Forever and Always Yours, SS [Book 3]

Chapter 128

Amilia descended the main staircase slowly as if her legs were encased in cement, silently taking in the damage. Several staircases were missing their railings, blown apart by spells and creatures. Portraits were huddled together in more extensive paintings, afraid of returning to their broken frames and torn canvases. Blood dripped off landings, and torn scraps of clothes clung to their edges or pressed between the stone.

Seeing all of this should have stirred some emotion in her, but it didn't. Amilia felt as if she had been awake for a century. Her body was stiff and sore. Her heart, while beating, felt like a stone in her chest; her head was like a balloon in the wind, moving constantly but full of nothing. Nothing except the constant replay of Voldemort's recent message.

You have fought courageously; I, too, value bravery. However, I do not wish this to continue. Every drop of magical blood spilled is a waste. I am merciful. I have commanded my forces to retreat. While they are gone, collect your dead and dispose of them with the dignity they deserve.

Amilia had already gone to the common room, hoping to collect the body of the student who had been crushed, but it was gone, and when she tried to go up the dungeon steps, one of the walls collapsed and blocked her way. She had to backtrack up to Severus's office, right past the remains of Amycus and Alecto, which had solidified the ice growing in her soul.

She could hear yelling and clattering of stones as they were removed. She also could hear the rattling of chains of Voldemort's forces who had been captured and denied to return to their master. Many stopped and watched her curiously as she walked past them. She knew that if she stopped, she would also be put in cuffs. Besides, who would want to be the one to arrest the headmaster's wife and risk the target on their back? Though a small part of her still wished they had, they could take her right to Severus. Their hesitancy to stop and ask what her purpose just gave her more reason to walk by and follow whatever noise was up ahead.

The noise drowned out whispering words in her ears; Harry Potter, you have allowed your friends to die while you tried to hide. There is no greater dishonor than that. Join me in the Forbidden Forest in one hour, or I will kill every last man, woman, and child that has tried to conceal you from me.

She had less than an hour to find Harry Potter and find out if he had seen Severus; she was sure he would have seen her husband while he was running amok. She had less than an hour to ask everyone she knew who loved Severus just as much as her if they knew where he was.

Amilia moved on autopilot, her feet guiding her where her ears told them to go. Her eyes registered every crack and blast in the walls and floors, every blown-in classroom door, and mangled painting on the floor. Her heart felt heavier and harder with every sluggish step she took until she found herself in front of what should have been the Great Hall's double doors.

One of the doors was missing, and the other hung precariously on its hinges. The sight should have enraged her, but what lay beyond the doorway held her to the spot.

Amilia saw rows upon rows of bodies lying on the floor with emeralds glittering next to them. In the back, on the platform where the head table would have been, Poppy was working her magic on the injured. The sight burned into her brain, and when she squeezed her eyes shut, it was as if she were still looking at it.

Amilia felt numb. The thought of Severus's body in the rows practically knocked the wind out of her. She grabbed the doorframe for support as she controlled her breathing, then took the first brave step into the Great Hall.

Amilia had passed several rows of bodies before seeing a familiar face, Remus. He lay next to his pink-haired wife, their fingers touching ever so gently. Amilia stared at them; they just had a baby not too long ago.