Uncanny Snake

XXIX - The Better Man

Everything went quiet for a second. And then something snapped inside of me. "I'm not letting us die here, get up!" I shouted at Sirius. The man let out a pained grunt and got to his feet with my help. "I'm not dying here." I quickly scanned our surroundings and nudged Sirius to my side. Spotting an opening to our rear, I grabbed his hand and forced him to follow. With my wand tightly secured, I didn't hesitate to shoot the slightest blur of movement.

I just wanted to see Severus.

Relief struck hard as order members began to apparate into the fray, dispatching the Death Eaters one at a time. I spotted Severus across the field, but there was still a large gap to fill between him and me. Even though everything was chaotic, I wanted to see him one last time, to hold him one last time, and if the world were to end tomorrow, I would want to spend it in his embrace. My heart lurched, and I quickened my steps. Our eyes briefly made contact, and as madly in love as I was, what I wouldn't do to hit him in this instance.

I gasped, falling to my knees as I was shot from behind, the air hard to come by, and the burning pain in my back only seemed to get worse. Sirius executed the Death Eater, wasting no time trying to help me to my feet. A Death Eater rammed into Sirius, sending him tumbling face-first into the grass, and seeing the brief hand motion from the Death Eater, I quickly rolled onto my side. I managed to evade his spell, and with my wand still tightly clutched in my hand, I shouted the killing curse.

I scurried to my feet, taking notice of the Death Eater coming my way. I deflected his spell, and quickly dropped to my knees, using my leg to sweep the wizard off his feet. I took yet another Death Eater to the grave, and with the remaining adrenaline pumping through my veins, I punched the next unsuspecting Death Eater square in the jaw, forcing him to stagger backward. Sirius dispatched that Death Eater, and we quickly went on our way.

Chaos. Everything was absolute chaos. I had never seen this many Death Eaters in my life. Spells were flying in every direction, and I grabbed Sirius throwing him into the grass as I dropped down, laying flat on my stomach, catching my breath. I glanced at Severus, his figure standing as regal as ever across the open field, and I was determined to army crawl his way if that was what it took.

The grass grew cold, the blades freezing over, and I peered at the dementors coming our way. I was met with darkness as the wraith hovered above my body. I reached for my wand, but it was too late as it opened its mouth, feeding on my soul and its darkest memories. My hold tightened on my wand, and it took me a moment to snap out of my daze, I had never felt my soul being sucked out of my body before. I kept drawing blanks, nearly forgetting that I was supposed to fend off this foul creature.

I now understood why dementors were so feared; it was more than your soul they devoured. Snapping out of muddled thoughts, I cast a patronus charm, but it wasn't powerful enough as another Dementor took its place, feeding on my soul. I held my wand aloft, spacing what I was supposed to do, my body wouldn't respond. Before I knew it, my wand slipped from my fingers, and my hand fell to my side as I stared into the abyss ahead.

Severus...

In one last-ditch effort to defend myself, I felt around for my wand and cast yet another patronus warding away the Dementors. I glanced at Sirius and shot a spell at the Dementor above him. The poor man must have been traumatized. I crawled to his side and gently patted his cheek, hoping he would get up, but he just stared blankly at the dull sky overhead. "Siri-"

A spell collided against my chest, and the world spun as I rolled against the grassy surface. I came to a painful stop; my body aching all over as I struggled to move. Dozens of Dementors flew in my direction, circling like crows, and I struggled to reach for my wand. A short puff of breath escaped me, only to be swallowed whole by the Dementor above me. I was tired, and my body stopped responding, my adrenaline cut short by the wraith threatening to suck out my soul.