autumn | severus snape

fifty seven

The night air was thick with the scent of damp earth as Ophelia and Severus moved through the dense forest, their steps silent against the moss-covered ground. The trees loomed tall around them, their blooming branches clawing at the sky like fingers. The tension in the air was suffocating, every rustling leaf, every distant hoot of an owl setting her nerves on edge.

Severus was just ahead of her, his wand drawn, his sharp eyes scanning the path before them. Ophelia stayed close behind, her hand clenched around her own wand, her other hand pressing against the satchel at her side.

They were close. She could feel it, the weight of her father's presence pressing against her magic, the sickening pulse of dark energy that always preceded him.

"We almost there," she murmured, barely above a whisper.

Severus nodded but didn't reply.

That was when she felt it.

A shift in the air. A sudden drop in temperature. The unmistakable feeling of eyes watching them from the shadows.

"Severus—"

A curse sliced through the air before she could finish her warning. Severus shoved her aside just as a jet of green light tore through the space where she had been standing. She hit the ground hard, rolling into a crouch as she raised her wand.

Figures emerged from the darkness, their wands raised, their masks gleaming in the faint moonlight.

Death Eaters.

"Move!" Severus barked, throwing up a shield just as another curse came flying toward them. It collided with his magic, sparking violently before fizzling out.

Ophelia didn't hesitate. She whipped her wand forward, sending a bolt of white-hot energy toward the nearest attacker. The Death Eater barely had time to react before he was blasted off his feet, crashing into a tree with a sickening crack.

Another figure lunged at her from the side. She ducked, spinning on her heel and slashing her wand upward. "Confringo!"

The explosion sent the Death Eater hurtling backward, flames licking at the edges of their cloak.

Severus moved with deadly precision, his wand a blur as he countered spell after spell. But they were outnumbered. For every Death Eater they struck down, another seemed to appear from the shadows.

A jet of red light shot toward Ophelia, and she barely managed to deflect it in time. Her pulse thundered in her ears as she turned to Severus.

"We need to move!" she shouted.

But then she saw it, one of the Death Eaters breaking away from the fight, circling around, his wand aimed directly at Severus's unprotected back.

Ophelia threw herself forward, slamming into Severus just as the curse was released. Pain exploded across her shoulder as the spell clipped her, sending her sprawling to the ground.

"Ophelia!" Severus's voice was sharp, panicked, but she gritted her teeth and pushed herself up.

"I'm fine," she gasped, her shoulder burning. "Keep going."

But before she could regain her footing, a force crashed into her from behind. Arms wrapped around her, yanking her backward. A thick, gloved hand clamped over her mouth as she struggled, kicking and twisting.

Severus turned, his wand snapping up—

A wand pressed against his temple.

"Move, and you die," the Death Eater snarled.