feet moving hurriedly towards them, followed by several screams and cries of alarm.

"Get back all of you!" Dumbledore ordered the large group of students who had begun to gather at the second floor balcony.

Professors Flitwick and Sprout emerged from opposite ends of the corridor above and peered down into the Entrance Hall to see what was going on.

"Oh my!" Sprout gasped. "Professor Dumbledore, are you alright?"

"Get the students out of there Pamona," Dumbledore ordered.

Sprout turned back and the two professors began trying to round up the students.

Below them in the hall Voldemort was still fending off a ferocious onslaught from all sides. He laughed as he used his hand to swipe a blast aimed at him into a wall.

"I can play this game as long as you can Dumbledore," he gloated.

Piercing screams began echoing throughout the hall.

"Stop!" Flitwick yelled. "All of you stand still; don't move at all."

There was more scuffling followed by silence. Momentarily distracted by her concern for the students, Minerva took her eyes off Voldemort and narrowly avoided being hit by a blast deflected by Voldemort.

Severus looked up the stairs and saw what had caused the students to panic; Nagini was in the middle of the group of students. She was reared up tall, looking desperately around her for somewhere to flee to. Severus pulled carefully away from Lily, looking down to check she was okay.

"I'm fine," Lily reassured him.

"Are you sure?"

Severus held her face with his hands.

"I do not want to leave you."

"Go," Lily assured. "They need your help."

Severus reluctantly let go of Lily and jumped up. He ran forward, careful to avoid the flying curses, and picked Gryffindor's sword off the floor. Armed with the weapon Severus ran back to the steps, taking them two at a time.

"Stop firing!" Dumbledore ordered.

Those surrounding Voldemort immediately stopped, Voldemort standing between them, hands on hips, having not fired a single curse back at them.

"As you can see old man, I cannot be stopped. Not even by the great Albus Dumbledore himself."

Severus finished climbing the stairs and reached the floor where the terrified students stood with Nagini. Many of the children were crying, others frozen in fear. Flitwick and Sprout were busy trying to pull students behind them for safety, while others were peeking around corners or pressed hard against the wall.

As Severus edged carefully closer to the snake, Nagini, angry and scared, struck out at him. Severus spun out of the way and raised Gryffindor's sword high above his head. In a flash of steel he swung the blade around and sliced through the snake's neck. There was a thud as the head dropped to the floor, blood spraying in all directions.

Several students began screaming again when a tremendous scream emanated from the bloodied stump that was Nagini's neck. A fine mist poured quickly out and vanished into the air.

Downstairs there was an equally loud and unsettling noise, a tortured howl. Severus leaned over the balcony to where Voldemort stood in the centre of the Order members, his head tilted upward and mouth open wide in a scream. Voldemort's eyes glowed a dark red as he turned his attention back to Dumbledore.

"Nagini was the last wasn't she?" Dumbledore said. "Now we have destroyed six of your horcruxes and only one remains, am I right? The final piece of your soul. Or what is left of it I should say."

"You have wasted enough of my time," Voldemort spat, his voice an eerie whisper. "You will die tonight along with the rest of these fools, and your death will become the first step in rebuilding my empire."

"EXPELLIMELLIUS!"

Sirius aimed a curse at Voldemort's back but Voldemort was too fast, spinning away from the blast and taking aim at Sirius.

"Crucio," Voldemort boomed and Sirius was hit.

He slumped backwards against the wall and fell convulsing to the floor. Minerva stooped to help him.

"It's alright," he grumbled, brushing her off.

He pulled himself up and onto shaky legs.

"You've gotta do better than that!" he said attempting a smirk at Voldemort.

Voldemort's eyes roared with a reflected hatred and he aimed his wand. Suddenly curses started flying once again, but this time Voldemort was not fending them off, he was firing back.

"Get back!" Dumbledore shouted.

Sirius and Minerva found shelter behind a stone pillar while others were forced to scatter in all directions. Only Dumbledore remained in his place.

"Dumbledore!"

The Headmaster looked up. Severus, still standing above on the next floor, caught his eye. He leaned over the balcony and held out Gryffindor's sword; Dumbledore nodded and Severus let it drop. As the heavy sword dropped fast, Dumbledore reached out and caught it by its jewel-encrusted handle. With the sword clenched tightly in his hand, Dumbledore stepped forward.

"Riddle!" he called out.

Voldemort turned to him and silence fell over the room as everyone stopped firing curses. Voldemort's pupils dilated in his widening eyes as he watched Dumbledore rush towards him. Dumbledore swooped, as fast as a hawk, and before Voldemort could do more than raise his wand, he felt the cold steel pierce his chest.

Voldemort stood frozen, his mouth open and mouthing wordlessly. He looked down at the blade protruding from his chest as Dumbledore stepped back. Before their eyes, Voldemort's skin turned snow-white and thin cracks began to appear over his face and hands. He stumbled several steps backwards as the cracks on his skin became deeper. Everyone watched as a cracking noise filled the hall and suddenly Voldemort's entire body exploded into dust, ceramic pieces of the Dark Lord showering down in the large hallway.

There were several shouts of surprise and more screaming from the students up the stairs. When the noise and shock had finally died down, the fine dust of Voldemort's remains had settled, and all that remained of him in the centre of the Entrance Hall was Gryffindor's sword lying on a pile of Voldemort's empty robes.

Dumbledore stepped forward to examine the remains, joined by Sirius and the others. Severus ran back down the stairs to Lily who was trying to get up.

"Don't move," he told her. "I will get Madam Pomfrey."

"I'm okay Sev," Lily insisted. "Please just help me up, I have to see this."

Severus helped pull Lily to her feet and let her lean on him heavily as they joined the crowd that had gathered around what remained of Voldemort. They were all covered in a fine film of white dust.

"That's extraordinary!" Minerva said wide-eyed. "Quite an unexpected outcome."

"It that it?" asked Arthur Weasley. "It-it all seems a bit too easy."

Dumbledore grinned broadly.

"Believe me," he said buoyantly. "There is no chance of us seeing Lord Voldemort again."

"So what's all this about horcruxes?" Sirius asked scratching his head.

Dumbledore waved him off.

"It can wait until morning Sirius; I think we could all use a good night's sleep."

Behind them the large doors to the Entrance Hall swung open and Hagrid lumbered in carrying the still unconscious Bellatrix over his shoulder. He paused to take in the scene.

"That's jus' great tha' is!" he grumbled. "I missed out on all the fun tonight!"

They all let themselves laugh in a joyous release of tension.

Severus and Lily sat outside on the steps leading into the castle. They sat next to each other and looked out across the dark castle grounds, lit by a bright full moon. Lily shivered and Severus lifted his arm to invite her closer. Severus felt a familiar tingle as she shifted to nestle against him and he wrapped her up tightly. Lily let her head rest on his chest.

"How is your head?" Severus asked. "I still must insist that you go with Poppy to get checked out."

Lily shook her head.

"I'm in the hands of a very capable healer."

Severus frowned.

"My skills are not comparable to those of a registered healer."

"That's not what I meant," Lily sighed. "Poppy couldn't have saved my heart like you have."

Colour rose in Severus' face.

"I believe you have suffered a greater head injury than I thought," he said.

Lily looked up to him and reached her hand gingerly to cup his cheek.

"I don't know what I'd do without you in my life," she said with a tear in her eye.

Severus cleared his throat.

"What are your plans now that the Dark Lord has been vanquished?"

"What do you mean? And why are you changing the subject?"

"Professor Dumbledore brought us to Hogwarts to work with him on finding the horcruxes; now we have and the Dark Lord is gone for good. I do not expect Dumbledore meant for us to stay at Hogwarts now."

"Oh," Lily said sitting up. "But I've enjoyed working here; I've found something that gives me joy. I love the kids and the rest of the staff."

"I did not mean to upset you," Severus said. "If you want to stay I am sure Dumbledore would be grateful."

"Sev, I feel like I've got a purpose here, a real direction for my life."

"Of course," Severus offered.

"So what did you have planned then?"

Severus shrugged.

"I do not know. I have been so focused on just getting to this point."

"You could stay at Hogwarts as well. Albus would love the idea; I know I would."

Severus looked down at her and cocked his head to the side. He raised a hand to Lily's face and brushed a stray hair aside.

"I have not allowed myself to indulge in the thought that you could ever feel the same way I feel about you."

Lily gazed into his black eyes, seeing the warmth in them that very few others ever had.

"And how do you feel?" she asked.

Severus looked away, staring across the dark castle grounds.

"I wonder how long it will take the world to get back to normal now the Dark Lord has been defeated?"

"Why can you say it when you think I'm asleep but now you just change the subject?"

Severus frowned. He opened his mouth to respond but nothing came out.

"I heard you Sev," Lily said. "When I was in the hospital."

Severus looked at her then quickly away again. Lily laughed.

"You try so hard to make sure everyone sees you as this strong fortress, void of all emotions, but I know you better; admitting you love someone doesn't make you weak Sev!"

He turned to her again.

"What are you afraid of?" Lily continued. "You already said it once and you didn't fall to pieces. And I'm still here aren't I?"

Severus moved his arm from around Lily and took hold of her face with both his hands. Lily sighed.

"You're my best friend," she said. "I never thought I would be capable of feeling this way about anyone again, let alone you!"

Severus searched her eyes for some sort of answer, some reassurance.

"I love you Severus," she said quietly.

Relief and a great warmth flooded him; every muscle weakened, every nerve tingled. With his pulse quickening, Severus leaned down to kiss her. As their lips and tongues tentatively explored, Severus was overwhelmed by the knowledge that Lily was kissing him with as much passion as he felt.

When they pulled apart, Lily had tears rolling down her cheeks. Severus reached down and used his thumb to wipe them away. Lily smiled and pressed her lips to the palm of Severus' hand.

"Are you sure you have no head injury?" Severus asked.

Lily pushed him away playfully.

"I am serious," he said. "Things as good as this, as good as you, do not happen to me."

"One day you'll believe how much you are worth," Lily assured him. "And if you don't, I will always be here to remind you."

Severus smiled.

"I love you Lily," he finally said. "I have since the first day I met you."

He leaned down and kissed her again. Wrapped in each others arms, they let the moment take them away. The sound of someone clearing their throat pulled them quickly apart. They turned to see Dumbledore behind them grinning broadly. Severus jumped up and straightened his clothes while Lily just laughed.

"I do apologise for the interruption," Dumbledore said grinning. "But I wanted to make sure I thanked both of you for all your work; not just for tonight of course, but during all of this."

"Thank you for having faith in us Albus," said Lily.

"So," Dumbledore said, rubbing his hands together. "What are your plans from here?"

"We were just talking about that," Lily answered. "If it's okay then I'd like to stay on as a teacher at Hogwarts. There's nothing I'd rather do right now."

"Brilliant!" Dumbledore exclaimed, clapping his hands. "I was hoping that would be something you might want to consider."

Dumbledore and Lily both turned to Severus, who stood stone-faced. He looked from one to the other and shrugged.

"I am not a great teacher," he said. "Not like Lily is."

"Oh flobberworms," Dumbledore laughed. "You have an unequalled passion for your craft that is contagious, and as for the teaching, you are coming along."

"For someone who doesn't like kids," Lily added smiling.

Dumbledore cleared his throat.

"I would love for you both to stay on at Hogwarts."

Lily stood and moved to Severus. She took both his hands in hers.

"Would you consider staying for me?" she asked. "To be with me?"

Severus swallowed hard and nodded slowly then raised Lily's hands to his lips.

"Splendid!" Dumbledore beamed. "Well then, I must be leaving you two alone now to ah… discuss the curriculum."

As Dumbledore vanished back into the castle, Severus put his arm around Lily's shoulder.

"Are you up to taking a walk around the grounds?" he asked.

Lily held onto him tightly and nodded. They walked down the steps and onto the soft grass.

"I'm gloriously happy," Lily said.

Severus smiled and kissed the top of her head as they walked on. The full moon shining down on them both as they walked.